Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
name	Gwen Stefani
background	solo_singer
birth name	Gwen Renée Stefani
birth date	October 03, 1969
birth place	Anaheim, California,
genre	Pop, dance, rock, electronic, R&B;
occupation	Singer-songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, dancer
instrument	Vocals, guitar
years active	1986–present
label	Interscope
associated acts	No Doubt, The Neptunes, Sublime, Dr. Dre, Akon, Outkast
website	}}

Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani is the lead vocalist for the rock band No Doubt. Stefani recorded her first solo album ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' in 2004. The album was inspired by music of the 1980s, and was a success with sales of over seven million. The album's third single "Hollaback Girl" was the first U.S. digital download to sell one million copies. Stefani's second solo album, ''The Sweet Escape'' (2006), yielded "Wind It Up", "4 in the Morning" and the highest-selling single "The Sweet Escape". Including her work with No Doubt, Stefani has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. She won the World's Best-Selling New Female Artist at the World Music Awards 2005.

In 2003, she debuted her clothing line L.A.M.B. and expanded her collection with the 2005 Harajuku Lovers line, drawing inspiration from Japanese culture and fashion. Stefani performs and makes public appearances with four back-up dancers known as the Harajuku Girls dancers. She married British grunge musician Gavin Rossdale in 2002 and they have two sons: Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, born May 26, 2006, and Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, born August 20, 2008. ''Billboard'' magazine named Stefani the 54th artist and 37th Hot 100 artist of the 2000–09 decade.

Early life

Stefani was born and raised in Anaheim, California, and grew up in a Roman Catholic household. She attended Loara High School. She was named after a stewardess in the 1968 novel ''Airport'', and her middle name, Renée, comes from The Four Tops' 1968 cover of The Left Banke's 1966 hit song "Walk Away Renée". Her father, Dennis Stefani, is Italian-American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. He currently is Executive VP of The Added Value Company. Her mother, Patti (née Flynn), is of Irish and Scottish descent and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Gwen's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris. She is the second oldest of four children: she has a younger sister, Jill Stefani, a younger brother, Todd, and an older brother, Eric. Eric was the keyboardist for No Doubt but left the band to pursue a career in animation on ''The Simpsons'' on the Fox TV network.

Many of the women in Stefani's family were seamstresses, and much of her clothing was made by them or her mother. As a child, Stefani's musical interests consisted of musicals such as ''The Sound of Music'' and ''Evita''. After making a demo tape for her father, she was encouraged to take music lessons to train her "loopy, unpredictable" voice. Stefani made her onstage debut during a talent show at Loara High School, where she sang "I Have Confidence," from ''The Sound of Music,'' in a self-made tweed dress inspired by one from the film. Stefani was on the Loara swim team in an attempt to lose weight. She first worked at a Dairy Queen and later manned the MAC makeup counter of a department store. After graduating from high school in 1987, she began attending Fullerton College before transferring to California State University, Fullerton.

Music career

1986–2004: No Doubt

Eric introduced Gwen to 2 Tone music by Madness and The Selecter, and in 1986 he invited her to provide vocals for No Doubt, a ska band he was forming. Finally, in 1991, the band was signed to Interscope Records. She also was a featured artist for Sublime on their song "Saw Red", notably before either No Doubt's breakthrough success in 1995 or Sublime's the following year.

The band released its self-titled debut album in 1992, but its ska-pop sound was unsuccessful due to the popularity of grunge. Stefani rejected the aggressiveness of female grunge artists and cited Blondie singer Debbie Harry's combination of power and sex appeal as a major influence. No Doubt's third album, ''Tragic Kingdom'' (1995), which followed the self-released ''The Beacon Street Collection'' (1995), took more than three years to make. During this time, the band almost split up because of the failed romantic relationship between Stefani and bandmate Tony Kanal. Their break-up inspired Stefani lyrically, and many of the album's songs, such as "Don't Speak", "Sunday Morning", and "Hey You", chronicle their relationship and her happiness. Five singles were released from ''Tragic Kingdom'' and "Don't Speak" led 1996's U.S. year-end airplay chart. Stefani left college for one semester to tour for ''Tragic Kingdom'' but did not return when touring lasted two and a half years. The album sold more than 16 million copies worldwide, and received several Grammy Award nominations.

