The voice, the drama, and the legacy of the renowned soprano
J.Lo attended a girls' school and was excellent at sports. She competed in gymnastics, track and field, and excelled at softball.
She got her first acting job at age 17, in the 1986 movie 'My Little Girl.'
It was at this point Lopez decided she wanted to become a movie star.
Her parents thought the idea was stupid, saying "no Latinas did that." So she got her own apartment in Manhattan and began performing in local musicals.
Her first notable gig was as a member of the Fly Girls, the in-house dance troupe of groundbreaking 90's sketch show 'In Living Color.'
She would come to regret their short-lived union, however. She had to issue several court orders to prevent him from releasing a "tell-all" book.
Her second album, 2001's 'J.Lo,' was released the same week as her film 'The Wedding Planner.' Both went to no. 1, making her the first person ever to top the album charts and the box office in the same week.
As if she wasn't busy enough, she also launched J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez, her very own clothing brand!
Her intention with the brand was to make clothes and accessories for voluptuous women whom she felt the fashion industry ignored. "Everybody gets to be sexy," she declared.
Even for Jennifer Lopez life isn't always smooth sailing. In a 2008 Daily Beast interview, she admitted that while shooting the movie 'Enough' she'd suffered a nervous breakdown.
In September 2002 she released Glow by JLo, her own fragrance, which became a huge success!
The two got engaged right before the release of her third album 'This Is Me... Then.' Several tracks on the album were dedicated to the actor.
People magazine reportedly paid US$6 million for the rights to do a photo spread of the twins, making them the most expensive celebrity photos ever at the time.
After two years of being "a wife and a mum," in 2011 she started appearing as a judge on 'American Idol.'
In 2014 she released her first book, 'True Love,' adding writer to her long list of accomplishments.
"We understand each other’s lives in a way that most other people couldn’t. We both entered the public eye in our early 20s and overachieved right from the start. And that affects every dynamic in your life, from your family to your work to your relationships. We have a similar makeup," she commented in a 2018 Harper's Bazaar interview.
Engagement rumors had been following the couple pretty much from the start, but it was in March 2019 that A-Rod finally popped the question. But in April 2021, after a lot of uncertainty surrounding their relationship, the couple called it quits.
Despite her music career now spanning more than 20 years, she's only toured four times.
Throughout her entire career, Lopez has tried to increase visibility for Latin artists.
In 2019, J.Lo got her first Golden Globe nomination since 1998 for her role in 'Hustlers,' losing out to Laura Dern in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She actually admitted that once when she was broke she'd seriously considered becoming a stripper. Her stripper friends told her they were making thousands of dollars. It sounded good at the time, but she never went through with it.
The white, green, and gold Valentino gown she wore on the Golden Globes red carpet divided opinions with its huge bow. At least we all know for certain that she's a gift!
And, once again, love arrived at her doorstep. This time in the form of hunky actor Ben Affleck.
In 2017, she began dating former baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Funnily enough, when asked during an interview in 1998 who his dream date would be, he replied "Jennifer Lopez."
In February of 2008, at 39 years old, J.Lo became a mother, as the pair welcomed twins Max and Emme into the world.
Not long after, however, she started seeing fellow singer Marc Anthony. The two didn't waste any time and tied the knot in June 2004.
Also in 2001, J.Lo married Cris Judd, a choreographer who had also directed her 'Love Don't Cost a Thing' video. This marriage also ended after less than a year.
After 10 years of marriage, she and Marc Anthony divorced, after which she started dating Casper Smart, a background dancer 17 years her junior.
In 1997, J.Lo got hitched for the first time to Cuban-born waiter Ojani Noa. The couple would divorce less than a year later.
J.Lo has two younger sisters, Lynda and Leslie, and her parents are both from Puerto Rico.
From 2016 to 2018, she starred in three seasons of NBC crime drama 'Shades of Blue.' Is there anything this woman can't do?
Did we mention she's still one of Hollywood's best-paid Latina actresses? She received US$15 million for starring alongside Jane Fonda in 2005's 'Monsters-in-Law.'
Her breakout role came two years later when she starred in 'Selena,' reportedly making her the first Latina actress to earn a million dollars for a role.
"It was on that movie 'Enough.' Yeah. I did. I had a nervous breakdown. [...] It was about five in the afternoon in my trailer and I just sat there [...] I was feeling so sick and weird. I kept saying, 'I'm not weak. I’m not weak.'"
But it wasn't meant to be. They broke off the engagement, and she went through a dark period in which she felt as though all the tabloids were writing about her life. She described it as the "worst, lowest point" in her career.
Her first high-profile movie role came in 1995's 'My Family.' She nabbed an Independent Spirit Award nomination. Here she is at the premiere with then-boyfriend David Cruz.
It's hard to believe that Jenny from the Block is in her fifties, but over the years she doesn't seem to have changed at all! On every red carpet, J.Lo stuns, turns heads, and steals the show. She's a successful singer, dancer, actress, mother, and businesswoman. Is there anything she can't do?
Click on to discover fun facts and the best looks of Jennifer Lopez.
In late April 2021, J.Lo and her ex Ben Affleck reunited. Twenty years after their first engagement they got engaged again, and in mid-July 2022 they were married.
See also: Take a tour of where the greatest Latin stars were born
She appeared in Janet Jackson's 1993 'That's the Way Love Goes' video and was set to tour with her as a background dancer, but in the end J.Lo decided to do her own thing.
In 1999, she released her first single. 'If You Had My Love' was a resounding success, topping the charts in several countries. And let's face it, is there anyone who doesn't remember this song's catchy melody?
J.Lo was born in the Bronx, New York. She started taking singing and dancing classes when she was five years old.
So many search queries were entered in for the iconic green Versace dress she wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards ceremony, that it actually spurred the creation of Google Images!
Late 1999 saw the release of her debut album 'On the 6.' While working on it, she met and got together with rapper P. Diddy!
While playing the legendary Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla, she realized how much she missed interacting with fans. Lopez decided to go back to music, as a recording artist this time.
J.Lo's piping hot legacy: Love, looks, and landmark moments
The music icon turns 54 on July 24
CELEBRITY Retrospective
It's hard to believe that Jenny from the Block is in her fifties, but over the years she doesn't seem to have changed at all! On every red carpet, J.Lo stuns, turns heads, and steals the show. She's a successful singer, dancer, actress, mother, and businesswoman. Is there anything she can't do?
Click on to discover fun facts and the best looks of Jennifer Lopez.