Company name	H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB
Company logo
Company type	Publicly traded Aktiebolag ()
Foundation	Västerås, Sweden (1947 as "Hennes")
Location	Stockholm, Sweden
Key people	Stefan Persson (Chairman), Karl-Johan Persson (President and CEO)
Industry	Fashion
Products	Clothing, cosmetics
Revenue	SEK 126.97 billion (2010)
Operating income	SEK 24.66 billion (2010)
Net income	SEK 18.68 billion (2010)
Num employees	59,440 (FTE, 2010 average)
Homepage	www.hm.com
Intl	yes }}

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (operating as H&M;) is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children.

It has over 2,300 stores in 41 countries and as of 2011 employed around 87,000 people.

The design team in the company’s Sweden office controls the steps of production from merchandise planning to establishing specifications, and production is outsourced to approximately 800 factories in Europe and Asia. These facilities are used for horizontal division of labor rather than being integrated.

History

The company was established in 1948 by Erling Persson in Västerås, Sweden. At the time it only sold women's clothing and was called Hennes, Swedish for "hers".

In 1968, Persson acquired the premises and inventory of a Stockholm hunting-equipment store, Mauritz Widforss. Included in the inventory was a supply of men's clothing, prompting Persson to expand into menswear. Accordingly, he renamed the store Hennes & Mauritz, later abbreviated to H&M;.

Erling's son Stefan became chief executive officer in 1990 and chairman of the board in 1998.

Today, the majority of the clothing is manufactured in Asia and Europe, including Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Pakistan and Turkey.

The company worldwide

Number of stores as of 31 May 2011 {| style="width:100%;" |- | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| Africa: 3 1 – 2011. | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| Asia: 3 50 9 6 12 6 6 2 1 17 4 (12) | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| Europe: 66 64 3 24 88 43 155 385 19 16 14 76 10 115 103 80 23 6 15 7 12 126 170 76 5 197 | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| North America: 56 213 | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| Oceania: | style="width:15%; vertical-align:top; text-align:left;"| South America: |}

Europe

Its first non-Swedish store was opened in Norway in 1964, and from then onwards, the company embarked upon a major expansion program opening many further stores in Europe, including Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The first H&M; store to open outside of Scandinavia was in the United Kingdom, in 1976

In the 1990s, its first stores opened in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Spain. In Portugal the first store opened in 2003, in Chiado, Lisboa. The company has continued to expand its business and the company has an extensive network throughout much of Europe. Germany is the company's largest market (with 377 stores as of 2011), followed by the United Kingdom (with 192 stores as of 2011) and then Sweden (with 168 stores as of 2011). The Dallas store opened August 19, 2011 at the North Park Mall off of 75 in North Dallas. http://www.wfaa.com/news/consumer/H--M-store--128026228.html

The company opened in The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on November 5, 2010.

On November 11, 2010, it opened its first Oregon location at the Pioneer Place in Portland.

In March 2011, H&M; announced that it would open two other locations in North Carolina in the metro areas of Wilkesboro and Winston Salem.

Online Shopping

On January 27, 2011, H&M; announced through its official Twitter account that there will be online shopping available to USA customers at the turn of 2011/2012.

Asia

The company opened its first Asian store (also the company's first franchise) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2006. It followed with a store in the Salmiya district of Kuwait City, Kuwait.

The first Israeli store was opened in Tel Aviv in 2010, followed by five more stores across the country. More stores are expected to open, mainly in the Gush Dan area of Tel Aviv.

It expanded into East Asia in March 2007, with its first store opening in Central Hong Kong on March 10, 2007. Australian pop singer Kylie Minogue opened that store where she also exclusively launched her range of swimwear, "H&M; loves Kylie".

The first location in Shanghai, China, was opened in 2007.

The first Japanese store was opened in Ginza on September 13, 2008, while a second store was opened in Harajuku in November 2008. Another store was opened in the Shibuya shopping district on September 19, 2009.

On February 25, 2009, the company announced that it had signed an agreement to open its first store in South Korea, located in the Myeongdong district of Seoul, and that it was scheduled to open during Spring 2010.

The company will open the first store in Singapore in Autumn 2011, to be located on Orchard Road.

Australia

Although the company as of May 2011 has no stores in Australia, in April 2007, Kylie Minogue teamed up with the company to introduce a swimwear line called, "H&M; loves Kylie", featuring a theme of Australia. "When we think of Australia and glamour, we think Kylie, who is such a stylish person," the company's design head Margareta van den Bosch said in a statement. It has been suggested that a barrier to entry into Australia (and other Southern Hemisphere nations) is that these countries seasons are opposite to the Northern Hemisphere.

Marketing

In 2008, the company used the song "Hang On" by British singer-songwriter Lettie as background music to its UK website. Their fashions have been featured in an interactive fashion art film by Imagine Fashion called ''Decadent Control''. It premiered in March 2011 and stars Roberto Cavalli, Kirsty Hume, Eva Herzigová and Brad Kroenig.