No Doubt released the less popular ''Return of Saturn'' in 2000, which expands upon the New Wave influences of ''Tragic Kingdom''. Most of the lyrical content focuses on Stefani's often rocky relationship with then-Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale and her overall insecurities, including indecision on settling down and having a child. The band's 2001 album, ''Rock Steady'', explored more reggae and dancehall sounds, while maintaining the band's New Wave influences, and generally received positive reviews. It was recorded live by Guy Charbonneau (audio recording engineer)'s Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio and later released on CD and DVD formats. The album generated career-highest singles chart positions in the United States, and "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" received Grammy Awards. A greatest hits collection, ''The Singles 1992–2003'', which includes a cover of Talk Talk's "It's My Life", was released in 2003 to moderate sales.

Before the mainstream success of both No Doubt and Sublime, Stefani contributed guest vocals to "Saw Red" on Sublime's 1994 album ''Robbin' the Hood''. During the time when No Doubt was receiving mainstream success, Stefani has collaborated on the singles "South Side" and "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with Moby and Eve, respectively. In 2002 Eve and Stefani won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind". She also collaborated with The Brian Setzer Orchestra on a cover of "You're the Boss", originally performed by Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret, for its 1998 album ''The Dirty Boogie''.

2004–2008: Solo career

Following No Doubt's hiatus, Stefani sought out her former bandmate Tony Kanal to discuss the possibility of a solo career. The idea was to make a quick dance record, but this became a large collaboration with other artists, producers and various non-ska influences. The result was two successful albums. Currently, Stefani has two solo albums, ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004), and ''The Sweet Escape'' (2006), with combined sales of more than 18 million albums not including sales from singles released from both albums.

Stefani's debut solo album ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' was released in November 2004. The album features a large number of collaborations with producers and other artists, including Tony Kanal, Linda Perry, André 3000, Nellee Hooper, The Neptunes and New Order. Stefani created the album to modernize the music to which she listened when in high school, and ''L.A.M.B.'' takes influence from a variety of music styles of the 1980s and early 1990s such as New Wave and electro. Stefani's decision to use her solo career as an opportunity to delve further into pop music instead of trying "to convince the world of [her] talent, depth and artistic worth" was considered unusual. As a result, reviews of the album were mixed, and it was described as "fun as hell but...not exactly rife with subversive social commentary." The album debuted on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at number seven, selling 309,000 copies in its first week. It sold well, reaching multi-platinum status in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, Stefani was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, and at the next year's awards, Stefani received five nominations for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

The first single released from the album was "What You Waiting For?", which charted outside the U.S. top forty, but reached the top ten on most other charts. The song served to explain why Stefani produced a solo album and discusses her fears in leaving No Doubt for a solo career as well as her desire to have a baby. "Rich Girl" was released as the album's second single. A duet with rapper Eve, and produced by Dr. Dre, it is an adaptation of a 1990s pop song by British musicians Louchie Lou & Michie One, which itself is a cover of "If I Were a Rich Man", from the musical ''Fiddler on the Roof''. "Rich Girl" proved successful on several formats, and reached the UK and U.S. top ten. ''L.A.M.B.'''s third single "Hollaback Girl" became Stefani's first U.S. and second Australian number-one single; it was less successful elsewhere. The song was the first U.S. digital download to sell more than one million copies legally, and its brass-driven composition remained popular throughout 2005.

The fourth single "Cool" was released shortly following the popularity of its predecessor, but failed to match its chart success, reaching the top twenty in UK and U.S. The song's lyrics and its accompanying music video, filmed in Lake Como, Italy, depict Stefani's former relationship with Kanal. "Luxurious" was released as the album's fifth single, but did not perform as well as its predecessors. "Crash" was released in early 2006 as the album's sixth single in lieu of ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'''s sequel, which Stefani postponed because of her pregnancy.

