Name | Queen Latifah |
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Background | solo_singer |
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Birth name | Dana Elaine Owens |
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Born | March 18, 1970 |
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Death | March 25, 2011 |
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Origin | Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
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Instrument | Piano, vocals |
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Genre | R&B;, soul, jazz, hip hop |
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Occupation | Singer-songwriter, record producer, rapper, actress, comedian, spokesperson, author |
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Years active | 1988–present |
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Label | Verve, Interscope, Motown, Tommy Boy, Warner Bros., PolyGram |
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Url | www.QueenLatifah.com |
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Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress and singer. Queen Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination.
Early life
She was born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, the daughter of Rita (née Bray), a schoolteacher who worked at
Irvington High School, and Lancelot Owens, Sr., a police officer. Her parents divorced when Latifah was ten. and attended
Catholic school in Newark, New Jersey. Her stage name,
Latifah (لطيفة), meaning "delicate" and "very kind" in
Arabic, was given to her by her cousin when she was eight. She performed the number "Home" from the musical
The Wiz in a high school play.
Music career
Beginning (1988–1989)
She started
beatboxing for the rap group
Ladies Fresh. Latifah was one of the members of the original version of the Flavor Unit, which, at that time, was a crew of
MCs grouped around producer
DJ Mark the 45 King. Mark James aka "DJ Mark the 45 King" made a demo recording of Queen Latifah's rap Princess of the Posse. He gave the recording to the host of Yo! MTV Raps Fab 5 Freddy. The song got the attention of Tommy Boy Music employee Dante Ross, who signed Latifah and in 1988 issued her first single, "Wrath of My Madness".
Rapping (1989–2002)
Freddy helped Latifah sign with
Tommy Boy Records, which released Latifah's first album
All Hail the Queen in 1989, when she was nineteen. That year, she appeared as Referee on the UK label Music of Life album "1989—The Hustlers Convention (live)". In 1998, Co Produced by Ro Smith, now CEO of Def Ro Inc., she released her fourth hip-hop album
Order in the Court.
Singing (2003–2007)
After
Order in the Court, Latifah shifted primarily to singing in soul music and jazz standards, which she had used sparingly in her previous hip-hop-oriented records. In 2004, she released the
soul/jazz standards
The Dana Owens Album. On July 11, 2007, Latifah sang at the famed
Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as the headlining act in a live
jazz concert. Before a crowd of more than 12,400, she was backed by a 10-piece live orchestra and three backup vocalists, The Queen Latifah Orchestra. Latifah performed new arrangements of standards including "
California Dreaming", first made popular by
'60s icons
The Mamas & the Papas. Later in 2007, Latifah released an album entitled
Trav'lin' Light.
Jill Scott,
Erykah Badu,
Joe Sample,
George Duke,
Christian McBride, and
Stevie Wonder made guest appearances. It was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" category.
In 2009, Latifah, along with the Jubilation Choir, recorded the title track on the album , covering the song the Edwin Hawkins Singers made popular in 1969.
Return to hip hop (2008–present)
In 2008, Latifah was asked if she would make another hip-hop album. She was quoted saying the album was done already and it would be called "All Hail the Queen II". It was rumored that the album would be named "The 'L' Word". When asked about the rumor, she stated it was her attempt to "mess with people's heads" referring to rumors that she is lesbian". The song "Cue the Rain" was released as the album's lead single. She also has a song with
Missy Elliott.
Film and television
Early career (1991–2001)
From 1993–1998, Latifah had a starring role on
Living Single, a
Fox sitcom, which gained high ratings among black audiences; She began her film career in supporting roles in the 1991 and 1992 films
House Party 2,
Juice and
Jungle Fever. She had her own talk show,
The Queen Latifah Show, from
1999 to
2001. She also had recurring roles during the second season (1991–1992) of the
NBC hit
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.
She made a guest role as herself on
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper in 1993.
Latifah appeared in the 1996 box-office hit,
Set It Off and subsequently had a supporting role in the
Holly Hunter film
Living Out Loud (1998). Also in 2006, Latifah voiced Ellie, a friendly
mammoth, in the animated film,
(her first voice appearance in an animated film), and also appeared in the drama
Stranger Than Fiction.