Guest-designer collaborations

In November 2004, selected company stores offered an exclusive collection by fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The press reported large crowds and that the initial inventories in the larger cities were sold out within an hour, although the clothes were still available in less-fashion-sensitive areas until the company redistributed them to meet with demand.

In November 2005, the company launched a collection by Stella McCartney and, in November 2006, by avant-garde Dutch designers Viktor & Rolf.

In March 2007, it launched another collaboration designed by the pop star Madonna. In June 2007 the company worked with game developers Maxis to create a stuff pack for the latter's ''The Sims 2'' computer game, ''H&M; Fashion Stuff''.

In November 2007, the company launched a collection by Italian designer Roberto Cavalli. It was reported that the clothing sold out very quickly. Also in 2007, another design with Kylie Minogue was launched in Shanghai, China. In the fall of 2008 the Japanese company Comme des Garçons was selected as guest designer.

For spring and summer 2009, the British designer Matthew Williamson created two exclusive ranges for the company – the first being a collection of women's clothes released in selected stores. The second collection saw Williamson branch into menswear for the first time, only in selected stores. The second collection also featured swimwear for men and women and was available in every company store worldwide.

On November 14, 2009, the company released a limited-edition diffusion collection by Jimmy Choo featuring shoes and handbags, ranging from £30 to £170 including a range of men's shoes. The collection also included clothing designed by Choo for the first time, many garments made from suede and leather, and was available in 200 stores worldwide, including London's Oxford Circus store. Sonia Rykiel also collaborated with the company, by designing a ladies knitwear and lingerie range that was released in selected company stores on December 5, 2009.

For Fall 2010, the company collaborated with French fashion house Lanvin for its 2010 guest designer.

For Spring/Summer 2011, the company collaborated with fashion blogger Elin Kling, which was available at selected stores only.

In June 2011, H&M; announced a collaboration plan with Versace.

Brand

The branding consultancy Interbrand ranked the company as the twenty-first most-valuable global brand in 2009 and 2010, making it the highest-ranked retailer in the survey. Its worth is estimated at $12–16 billion.

The full company name Hennes & Mauritz was rebranded to H&M; to simplify worldwide perception of the brand.

The company owns the two-letter domain ''hm.com''. The domain was registered in the early 1990s, but data on the first registration is lost. In 1998 Hennes & Mauritz was able to buy the domain hm.com from a company called A1 in a non-published domain transaction.

Corporate objective

The company describes its mission as "Fashion and quality at the best price." Its goals for 2008 have been to intensify the sales in the existing stores, as well as to increase the number of new stores by a net ten percent to fifteen percent per year. In 2007, the company opened 193 new stores and closed 16 . Expansion and maintaining of financial stability are the company's strategic goals. In the last five years the revenues rose by 73 percent and the earnings per share increased by 139 percent.

Home furnishing

In a press release, the company announced that it would begin selling home furnishings. As of 2009, it was distributed exclusively by the company's internet catalog, so it is only available in countries where H&M; is sold online, such as Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK

Controversies

On January 6, 2010, it was reported that unsold clothing and other items in one New York City store are cut up before being discarded, presumably to prevent resale or use.

In March 2010, the company was criticized by anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian groups for opening its first stores in Israel at a time when the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (UN Goldstone Report) accused Israel of violating international law. Boycott campaigns were spread around the world with protests being held outside company stores.

See also

List of Swedish companies

European Retail Round Table

References

External links

hm.com, the company's official website

Hennes en Mauritz news and facts FashionUnited

COS by H&M;

Collection of past and present H&M; advertising at Adbrands.net

Yahoo! – H&M; Hennes & Mauritz AB Company Profile

social reports

Category:Clothing brands Category:Clothing companies of Sweden Category:Clothing retailers Category:Companies based in Stockholm Category:Companies established in 1947 Category:Retail companies of Sweden Category:Shops in New York City Category:Swedish brands

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Esau Mwamwaya is a singer from Lilongwe, Malawi. He is best known for his collaboration, The Very Best with London based DJ/production duo Radioclit. His music has been described as an Afro-Western mix of dance, hiphop, pop and the traditional music of Malawi.

Esau Mwamwaya was born in Mzuzu, Malawi, but grew up in the capital, Lilongwe, where he played drums in various bands. He played with numerous artists including Masaka Band and Evison Matafale.

In 1999 he moved to London and while running a second-hand furniture shop in Clapton, East London, Esau sold a bicycle to the producer from the band Radioclit, Etienne Tron. Radioclit's studio was on the same street as Esau's shop, and eventually, Esau became friends with both Tron and Johan Karlberg aka Radioclit.

On the heels of the mixtape, The Very Best produced their first full-length album, Warm Heart of Africa, released digitally in August 2009 and released physically in October 2009 by GREEN OWL and Moshi Moshi. The album features collaborations with Ezra Koenig and M.I.A. (artist)

The Very Best is also featured on a track on Crookers debut album, Tons of Friends.