Stefani's second solo album, ''The Sweet Escape'', was recorded by Guy Charbonneau's Le Mobile Remote Recording Studio and released in December 2006. Stefani recollaborated with Kanal, Perry, and The Neptunes, along with Akon and Tim Rice-Oxley from English rock band Keane. The album focuses more heavily on electro/dance music for clubs than its predecessor. Stefani commented that it differed from ''L.A.M.B.'' because "I just wasn't inspired to do another album and…I was a lot more relaxed making it." Its release coincided with the DVD release of Stefani's first tour, entitled ''Harajuku Lovers Live''. The album received mixed reviews by critics, who found that it "has a surprisingly moody, lightly autobiographical feel...[but] Stefani isn't convincing as a dissatisfied diva" and called the album a "hasty return" that repeats ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' with less energy.

"Wind It Up", the album's lead single, was panned by critics for its use of yodeling and an interpolation of ''The Sound of Music'', but was moderately successful, reaching the top twenty in most markets. The title track was well-received. To promote ''The Sweet Escape'', Stefani was a mentor on the sixth season of ''American Idol'' and performed the song with Akon. It became Stefani's most successful song of her solo career and earned her a Grammy Award nomination. In November 2006, the club single "Yummy" was released as a three-track maxi promo single and as a 12" vinyl single, both featuring a radio edit, an instrumental and an a cappella version of the song. "4 In The Morning" was released as the album's third single with moderate success. The album's fourth single was a hybrid version of "Now That You Got It" which featured Damian Marley. The song was a commercial failure and became her first solo single to fail to chart on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Early Winter" was released in February 2008 worldwide with initial success on European charts. To promote the album, Stefani embarked a worldwide tour, The Sweet Escape Tour. The tour covered North America, Europe, Asia and the Pacific and part of Latin America.

, Stefani confirmed that her solo career is over.

2008–Present: Return to No Doubt

With Stefani promoting her second solo album, No Doubt began initial work on a new album without her and planned to complete it after Stefani's tour was finished. In March 2008, the band started making posts concerning the progression of the album on their official fan forum. Stefani made a post on March 28, 2008 stating that songwriting had commenced but was slow on her end because she was, at the time, pregnant with her second child.

Manager Jim Guerinot said the yet-untitled album is being produced by Mark "Spike" Stent, who helped produce and mix ''Rock Steady''. Between Stefani's pregnancy and recording, No Doubt did not tour in 2008, but Guerinot promised they plan to hit the road hard in 2009 for their first full-fledged band tour in nearly five years.

"The Singles 92-03" became available on December 9, 2008 for the Rock Band 2 video game platform. All members of No Doubt except for Stefani are appearing as Scott Weiland's backing band on the album ''Happy In Galoshes''.

No Doubt announced on their official website they wanted to tour in 2009 while finishing their upcoming album, which was set for release 2010. On November 24, 2008, it was announced that No Doubt would be headlining the Bamboozle 2009 festival in May, along with Fall Out Boy. The band completed a national tour in the summer of 2009.

Other work

Stefani made most of the clothing that she wore on stage with No Doubt, resulting in increasingly eclectic combinations. Stylist Andrea Lieberman introduced her to haute couture clothing, which led to Stefani launching a fashion line named L.A.M.B. in 2004. The line takes influence from a variety of fashions, including Guatemalan, Japanese, and Jamaican styles. The line achieved popularity among celebrities and is worn by stars such as Teri Hatcher, Nicole Kidman, and Stefani herself. In June 2005, she expanded her collection with the less expensive Harajuku Lovers line, which she referred to as "a glorified merchandise line", with varied products including a camera, mobile phone charms, and undergarments. In late 2006, Stefani released a limited edition line of dolls called "Love. Angel. Music. Baby. Fashion dolls". The dolls are inspired by the various costumes that Stefani and the Harajuku Girls wore while touring for the album. In late summer 2007, Stefani launched a perfume, 'L', as a part of her L.A.M.B. collection of clothing and accessories. The perfume has high notes of sweet pea and rose. In September 2008, Stefani released a fragrance line as a part of her Harajuku Lovers product line. There are five different fragrances based on the four Harajuku Girls and Stefani herself called 'Love', 'Lil' Angel', 'Music', 'Baby' and 'G' (Gwen).