She has starred in two movie remakes (Taxi and Last Holiday), five sequels (House Party 2, Scary Movie 3, , and ), one spinoff (Beauty Shop), two movies based on books (The Bone Collector and The Secret Life of Bees) and two screen adaptations of musicals (Chicago and Hairspray). The summer of 2007 brought Latifah triple success in the big-screen version of the Broadway smash hit Hairspray, in which she acted, sang, and danced. The film rated highly with critics. It starred, among others, John Travolta (Grease), Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust), Allison Janney (Juno), James Marsden (Enchanted), Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can) and Zac Efron (High School Musical). Also in 2007, she portrayed an HIV-positive woman in the film Life Support, a role for which she garnered her first Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy nomination. For her work, Queen Latifah received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on January 4, 2006, located at 6915 Hollywood Blvd.
Latifah produced the 2007 film The Perfect Holiday. In addition to producing the film, Latifah starred alongside Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Charles Q. Murphy, Jill Marie Jones, and Faizon Love. In 2008, Latifah appeared in the crime comedy Mad Money opposite Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton as well as Katie Holmes and Ted Danson. She appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 4, 2008, as moderator Gwen Ifill impersonator in a comedic sketch depicting the recent vice-presidential debate. In 2009, Latifah was a presenter at the 81st Academy Awards, presenting the segment honoring film professionals who had died during 2008 and singing "I'll Be Seeing You" during the montage. Latifah spoke at Michael Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles. She also hosted the 2010 People's Choice Awards. Latifah sang America the Beautiful at Super Bowl XLIV hosted in Miami, Florida on February 7, 2010 with Carrie Underwood. Latifah hosted the 2010 BET Awards on June 27, 2010.
Products and endorsements
Latifah is a celebrity spokesperson for
CoverGirl cosmetics, Curvation ladies underwear,
Pizza Hut and
Jenny Craig. She represents her own line of cosmetics for women of color called the CoverGirl Queen Collection. Latifah has also launched a perfume line called "Queen."
Personal life
Raised in
East Orange, New Jersey, she has been a resident of
Colts Neck, New Jersey.
Latifah was asked by Maya Angelou, who was unable to attend, to recite a poem written by Angelou at the memorial service for Michael Jackson in July 2009.
Family tragedies
Latifah's older brother, Lancelot, Jr., was killed in 1992 in an accident involving a motorcycle that Latifah had recently bought him.
Breast reduction surgery
In early 2003, Latifah had
breast reduction surgery which downsized her F size breasts to a double D cup size, as a way to reduce back and shoulder pain. She also works out with a trainer and
kickboxes.
Sexual orientation
For years, there has been speculation about Latifah's
sexual orientation, as she has never been seen with or spoken about a male partner. On May 14, 2010,
The Advocate, the largest gay and lesbian magazine in the United States, wrote that Queen Latifah and her personal trainer,
Jeanette Jenkins, purchased a home together in the
Hollywood Hills and placed both of their names on the deed. Some magazines have suggested that because of this, they are living together as partners.
Discography
1989: All Hail the Queen
1991: Nature of a Sista
1993: Black Reign
1998: Order in the Court
2004: The Dana Owens Album
2007: Trav'lin' Light
2009: Persona
Tours
''Sugar Water Festival Tour (2005), (2006)
Queen Latifah, Jill Scott & Erykah Badu joined together to create and own the rights to the Sugar Water Festival Tour, LLC. All three performers toured together, while inviting music duo
Floetry in 2005 and singer
Kelis in 2006 as opening acts. Comedian/actress
Mo'Nique served as host for the 2006 Sugar Water Tour.
Filmography
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 90%;"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Film
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! align="center"| Year
! width="170"| Film
! width="150"| Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=2 | 1991
|
Jungle Fever
|Lashawn
|
|-
|
House Party 2
|Zora
|
|-
|1992
|
Juice
|Ruffhouse M.C.
|
|-
|1993
|
Who's the Man?