Winner of 9th Annual Independent Music Awards: World Beat song for "Warm Heart of Africa" featuring Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig

Discography

The Very Best

''Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are the Very Best'' (2008)

''Warm Heart of Africa'' (2009)

''Super Mom'' (2011)

References

External links

Warm Heart of Africa Review

Warm Heart of Africa Review/Recensione on QuelloCheSento(Italian Language)

The Very Best Interview

Category:Malawian musicians Category:Living people

fr:Esau Mwamwaya

Name	Matthew Williamson
Nationality	British
Birth date	October 23, 1971
Birth place	Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England
Education	Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design
Label name	Matthew Williamson Pucci

Matthew Williamson is an English fashion designer. His collections often have an Indian influence, perhaps related to the time Williamson spent working in India for the clothing store Monsoon. He counts celebrities such as Björk, Cat Deeley, Will Buckhurst, Sienna Miller, Kelis, Jade Jagger and Plum Sykes amongst his friends.

Biography

He was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester, England, and studied in Manchester until he was 17. He then moved to London to attend school at Central Saint Martin's College of Art and Design, graduating in 1994.

Career

Williamson started his career with two years of work experience with Georgina Von Etzdorf, Marni and Monsoon. In 1996, after his beaded bags and scarves had caught the attention of Kate, Helena and Amber, Williamson launched his own clothes label with business partner Joseph Velosa. Kate, Helena and Jade Jagger later agreed to model in his London Fashion Week debut show, called ''Electric Angels''.

In 2005, he launched his own perfume range. In 2006, Williamson took over as creative director at Pucci. In 2007, a runway show of his designs was incorporated into the video for Prince's song "Chelsea Rodgers" from his ''Planet Earth'' album. In 2009, Williamson is cooperating with Swedish clothing company H&M;. His collection for men and women, which launches on 23 April will include Williamson's first venture into the menwear market.

In May 2009, Williamson launches his own online shop.

He made a guest appearance on season 7 of ''Project Runway''. The episode aired on January 28, 2010.

Graduating from Central St Martins in June 1994 with a BA in Fashion Design and Printed Textiles, his first job following graduation was a freelance design project with Marni. Matthew was then employed by British fashion company, Monsoon and Accessorize.

The luxury fashion house, Matthew Williamson, was founded in February 1997 by designer, Matthew Williamson and CEO, Joseph Velosa.

In September 1997, Matthew Williamson showed his infamous debut collection, 'Electric Angels', during London Fashion Week. Bias cut dresses and separates in exotic shades of tangerine, fuchsia and magenta were worn by models Kate Moss, Helena Christensen and Jade Jagger. This unique collection of bright, intricately detailed pieces defined and set the pace for the highly recognisable Matthew Williamson signature aesthetic.

Following this initial show, Matthew Williamson's collections have continued to gather momentum, cementing his reputation as a designer. In February 2002, Matthew showed for the first time during New York Fashion Week expanding opportunities within the press and attracting a wider audience commercially.

The award-winning Matthew Williamson flagship store first opened at 28 Bruton Street, Mayfair, London in March 2004.

In 2005, Matthew Williamson took over as Creative Director at LVMH owned Italian house, Emilio Pucci, whilst continuing at the design helm of his namesake company. In September 2008 Matthew Williamson returned to London full time in order to focus fully on his own label's forthcoming ventures and expansion.

In August 2007, TSM Capital acquired an equity stake in Matthew Williamson Holdings Ltd. Baugur Group, which invested in the company in 2006, maintains a significant equity interest in the business. TSM Capital made the investment in collaboration with the Aronsson Group. Combined, Matthew Williamson and Joseph Velosa, the company's founders, retain the majority stake in the company.

In September 2007, Matthew Williamson was invited to celebrate the label's 10th year anniversary by returning to London fashion week for an anniversary show which included an exclusive performance by artist, Prince. An exhibition dedicated to his retrospective titled, "Matthew Williamson – 10 Years in Fashion" was also held at the Design Museum, London.

In September 2009, Matthew Williamson was invited by the British Fashion Council to return to celebrate London Fashion Weeks 25th anniversary.

Matthew Williamson won the Red Carpet Designer of the Year at the 2008 British Fashion Awards; previously having been awarded Elle Designer of the Year in 2004 and the 2005 Moet and Chandon Fashion Tribute Award. He has also been nominated 3 times for Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards.

The luxury fashion house now produces 4 women’s wear collections annually and currently has a customer portfolio which includes 170 wholesale accounts around the world and also has an award-winning flagship store on Bruton Street, London.

In 2009, Matthew Williamson opened its first US flagship store in New York, accompanied by a further stand alone retail store in the Dubai Mall, Dubai. This was closely followed by the launch of online stores for the UK, Europe and US.

In October 2010 it was announced that Matthew Williamson signed a new licensing deal with MBFG. The deal birthed a new, younger, diffusion line - Muse by Matthew Williamson. The new line is expected to be in stores for Fall 2011.