In 2004, Stefani showed interest in making film appearances and began auditioning for films such as ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith''. She made her acting debut playing Jean Harlow in Martin Scorsese's ''The Aviator'' in 2004 and was nominated for the Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by Cast in Motion Picture. Scorsese, whose daughter was a No Doubt fan, showed reciprocal interest in casting Stefani after seeing her picture from a Marilyn Monroe-inspired photo shoot for ''Teen Vogue'' in 2003. To prepare for the role, Stefani read two biographies and watched 18 of Harlow's films. Shooting her part took four to five days, and Stefani had few lines. Stefani lent her voice to the title character of ''Malice'', a PS2 and Xbox video game in 2004; before completion, however, the company opted not to use No Doubt bandmembers' voices. Also, as of 2011, Stefani has become the spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris.

Vocal ability

Stefani's unusual and dynamic vocals have been noted for their "deep vibrato" and Stefani has been described as having a "unique vocal prowess". In the single "Cool", her vocal range covers close to two octaves. Kelefa Sanneh in ''The New York Times'' pop review joked that as Stefani grew as a musician, she kicked her "addiction" to vibrato.

Stefani received five nominations at the 2006 Grammy Awards, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Image and personal life

Stefani began wearing a bindi in the mid 1990s after attending several family gatherings for Tony Kanal, who is of Indian heritage. During No Doubt's breakthrough, Stefani wore the forehead decoration in several of the band's music videos and briefly popularized the accessory in 1997. First attracting attention in the 1995 music video for "Just a Girl", Stefani is known for her midriff and frequently wears shirts that expose it. Stefani's makeup design generally includes light face powder, bright red lipstick, and arched eyebrows; she wrote about the subject in a song titled "Magic's in the Makeup" for No Doubt's ''Return of Saturn'', asking "If the magic's in the makeup/Then who am I?". Stefani is a natural brunette, though her hair has not been its natural color since she was in ninth grade. Since late 1994, she has had platinum blonde hair. Stefani discussed this in the song "Platinum Blonde Life" on ''Rock Steady'' and played original blonde bombshell Jean Harlow in the 2004 biopic ''The Aviator''. Stefani also dyed her hair blue in 1998 and pink in 2000, appearing on the cover of ''Return of Saturn'' with pink hair.

In 2006, Stefani modified her image, inspired by that of Michelle Pfeiffer's character in the 1983 film ''Scarface''. The reinvented image included a symbol consisting of two back-to-back G's, which appears on a diamond-encrusted key she wears on a necklace and which became a motif in the promotion of ''The Sweet Escape''. Stefani raised concerns in January 2007 about her rapid weight loss following her pregnancy. She stated she lost the weight through diet and exercise but admitted to obsessing over her weight due to the size zero trend. She later stated that she had been on a diet since the sixth grade to fit in size 4 clothing, commenting, "It's an ongoing battle and it's a nightmare. But I like clothes too much, and I always wanted to wear the outfits I would make."

Stefani has been influenced by and compared to pop singer Madonna. She told Elle magazine in 2007, "A lot of my influence came from her early work, like directly, like a Xerox." However, Madonna told a reporter that Stefani was a copycat and said that "She ripped me off." Stefani responded, "Some people say that I copy her. But show me one girl my age who was not influenced by her." She has been referred to as "the new Madonna" by publications such as ''The Hollywood Reporter'' and ''People''. Some critics also saw the 1980s music style of ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' as another way which Stefani was imitating the singer.

Stefani was depicted in wax by Madame Tussauds Las Vegas on September 22, 2010 at The Venetian (Las Vegas).

In response to the 2011 Japan Earthquake, Stefani donated $1,000,000 to the relief effort. Gwen also held a public auction on ebay, containing outfits of her own and tickets to a harajuku-themed event Gwen had organised, with all the profits going to charity helping the tragedy in Japan. Also, at the AMFAR gala in Cannes, a L.A.M.B dress had been designed by Gwen in order to then be sold at an auction with the profit going to charity-the dress made approximately $125000.