|
|cameo role
|-
|1993
|
My Life
|Theresa
|
|-
|1996
|
Set It Off
|Cleopatra 'Cleo' Sims
|
American Black Film Festival Award for Best ActressNominated —
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting FemaleNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|1997
|
Hoodlum
|Sulie
|
|-
|rowspan=2 | 1998
|
Living Out Loud
|Liz Bailey
|Nominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|
Sphere
|Alice "Teeny" Fletcher
|
|-
|rowspan=2 | 1999
|
The Bone Collector
|Thelma
|Nominated —
Black Reel Award for Theatrical – Best Supporting ActressNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|
Bringing Out the Dead
|Dispatcher Love
|
|-
|rowspan=4 | 2002
|
Chicago
|Matron "Mama" Morton
|
Black Reel Award for Theatrical – Best Supporting ActressBroadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated —
Academy Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated —
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleNominated —
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion PictureNominated —
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best CastNominated —
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
|-
|
Roberto Benigni's Pinocchio
|Dove (English voice)
|
|-
|
Brown Sugar
|Francine
|Nominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|
The Country Bears
|Cha-Cha
|
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2003
|
Scary Movie 3
|Aunt Shaneequa
|
|-
|
Bringing Down the House
|Charlene Morton
|
Producer
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion PictureNominated —
BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Box Office MovieNominated —
Black Reel Award for Film – Best ActressNominated —
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie Actress
|-
|rowspan=3 | 2004
|
Taxi
|Belle
|
|-
|
The Cookout
|Security Guard
|(also producer)
|-
|
|Gina
|
BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office Movie
|-
|2005
|
Beauty Shop
|Gina Norris
|
Producer
Nominated —
BET Comedy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Theatrical FilmNominated —
Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleNominated —
Black Reel Award for Film – Best ActressNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|rowspan=3 | 2006
|
Stranger Than Fiction
|Penny Escher
|
|-
|
|Ellie
|Voice
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
|-
|
Last Holiday
|Georgia Byrd
|Nominated —
Black Movie Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading RoleNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2007
|
Hairspray
|Motormouth Maybelle
|
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best CastHollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated —
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best SongNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion PictureNominated —
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
|-
|
The Perfect Holiday
|Mrs. Christmas
|Producer
|-
|rowspan=3 |2008
|
Mad Money
|Nina Brewster
|
|-
|
What Happens in Vegas...
|Dr. Twitchell
|
|-
|
The Secret Life of Bees
|August Boatwright
|
Black Reel Award for Best ActressHollywood Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble CastNominated —
Black Reel Award for Best EnsembleNominated —
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
|-
|2009
|
|Ellie
|Voice
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2010
|
Valentine's Day
|Paula Thomas
|Nominated-
Teen Choice Award for Movie Actress Romantic Comedy (Also for
Just Wright)
|-
|
Just Wright
|Leslie Wright
|Producer
Nominated-
Teen Choice Award for Movie Actress Romantic Comedy (Also for
Valentine's Day)
|-
|2011
|
The Dilemma
|Susan Warner
|
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2012
|
|Ellie
|Voice
|-
|
Joyful Noise
|Vi Rose Hill
|
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Television Films
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1998
|
Mama Flora's Family
|Diana
|
|-
|2002
|
Living with the Dead
|Midge Harmon
|
|-
|2005
|
The Muppets' Wizard of Oz
|
Aunt Em
|
|-
|2007
|
Life Support
|Ana
|Producer
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television FilmGracie Allen Award for Outstanding Female Lead – Drama Series or SpecialNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic SpecialScreen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television MovieNominated —
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a MovieNominated —
Prism Award for Performance in a TV Movie or MiniseriesNominated —
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Television
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1993–1998
|
Living Single
|Khadijah James
|Main Role
|-
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"|Television guest appearances
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center"
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=2 | 1989
|
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
|Dee Dee / Marissa Redman
|rowspan=2 | (2 episodes)
|-
|
Whitest Kids You Know
|Cameo in skit "Sex Robot"
|-
|2001
|
Spin City
|Robin Jones
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2004
|
Eve
|Simone
|rowspan=5 | (1 episode)
|-
|
The Fairly Oddparents
|Pam Dromeda
|-
|rowspan=2 | 2008
|
Sweet Blackberry Presents
|?
|-
|
Entourage
|Herself
|-
|2010
|
30 Rock
|Regina Bookman
|}
References
External links
Queen Latifah at TV.com
Category:1970 births
Category:American dance musicians
Category:African American rappers
Category:American television talk show hosts
Category:Baptists from the United States
Category:Best Miniseries or Television Movie Actress Golden Globe winners
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:Female rappers
Category:Grammy Award winners
Category:Hip hop singers
Category:Living people
Category:Tommy Boy Records artists
Category:Verve Records artists
Category:A&M; Records artists
Category:Motown artists
Category:Native Tongues Posse
Category:Actors from New Jersey
Category:Rappers from New Jersey
Category:People from Newark, New Jersey
Category:People from Rumson, New Jersey
Category:People from East Orange, New Jersey
Category:African American television actors
Category:African American female singers