References

External links

Official Website

BBC Blast - Matthew Williamson

Matthew Williamson @ The Design Museum

Category:English fashion designers Category:Living people Category:LGBT people from England Category:LGBT fashion designers Category:Alumni of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design Category:1971 births Category:High fashion brands Category:People from Chorlton-cum-Hardy

de:Matthew Williamson et:Matthew Williamson fr:Matthew Williamson it:Matthew Williamson ja:マシュー・ウィリアムソン pl:Matthew Williamson sv:Matthew Williamson

name	Blake Lively
birth date	August 25, 1987
birth place	Los Angeles, CA, USA
occupation	Actress, model
yearsactive	1998; 2005–present }}

Blake Lively (born August 25, 1987) is an American actress and model who stars as Serena van der Woodsen in the television teen drama series, ''Gossip Girl''. She has also starred in movies, including ''Accepted'', ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'', ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'', ''The Town'' and ''Green Lantern''.

Early life

Lively was born in Tarzana, Los Angeles to actors Ernie and Elaine Lively. She was raised as a Southern Baptist. The youngest of five siblings, Lively has a brother, Eric, two half-sisters, Lori and Robyn, and a half-brother, Jason. Both of her parents and all of her siblings are, or have been, in the entertainment industry. During Lively's childhood, her parents would take her with them to acting classes that they taught because they did not want to leave her with a babysitter. Lively said that watching her parents teach acting classes helped her learn the "drills" of acting and gain confidence as she got older. Lively stated that as a child, her mother would bring her to Disneyland twice a week as an opportunity "to have some extra time to bond"; Lively has stated, due to all the time she spent there, she felt that she "grew up at Disneyland."

Lively was not at all interested in acting, but during the summer between her junior and senior years, her brother, Eric, made his agent send her out on a few auditions over a period of a few months; of the few auditions, she got the role of Bridget for ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''. Lively filmed her scenes in ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'' between her junior and senior years at Burbank High.

Career

Lively began her acting career at age 11, when she appeared in the 1998 film ''Sandman'', which was directed by Lively's father. Lively describes her role in the film as having been a "bit part". Lively appeared in the film adaptation of the novel of the same name, ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants'' in 2005 playing Bridget, one of the four female leads. Lively's performance in the film earned her a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Movie Breakout - Female."

In 2006, she co-starred with Justin Long in ''Accepted'', and Lively had minor roles in the horror film, ''Simon Says''. While ''Accepted'' was not well received by critics, Lively's performance was, earning her an award from Hollywood Life, in the category of 'Breakthrough Award'. In 2007, Lively played one of the two title characters in ''Elvis and Anabelle'' as Anabelle, a bulimic girl who hoped to win a beauty pageant. Lively said of getting into character for the role that she had 'shed serious weight' for her height. Lively stated that that process was difficult for her because food is “the No. 1 love of my life.” ''MovieLine.com'' praised her performance in the film and credited it as having been her "breakthrough role".

Lively was cast in the CW's series ''Gossip Girl'', which premiered in September 2007. She plays Serena van der Woodsen in the teen drama. Her first magazine cover was the November 2007 issue of ''Cosmo Girl'', where she discussed her time in high school and her career prior to ''Gossip Girl''.

In 2008, Lively reprised her roles in the 2008 sequel, ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2''. Similar to the first film, Lively was positively received by critics. As of November 2009, the film had earned over $44 million at the box office. In 2009, Lively appeared as Gabrielle DiMarco, a minor role in the romantic comedy, ''New York, I Love You'', a sequel to the 2006 film ''Paris, je t'aime''. Despite positive reception from critics, the film had a poor box office performance.

One of Lively's most acclaimed roles to date is her supporting role as playing the younger version of the title character in ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'' (2009). Paul Byrnes, of the ''Brisbane Times'', described Lively's performance in the film as being "sensational". In October, 2009, Lively began filming her scenes for her role as Krista Coughlin, in the 2010 film ''The Town'', based on Chuck Hogan's novel ''Prince of Thieves''. In the film, Lively's role has been described as "the sister of Jem and Doug's ex-girlfriend who has a 19-month old daughter, Shyne." The film, which also stars Ben Affleck, was released in the United States on September 17, 2010 to critical acclaim. In an interview with ''Marie Claire'', Lively stated that she wasn't relying on her career as an actress, having felt that having her own interior decorating firm would be a substitute as a back-up plan, having felt that because of her 'fascination' with "colors and textures and layering things." In January 2010, it was announced that Lively would play Carol Ferris in the superhero film ''Green Lantern'', which was released in June 2011.

Music video

Lively appeared in the music video for The Lonely Island´s "I Just Had Sex" together with Jessica Alba in January 2011.

Personal life

Lively dated actor Kelly Blatz from 2004 to 2007; the two had been friends since childhood. In late 2007, rumors circulated that Lively was dating her ''Gossip Girl'' co-star and former childhood classmate Penn Badgley. In May 2008, after ''People'' magazine published photos of the two kissing while on vacation in Mexico, the couple became more open about their relationship. Lively and Badgley ended their three-year relationship in mid-September 2010, according to a representative for the pair. She is now in a relationship with Leonardo DiCaprio. They were first spotted together in May 2011, however neither have confirmed the romance.

During the 2008 United States presidential election Lively expressed her support for Barack Obama. Lively and Badgley appeared in a pro-Obama commercial, as part of MoveOn.org's Youth Vote program. The commercial, directed by Doug Liman, aired during ''Gossip Girl'' on CW, MTV and Comedy Central.