Relationships

Soon after Stefani joined No Doubt, she and bandmate Tony Kanal began dating. Stefani stated that she was heavily invested in the relationship, commenting that "...all I ever did was look at Tony and pray that God would let me have a baby with him." Kanal ended the relationship.

During mid year of 1995, No Doubt and rock band Goo Goo Dolls went on tour opening for alternative rock band Bush. Stefani met Bush guitarist and lead singer Gavin Rossdale. They married on September 14, 2002, with a wedding in St Paul's, Covent Garden, London. A second wedding was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. According to Stefani, it was held so that she could wear her custom-designed wedding dress by John Galliano twice.

A paternity test in 2004 revealed that Rossdale had a daughter, Daisy Lowe (b. 1989), from a previous relationship with model and designer Pearl Lowe. Stefani was "devastated and infuriated" at the discovery, leading to a rocky patch in her relationship with Rossdale. Though Rossdale remains Daisy's godfather, he has severed all ties with the Lowes. Stefani's song "Danger Zone" was widely believed to be about the discovery and its aftermath. However, the song was written prior to the incident.

In December 2005, Stefani and Rossdale announced that they were expecting their first child together. The pregnancy was first reported by ''Us Weekly'', and Stefani confirmed the pregnancy by shouting "I want you to sing so loud that the baby hears it" during a concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida after her press agent stated that it was untrue. On May 26, 2006, their son, Kingston James McGregor Rossdale, was born via cesarean section at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Kingston weighed . In January 2008, it was confirmed by her father-in-law that Stefani would be expecting her second child. On August 21, 2008, Stefani gave birth via cesarean section to her second son, Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, weighing . A representative for Stefani said "Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy."

Harajuku Girls

The release of Stefani's first solo album brought attention to her entourage of four Harajuku Girls, named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo, Japan. Stefani treats the back-up dancers, who appear in outfits influenced by Gothic Lolita fashion, as a figment of her imagination. Stefani's clothing also took influence from Japanese fashion, in a style described as a combination between Christian Dior and Japan. The dancers are featured in her music videos, press coverage, and on the album cover for ''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'', with a song named for and dedicated to them on the album. They were also featured in, and the namesake for, Stefani's Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005.

Filmography

2001 – ''King of the Hill'' – No Doubt – TV series, 1 episode: Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story

2001 – ''Zoolander'' – Herself

2004 – ''The Aviator'' – Jean Harlow

2009 – ''Gossip Girl'' – Snowed Out Singer – TV series, 1 episode: Valley Girls (2.24)

Discography

''Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004)

''The Sweet Escape'' (2006)

Tours

Harajuku Lovers Tour 2005 (2005)

The Sweet Escape Tour (2007)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Gwen Stefani

No Doubt discography

References

External links

Category:1969 births Category:Actors from California Category:American dance musicians Category:American electronic musicians Category:American expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:American fashion designers Category:American female pop singers Category:American film actors Category:American musicians of Irish descent Category:American musicians of Italian descent Category:American musicians of Scottish descent Category:American New Wave musicians Category:American pop rock singers Category:American pop singer-songwriters Category:American rock singer-songwriters Category:BRIT Award winners Category:English-language singers Category:Female New Wave singers Category:Female rock singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Interscope Records artists Category:Living people Category:No Doubt members Category:People from Anaheim, California Category:People from Fullerton, California Category:Singers from California Category:World Music Awards winners

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Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
Name	Slim Thug
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Stayve Jerome Thomas
Birth date	September 08, 1980 Houston, Texas
Genre	Hip hop Gangsta rap
Height	6'6
Years active	1998–present
Label	Swishahouse, Boss Hogg Outlawz, Interscope, E1
Associated acts	Bun B, Chalie Boy, Chamillionaire, Dice, Z-RO, Yelawolf, Mike Jones, T.I., Pharrell, Gwen Stefani
Website	www.immahogg.com }}

Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known as Slim Thug, Boss Hogg or Thug Boss, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'".