In 2011, she was featured in the annual ''TIME'' magazine 100 influential people.

Filmography

+ List of film credits
! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
2005	''''	Bridget Vreeland	Film debut
2006	''Accepted''	Monica Moreland	Hollywood Life's Breakthrough Award
2006		Jenny
2007	''Elvis and Anabelle''	Anabelle Leigh
2008	''''	Bridget Vreeland
2009	''New York, I Love You''	Gabrielle DiMarco
2009	''''	Young Pippa Lee
2010	''''	Krista Coughlin
2011		Carol Ferris
2011		Glenda
2012		Ophelia

+ List of television credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
2007–present	''Gossip Girl''	Serena van der Woodsen	Main role

Awards

+ List of awards and award nominations
! Year	! Award	! Category	! Nominated work	! Result
2005	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Breakout Female	''''
2008	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Female Hottie
2008	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress Drama won
2008	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Breakout Star-Female	''Gossip Girl''
2008	Newport Beach Film Festival	Achievement Award-Breakout Performance	''Elvis and Anabelle''
2009	Prism Awards	Performances in a Drama Episode	''Gossip Girl''
2009	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress Drama	''Gossip Girl''
2010	People's Choice Awards	Favorite TV Drama Actress	''Gossip Girl''
2010	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress Drama	''Gossip Girl''
2010	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards		''''
2010	National Board of Review		''''
2010			''''
2010	Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association		''''
2011	People's Choice Award	Favorite TV Drama Actress	''Gossip Girl''
2011	Teen Choice Awards	Choice Movie Actress Sci Fi/Fantasy	''Green Lantern''
2011	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Actress Drama	''Gossip Girl''

References

won

External links

Blake Lively cast bio at The CW

Blake Lively at TV Guide

Blake Lively At Her Hottest — slideshow by ''Life magazine''

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from California Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Living people Category:People from Tarzana, Los Angeles Category:People from the San Fernando Valley

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name	Jessica Alba
birth name	Jessica Marie Alba
birth date	April 28, 1981
birth place
occupation	Actress
years active	1994–present
spouse
children	2 }}

Jessica Marie Alba (born April 28, 1981) is an American television and film actress. She began her television and movie appearances at age 13 in ''Camp Nowhere'' and ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'' (1994). Alba rose to prominence as the lead actress in the television series ''Dark Angel'' (2000–2002). Alba later appeared in various films including ''Honey'' (2003), ''Sin City'' (2005), ''Fantastic Four'' (2005), ''Into the Blue'' (2005), ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'' and ''Good Luck Chuck'' both in 2007.

Alba is considered a sex symbol and often generates media attention for her looks. She appears on the "Hot 100" section of ''Maxim'' and was voted number one on AskMen.com's list of "99 Most Desirable Women" in 2006, as well as "Sexiest Woman in the World" by ''FHM'' in 2007. The use of her image on the cover of the March 2006 ''Playboy'' sparked a lawsuit by her, which was later dropped. She has also won various awards for her acting, including the Choice Actress Teen Choice Award and Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television, and a Golden Globe nomination for her lead role in the television series ''Dark Angel''.

Early life

Alba was born in Pomona, California to Catherine (née Jensen) and Mark Alba. Her mother is of Danish and French Canadian descent and her father is Mexican American. She has a younger brother, Joshua. Her father's Air Force career took the family to Biloxi, Mississippi and Del Rio, Texas, before settling back in California when she was nine years old. Alba described her family as being a "very conservative family – a traditional, Catholic, Latin American family" and herself as very liberal; she says she had identified herself as a "feminist" as early as age five.

Alba's early life was marked by a multitude of physical maladies. During childhood, she suffered from collapsed lungs twice, had pneumonia 4–5 times a year, as well as a ruptured appendix and a tonsillar cyst. Alba became isolated from other children at school, because she was in the hospital so often due to her illnesses that no one knew her well enough to befriend her. Alba has also had asthma since she was a child. Alba has said that her family's frequent moving also contributed to her isolation from her peers. She has acknowledged that she has suffered from obsessive–compulsive disorder during her childhood. Alba graduated from high school at age 16, and she subsequently attended the Atlantic Theater Company.

Career

Alba expressed interest in acting since the age of five. In 1992, the 11-year-old Alba persuaded her mother to take her to an acting competition in Beverly Hills, California, whose grand prize was free acting classes. Alba won the grand prize, and took her first acting lessons. An agent signed Alba nine months later. Her first appearance on film was a small role in the 1994 feature ''Camp Nowhere'' as Gail. She was originally hired for two weeks but her role turned into a two-month job in a leading role when one of the prominent actresses dropped out.

Alba appeared in two national television commercials for Nintendo and J.C. Penney as a child. She was later featured in several independent films. She branched out into television in 1994 with a recurring role as the vain Jessica in three episodes of the Nickelodeon comedy series ''The Secret World of Alex Mack''. She then performed the role of Maya in the first two seasons of the television series ''Flipper''. Under the tutelage of her lifeguard mother, Alba learned to swim before she could walk, and she was a PADI-certified scuba diver, skills which were put to use on the show, which was filmed in Australia.