Early life

Slim Thug grew up in Houston's Northside neighborhood of Homestead/Scenic Woods. Slim says that his rap name come from the fact that as a teenager, he was very tall and skinny before he filled out. He stands 6'6" tall. The Thug part comes from people's assumptions of him due to his fresh braids and sunglasses. At age 17, he performed freestyle raps at local high school parties. He began his rap career with Swishahouse in the late 1990s. After realizing how much money he could make distributing his own mixtapes, he parted ways with Swishahouse on good terms and formed his own independent label, Boss Hogg Outlawz. Thomas bought two record stores and worked in real estate.

Music career

Already Platinum (2005-2008)

Slim Thug's debut album with Star Trak Entertainment & Interscope Records, ''Already Platinum'', was released in July 2005 after many delays. It premiered on #2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart and sold 130,000 copies in its first week. Singles included "3 Kings" (featuring T.I. and Bun B), and "I Ain't Heard of That" (featuring Pharrell and Bun B). Slim Thug appeared on Still Tippin' with Mike Jones and Paul Wall, Beyoncé Knowles's #1 single "Check on It" and Gwen Stefani's "Luxurious". With the Boss Hogg Outlawz, Slim Thug released three albums, ''Boyz N Blue'' (2004), ''Serve & Collect'' (2007) and ''Back by Blockular Demand: Serve & Collect II'' (2008). He left Interscope Records in 2008.

Boss of All Bosses (2009)

Slim Thug's second solo album ''Boss of All Bosses'' was released in 2009. Although not as successful as his debut album ''Boss of All Bosses'' debuted at #15 on the Billboard 200 with 32,000 copies sold in the first week released. It included the single "I Run".

Tha Thug Show (2010-present)

Slim Thug is third studio album ''Tha Thug Show''. His first single was "''Gangsta''" which featured Z-Ro. His second single featured rapper/singer B.o.B entitled "''So High''". It was released November 30, 2010.

Other Ventures

Acting career

In October 2009 he appeared on The Daily Show, in a parody discussing the effects of the recession upon wealthy rappers such as himself. The skit was filmed in part at The Lion's Den Recordings in Houston, Texas.

Personal life

Slim Thug dated singer LeToya Luckett until 2006. He claimed the two broke up as a result of his cheating and child with another woman.

According to MTV News, Lupe Fiasco's video for "Hip Hop Saved My Life" was based on Slim Thug's life story. "It is based on Slim Thug," Fiasco revealed. On June 7, 2010, Vibe released controversial statements Slim Thug had made regarding treatment of black men by black and white women saying "it’s hard to find [a successful black man] so Black women have to bow down and let it be known that they gotta start working hard; they gotta start cooking and being down for they man more. ...White women treat they man like a king."

The article stirred many varied reactions from bloggers and online commentators. Cultural critic and Columbia University professor Marc Lamont Hill, singers Aubrey O'Day, D. Woods, and Talib Kweli have all responded publicly to his comments.

Discography

;Studio albums

2005: ''Already Platinum''

2009: ''Boss of All Bosses''

2010: ''Tha Thug Show''

Awards and Nominations

MTV Video Music Awards

!Year	!Nominated work	!Award	!Result
align=center	"Still Tippin'"
align=center	"Check On It"

References

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:Rappers from Houston, Texas Category:E1 Music artists

cs:Slim Thug de:Slim Thug es:Slim Thug fr:Slim Thug it:Slim Thug nl:Slim Thug no:Slim Thug pl:Slim Thug pt:Slim Thug fi:Slim Thug sv:Slim Thug

Coordinates	39°46′5.88″N86°9′29.52″N
{{infobox person| name	Maya Rudolph
birth name	Maya Khabira Rudolph
birth date	July 27, 1972
birth place	Gainesville, Florida, U.S.
occupation	Actress, comedienne, singer
years active	1996–present
partner	Paul Thomas Anderson }}

Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedienne, and singer known for her comedic roles as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2000–2007 and for appearing in films such as ''Away We Go'', ''Bridesmaids'', ''Grown Ups'' and ''MacGruber''. She is the daughter of the late R&B; and soul singer Minnie Riperton.