In 1998, she appeared as Melissa Hauer in a first-season episode of the Steven Bochco crime-drama ''Brooklyn South'', as Leanne in two episodes of ''Beverly Hills, 90210'', and as Layla in an episode of ''The Love Boat: The Next Wave''. In 1999, she appeared in the Randy Quaid comedy feature ''P.U.N.K.S.''. After Alba graduated from high school, she studied acting with William H. Macy and his wife, Felicity Huffman, at the Atlantic Theater Company, which was developed by Macy and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and film director, David Mamet.

Alba rose to greater prominence in Hollywood in 1999 after appearing as a member of a snobby high school clique in the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy ''Never Been Kissed'', and as the female lead in the 1999 comedy-horror film ''Idle Hands'', opposite Devon Sawa.

Her big break came when writer/director James Cameron picked Alba from a pool of 1,200 candidates for the role of the genetically-engineered super-soldier, Max Guevara, on the Fox sci-fi television series ''Dark Angel''. Co-created by Cameron, the series starred Alba, and ran for two seasons until 2002, earning her critical acclaim as well as a Golden Globe nomination. Alba later revealed that she had suffered from anorexia while in preparation for ''Dark Angel''.

Alba has been well-received in popular culture. She received the Teen Choice Award for ''Choice Actress'' and Saturn Award for Best Actress for her role in ''Dark Angel''. In 2006, Alba received an MTV Movie Award for "Sexiest Performance" for ''Sin City''. Her acting has also drawn criticism, however, as she was nominated for a 2007 Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performances in ''Awake'', ''Good Luck Chuck'', and ''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer''. She was also nominated for the same award in 2005 for her performances in ''Fantastic Four'' and ''Into the Blue''.

Alba's most notable film roles have included an aspiring dancer-choreographer in ''Honey'', exotic dancer Nancy Callahan in ''Sin City'', and as the Marvel Comics character Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman in ''Fantastic Four''. She then appeared in its sequel, in ''Into the Blue'' later that year, and ''Good Luck Chuck'' a few years later. Alba hosted the 2006 MTV Movie Awards and performed sketches spoofing the movies ''King Kong'', ''Mission: Impossible 3'', and ''The Da Vinci Code''. In February 2008, she hosted the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Science and Technical Awards. Alba has been represented by talent agents Patrick Whitesell and Brad Cafarelli.

In 2008, Alba made her acting transition to the horror-film genre in ''The Eye'', a remake of the Hong Kong original. The film was released on February 1, 2008. Though the film was not well received by critics, Alba's performance was both positively and negatively received. Alba won a Teen Choice for Choice Movie Actress: Horror/Thriller and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress-nomination. Also in 2008, Alba starred alongside Mike Myers and Justin Timberlake in "box office bomb" ''The Love Guru''. Alba was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress.

In late 2008, Alba signed on to star as the lead role in ''An Invisible Sign of My Own''. The movie finished filming in November 2008. The film is in post-production and set to be released in 2011.

Alba starred alongside Kate Hudson and Casey Affleck in the film adaption of the book of the same name, ''The Killer Inside Me''. In the movie, Alba played Joyce Lakeland, a prostitute. The film was released in 2010. Also in 2010, Alba starred in the romantic comedy ''Valentine's Day'', alongside Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Emma Roberts, Ashton Kutcher, and Jennifer Garner. The film was released on February 12, 2010.

In August 2010, it was announced that Alba will appear in ''Spy Kids 4''. She appeared on Maxim's 2011 Hot 100 list, finishing 21.

Public image

In 2001, Alba was ranked No. 1 on ''Maxim'' magazine's Hot 100 list. She said that "I have to go to certain lengths to use sexuality to my advantage, while guiding people to thinking the way I want them to." In 2005, Alba was named one of ''People'' magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People, and also appeared in the magazine's 100 Most Beautiful list in 2007. In 2002, Alba was voted as the fifth Sexiest Female Star for 2002 in a Hollywood.com poll, No.4 in the Top 10 Sci-Fi Babes, No.6 in ''FHM'''s Sexiest Girls for their poll, and ranked at No.12 in ''Stuff'' magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" 2002 edition. In 2005, Alba was ranked at No.5 on the ''Maxim'' magazine's Hot 100 list.

On the cover of the March 2006 issue, ''Playboy'' magazine named Alba among its 25 Sexiest Celebrities, and the Sex Star of the Year. Alba was involved in litigation against ''Playboy'' for its use of her image (from a promotional shot for ''Into the Blue'') without her consent, which she contends gave the appearance that she was featured in the issue in a "nude pictorial". However, she later dropped the lawsuit after receiving a personal apology from ''Playboy'' owner Hugh Hefner, who agreed to make donations to two charities that Alba has supported.

When reports surfaced that a 21-year-old Chinese girl was seeking plastic surgery to resemble Alba in order to win back an ex-boyfriend, the star spoke out against the perceived need to change one's appearance for love.

In 2006, Alba ranked No.3 on E! Television's 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies. In 2006 readers of AskMen.com voted Alba No. 1 on ''99 Most Desirable Women'', while in 2007, ''Maxim Magazine'' placed Alba on the number 2 spot of their "Top 100". Both ''GQ'' and ''In Style'' had Alba on their June 2008 covers, and in May, after eight million votes, ''FHM'' (UK and USA editions) named Alba the winner as "2007's Sexiest Woman in the World". Alba has been regarded as one of the world's most attractive women, being named to Maxim's Hot 100 in 2008. In 2007, Alba was ranked in at No.1 in FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2007 poll, in the magazine's Latvian edition. Alba was ranked No.4 on Empire Magazine's 100 Sexiest Movie Stars in 2007. In 2006 and 2007, Alba was voted No.1 as the most sexy woman in the world by the Norwegian FHM. Alba appeared in the 2009 Campari calendar. Campari printed 9,999 copies of the calendar featuring photos of Alba posing sexually in swimsuits, and high heels. In 2008, Alba was ranked No.34 on ''Maxim'' magazine's Hot 100 list, was ranked No.2 on ''Wizard'' magazine's "Sexiest Women of TV" list, and was named in ''GQ'' Magazine one of the 25 Sexiest Women in film of all time. Alba is the only woman who has made the ''Maxim Magazine'' Hot 100 list in all the years it was published; from 2000 to 2011.

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Alba fears being typecast as a sex kitten based on the bulk of parts offered to her, commenting, "Somehow, I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman." In the interview, Alba said she wants to be taken seriously as an actress but believes she needs to do movies that she would otherwise not be interested in to build her career, stating that eventually she hopes to be more selective in her film projects. Alba also maintains a strict no-nudity clause in her contract. She was given the option to appear nude in ''Sin City'' by the film's directors, Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, but declined the offer, saying, "I don't do nudity. I just don't. Maybe that makes me a bad actress. Maybe I won't get hired in some things. But I have too much anxiety". She remarked of a ''GQ'' shoot in which she was scantily clad, "They didn't want me to wear the granny panties, but I said, 'If I'm gonna be topless I need to wear granny panties."

Personal life

Religion

Alba was raised as a Catholic throughout her teenage years, but left the church after four years because she felt she was being judged for her appearance, explaining: "Older men would hit on me, and my youth pastor said it was because I was wearing provocative clothing, when I wasn't. It just made me feel like if I was in any way desirable to the opposite sex that it was my fault, and it made me ashamed of my body and being a woman".

Alba also had objections to the church's condemnations of premarital sex and homosexuality, and what she saw as a lack of strong female role models in the Bible, explaining "I thought it was a nice guide, but it certainly wasn't how I was going to live my life." Her "religious devotion [began] to wane" at the age of 15 when she guest-starred as a teenager with gonorrhea in the throat in a 1996 episode of the television series ''Chicago Hope''. Her friends at church reacted negatively to her role, making her lose faith in the church. However, she has stated that she still holds her belief in God despite leaving the church.

Relationships and family

While filming ''Dark Angel'' in January 2000, Alba began a three year relationship with her co-star Michael Weatherly, which caused controversy due to their twelve year age gap. Weatherly proposed to Alba on her twentieth birthday, which she accepted. In August 2003, Alba and Weatherly announced that they'd ended their relationship. In July 2007, Alba spoke out about the breakup, saying "I don't know [why I got engaged]. I was a virgin. He was 12 years older than me. I thought he knew better. My parents weren't happy. They're really religious. They believe God wouldn't allow the Bible to be written if it wasn't what they are supposed to believe. I'm completely different." Alba had at one time said she envisioned a much older man as her ideal partner, making references to Morgan Freeman, Sean Connery, Robert Redford, and Michael Caine. She said, "I have this thing for older men. They've been around and know so much."

Alba met Cash Warren, son of actor Michael Warren, while filming ''Fantastic Four'' in 2004. Alba married Warren in Los Angeles on Monday, May 19, 2008. They have two daughters: Honor Marie Warren (born 2008) and Haven Garner Warren (born 2011). The first pictures of Honor Marie appeared in the July 2008 issue of ''OK!'' magazine, which paid a reported $1.5 million for them. Alba has said that she would like to have more children.

Charity and politics

In 2005, Alba offered her acting talents for free, to raise money for AIDS charity Amfar at the Cannes Film Festival. The Industry had held a benefit for the US research foundation. Alba had caused "the greatest stir" by promising to star as an unpaid actress in one of ''The Lord of the Rings'' producer Bob Weinstein's movies, if Weinstein agreed to bid $100,000 for tennis lessons with sports stars Monica Seles and Boris Becker.

Alba's charity work includes participation with Clothes Off Our Back, Habitat for Humanity, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Project HOME, RADD, Revlon Run/Walk for Women, SOS Children Villages, Soles4Souls, and Step up. Alba openly endorsed and supported Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama during the 2008 primary season. Alba is an ambassador for the 1Goal movement to provide education to children in Africa.