Personal life

Family

Rudolph was born in Gainesville, Florida. She is the daughter of soul singer Minnie Riperton and composer/songwriter/producer Richard Rudolph. Her father is Ashkenazi Jewish and her mother was African-American. Her paternal grandfather was Sidney Rudolph, a philanthropist. Maya Rudolph was in the studio with her mother on the day Riperton recorded "Lovin' You", The listener can hear her mother sing "Maya, Maya, Maya" to her daughter near the end of the track. Riperton died on July 12, 1979, at age 31, from breast cancer, just shy of Rudolph's seventh birthday. Her godmother was the late R&B; star Teena Marie.

Rudolph lives with director Paul Thomas Anderson and their three children — daughters Pearl Bailey (born October 2005) and Lucille (born November 6, 2009), and son Jackson Wright "Jack" (born July 3, 2011).

Education

Growing up, Rudolph attended high school at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, and continued her education at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she graduated in 1995 with a B.A. in photography from Porter College.

Career

''Saturday Night Live''

In May 2000, Rudolph joined the cast of ''SNL'' as a featured player for the final three episodes of the 1999–2000 season, after a stint as a member of The Groundlings improv troupe.

Rudolph's characters on the show have included "Attorney Glenda Goodwin" and "Megan" from the "Wake Up, Wakefield!" sketches. Rudolph has performed impressions of Oprah Winfrey, Christina Aguilera, Condoleezza Rice, Paris Hilton, Teresa Heinz Kerry, Tyra Banks, Patti LaBelle, Beyoncé, Liza Minnelli, LaToya Jackson, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Rocsi (of 106 & Park), and designer Donatella Versace.

Rudolph's musical talents were frequently employed on ''SNL''. She sang as Beyoncé Knowles in the ''Prince Show'' sketches, as the "Space Creature" in the ''Gays in Space'' sketches (except for the one on the Season 31 episode hosted by Peter Sarsgaard, because it aired around the time Rudolph was on maternity leave. Will Forte substituted for her during that episode). Her ability to change her looks and her command of many accents also led to her playing an unusually wide range of ethnicities on the show, often with only a change of wigs. She has been white (Paris Hilton, Liza Minnelli, Barbra Streisand, Lisa Kudrow), Asian (Lucy Liu, Lisa Ling), black (Diana Ross, Tina Turner), Latina (Charo), as well as people of mixed cultural backgrounds. As "Nooni Schoener," Rudolph, along with Fred Armisen (who, like Rudolph, is also multiracial), created a couple from an unspecified Scandinavian country, who have unplaceable accents and bewilderingly foreign manners. Rudolph was also able to play male characters such as Scott Joplin, Justin Guarini, and Mario Vazquez.

Her final show was on November 3, 2007, with host Brian Williams and musical guest Feist, the last episode before the writers' strike. She returned on October 25, 2008, in a featured guest appearance as Michelle Obama and sang a duet with Kenan Thompson about Amy Poehler's newborn. She then also appeared in the 2008 Christmas episode, where she reprised her role in the sketch Bronx Beat, with Amy Poehler. She also appeared in two sketches in the 2008–2009 season finale with Will Ferrell. She appeared in a Weekend Update Thursday sketch during the fall 2009–10 season as Oprah Winfrey speaking on behalf of the 2016 Olympics bid. She also appeared on the show in May 2010 to perform in skits including "The Manuel Ortiz Show" with Betty White.

She returned to ''SNL'' for the Season 36 premiere, hosted by Amy Poehler, performing the "Bronx Beat" sketch. She also returned that same season for episode 700, hosted by Tina Fey.

Television and film

In addition to her work on ''SNL,'' Rudolph has appeared on other television shows, including the CBS medical drama series ''City of Angels'' and ''Chicago Hope''.