Alba posed for a bondage-themed print advertising campaign by Declare Yourself, a campaign encouraging voter registration among youth for the 2008 United States presidential election. The ads photographed by Mark Liddell, which feature Alba wrapped in and gagged with black tape, drew national media attention. The ads were described by some as being "Shocking". Alba said of doing the advertisements that "it didn't freak me out at all." Alba also said "I think it is important for young people to be aware of the need we have in this country to get them more active politically," and "People respond to things that are shocking."

In June 2009, while filming ''The Killer Inside Me'' in Oklahoma City, Alba was involved in a controversy with residents when she pasted posters of sharks around town. Alba said that she was trying to bring attention to the diminishing population of great white sharks. Media outlets speculated that Alba would be pursued and charged with vandalism. On June 16, 2009, Oklahoma City police said that they would not pursue criminal charges against Alba, because none of the property owners wanted to pursue it. Alba apologized in a statement to ''People'' magazine and said that she regretted her actions. She later donated an undisclosed amount of money (over $500) to the United Way, whose billboard she had obscured with one of the shark posters.

In 2011, Alba participated in a two day lobbying effort in Washington D.C. in support of the Safe Chemicals Act, a revision of the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

Filmography

Film

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1994	''Camp Nowhere''	Gail	Film debut
1995	''Venus Rising''	Young Eve
	''P.U.N.K.S.''	Samantha Swoboda
''Never Been Kissed''	Kirsten Liosis
''Idle Hands''	Molly
2000		Chloe
	''The Sleeping Dictionary''	Selima
	Honey Daniels	Teen Choice Award for Breakout Movie Star, Actress – Drama/Action Adventure, Chemistry and LiplockNominated
		Nancy Callahan	MTV Movie Award for Sexiest PerformanceNominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting ActressNominated – Alma Award
		Nominated –
	Sam
	''[[Knocked Up''	Herself	Uncredited Cameo
''Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer''	Sue Storm / Invisible Woman	Blimp Award for Favorite Female Movie Star
''The Ten''	Liz Anne Blazer
''Good Luck Chuck''	Cam Wexler
	Sam Lockwood
		Sydney Wells
''Meet Bill''	Lucy
''The Love Guru''	Jane Bullard
		Morely Clarkson
	Joyce Lakeland
	Special Agent Sartana Rivera
''An Invisible Sign''	Mona Gray
''Little Fockers''	Andi Garcia
2011	''Spy Kids 4: All the Time in the World''	Marissa Wilson

Television

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1994	''The Secret World of Alex Mack''	Jessica	"School Dance" (Season 1, Episode 5)"Hoop War" (Season 1, Episode 2)"The Accident" (Season 1, Episode 1)
1995–1997		Maya Graham	Recurring characterNominated – Young Star Award-Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Daytime TV Program (1998)
1996	''ABC Afterschool Special''	Christy	"Too Soon for Jeff" (Season 25, Episode 1)
1996	''Chicago Hope''	Florie Hernandez	"Sexual Perversity in Chicago Hope" (Season 2, Episode 18)
1998	''Brooklyn South''	Melissa Hauer	"Exposing Johnson" (Season 1, Episode 12)
1998	''Beverly Hills, 90210''	Leanne	"Making Amends" (Season 8, Episode 23)"The Nature of Nurture" (Season 8, Episode 25)
1998	''The Love Boat: The Next Wave''	Layla	"Remember?" (Season 1, Episode 2)
2000–2002		Max Guevara / X5-452	Lead RoleNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama (2000)Won – Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television (2001)Nominated – Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Drama Series – Leading Young Actress (2001)Won – Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress (2001)Won – TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Breakout Star of the Year (2001)Nominated TV Guide Award TV Guide Award for Actress of the Year in a New Series (2001)Nominated – ALMA Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Series (2002)Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actress in a Television Series (2002)Nominated – Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Female Action Hero (2002)Nominated – Teen Choice Award for TV – Choice Actress-Drama (2002)
2003	''MADtv''	Jessica Simpson	"Episode #9.5" (Season 9, Episode 5)
2004		Herself	"The Review" (Season 1, Episode 2)
2005	''Trippin'	Herself	"Costa Rica" (Season 1, Episode 6)"Honduras" (Season 1, Episode 5)
2009		Sophie	"Stress Relief" (Season 5, Episode 15)

Awards

! Year	! Awards	! Category	! Nominated Work	! Result
2001	ALMA Award	Breakthrough Actress of the Year	None
2005	Young Hollywood Awards	Superstar of Tomorrow	None
	TV Land Awards	Little Screen / Big Screen Star (Women)	None
	Hottest Jessica	None
	People's Choice Awards	Favorite Female Action Star	None
People's Choice Awards	Favorite Leading Lady	None

References

External links

Category:1981 births Category:Actors from California Category:Actors from Mississippi Category:Actors from Texas Category:American child actors Category:American film actors

Category:American people of French-Canadian descent Category:American people of Mexican descent Category:American television actors

Category:Living people Category:Military brats Category:People from Biloxi, Mississippi Category:People from Pomona, California Category:People from Val Verde County, Texas

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