She had small parts in ''Chuck & Buck'', ''Gattaca'', ''As Good as It Gets'', ''Duplex'' and ''Duets''; she was also a music supervisor for ''Duets''. Her first prominent film role came in 2006 with ''A Prairie Home Companion.'' Earlier, she had co-starred with Luke Wilson in the 2005 Mike Judge sci-fi comedy ''Idiocracy'', although that film was shelved until September 2006 and then only given a limited release. She also guest starred as Rapunzel in the DreamWorks animated film ''Shrek the Third''. She guest starred as Julia in the ''The Simpsons'' episode "The Homer of Seville". Rudolph guest starred as character Athena Scooberman in NBC's ''Kath & Kim'', and starred in the film ''Away We Go'' with ''The Office'' star John Krasinski. In 2010, she appeared in ''Grown Ups'' starring Adam Sandler, where she played the wife of Chris Rock's character. In 2011 she appeared in ''Bridesmaids'', together with ''SNL'' colleague Kristen Wiig.

Music

Prior to joining ''SNL,'' Rudolph was briefly a keyboardist and backing singer in the band The Rentals. She toured with the group for a short time. She also appears in the music videos of the songs "Waiting" and "Please Let That Be You" by the band. She sang backing vocals for "Barcelona" and "My Head Is in the Sun," both from the album ''Seven More Minutes.'' In 2004, she recorded a track with the Rentals frontman Matt Sharp, including a cover of Tegan and Sara's "Not Tonight." Rudolph also performed "Together In Pooping" and "Little Roundworm" with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog (Robert Smigel) on his album ''Come Poop With Me''.

Recurring characters on ''Saturday Night Live''

Appreciante

Megan, one of the co-hosts of "Wake Up, Wakefield!"

Jackie

Jodi Dietz, one of the co-hosts of "Bronx Beat"

Beertje Van Beers

Mrs. Denmont

Britanica

Leilani Burke

Rebecca

Cocktail Waitress

Space Creature

Casey

Charli Coffee

Glenda Goodwin

Patti Sylviac

Nuni Schoener

Celebrity Impressions on ''SNL''

Amanda Bynes

Ananda Lewis

Barbra Streisand

Bern Nadette Stanis (as Thelma Evans on ''Good Times'')

Beyoncé

Charo

Christina Aguilera

Condoleezza Rice

Darcel Wynne

Diana Ross

Donatella Versace

Donna Fargo

Emily Robison

Fredricka Whitfield

Free

Gayle King

Halle Berry

Ivanka Trump

Ja'net Du Bois (as Willona Woods on ''Good Times'')

Jennifer Lopez

Joyce "Fenderella" Irby

Justin Guarini

Kara Saun

LaToya Jackson

Lisa Kudrow

Liza Minnelli

Lisa Ling

Lucy Liu

Lynda Lopez

Macy Gray

Mario Vasquez

Mary Roach

Melinda Doolittle

Melissa Stark

Michelle Obama

Mya

Nelly Furtado

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth

Oprah Winfrey

Paris Hilton

Patti LaBelle

Phylicia Rashad (as Clair Huxtable from ''The Cosby Show'')

Rocsi

Scott Joplin

Teresa Heinz

Terra Patrick

Tina Turner

Tyra Banks

Valerie Simpson

Vanessa Hudgens

Wanda Sykes

Whitney Houston

Filmography

! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
	''As Good as It Gets''	Police Woman
''Gattaca''	Delivery Nurse
	''Chuck & Buck''	Jamilla
''Duets''	Omaha Hostess
2003		Tara
2004	''50 First Dates''	Stacy
		Stage Manager
''Idiocracy''	Rita
2007	''Shrek the Third''	Rapunzel	Voice Only
2009	''Away We Go''	Verona de Tessant	Nominated — Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best ActressNominated — Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best ActressNominated — St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated — Utah Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress
		Deanne McKenzie
	Casey
		Mollie the Giraffe	Voice Only
	Lillian

Television

''Chicago Hope'' (1996–1997)

''City of Angels'' (2000)

''Saturday Night Live'' (2000–2007)

''Campus Ladies'' (2006)

''The Simpsons'' (2007)

''Kath & Kim'' (2008–2009)

''Up All Night'' (2011–Present)

References

External links

Category:1972 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Florida Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:African American singers Category:African American television actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American people of Jewish descent Category:People from Gainesville, Florida Category:The Groundlings Category:University of California, Santa Cruz alumni Category:Women comedians

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