The remarkable, hyper-ambitious Material Girl who never stops re-inventing herself, Madonna has sold tens of millions of records and CDs to adoring fans worldwide. Her film career, however, is another story. Her performances have consistently drawn scathing or laughable reviews from film critics, and the films have usually had tepid, if any, success at the box office. Born Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone in August 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York in the late 1970s and studied with renowned choreographer Alvin Ailey, joined up with the Patrick Hernandez Revue, formed a pop/dance band called "Breakfast Club" and began working with then boyfriend Stephen Bray on recording several disco-oriented songs. New York producer / DJ Mark Kamins passed her demo tapes to Sire Records in early 1982 and the rest, as they say, is history. The 1980s was Madonna's boom decade, and she dominated the music charts with a succession of multi-million-selling albums, and her musical and fashion influence on young women was felt around the globe.

Madonna first appeared on screen in two low-budget films marketed to a teenage audience: A Certain Sacrifice and Vision Quest. However, she scored a minor cult hit with Desperately Seeking Susan starring alongside spunky Rosanna Arquette. Madonna's next effort with then husband Sean Penn, Shanghai Surprise, was savaged by critics, although the resilient star managed to somewhat improve her standing with her next two films, the offbeat Who's That Girl (although she did receive decidedly mixed reviews, they weren't as negative as those of her previous effort) and the quirky Damon Runyon-inspired Bloodhounds of Broadway. The big-budget and star-filled Dick Tracy had her playing bad girl "Breathless Mahoney" flirting with Warren Beatty, but the epic failed to catch fire at the box office. Taking an earthier role, Madonna was much more entertaining alongside Tom Hanks and Geena Davis in the highly enjoyable A League of Their Own, a story about female baseball players during WWII. However, she again drew the wrath of critics with the boring whodunit Body of Evidence, an obvious (and lame) attempt to cash in on the success of the sexy Sharon Stone thriller Basic Instinct.

Several other minor screen roles followed, then Madonna starred as Eva Perón in Evita, a fairly well received screen adaptation of the hugely successful Broadway musical. The Material Girl stayed away from the movie cameras for several years, returning to co-star in the lukewarm romantic comedy The Next Best Thing, followed by the painful Swept Away. If those films weren't bad enough, she was woefully miscast as a vampish fencing instructor in the James Bond adventure Die Another Day.


Evita (1996): $1,000,000
Body of Evidence (1993): $2,500,000 (plus percentage of gross and wardrobe)
Dick Tracy (1990): $35,000
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985): $80,000
A Certain Sacrifice (1985): $100

Brother Christopher Ciccone designs restaurant interiors. Renovated a mansion overlooking Hudson River north of New York City in the same West Nyack community that's home to Rosie O'Donnell and director Jonathan Demme. Her record company Maverick Records signed a distribution deal with A Band Apart Records, a record company founded by Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender. A Band Apart Records will focus on film soundtracks. [30 July 1997] Studied with the Alvin Ailey dance troupe and Pearl Lang's Dance Company in Manhattan. [1978] Her song, "Vogue", is a tribute to the glamour of classic Hollywood. Celebrities mentioned in the song are Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Marlene Dietrich, Joe DiMaggio, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Grace Kelly, Jean Harlow, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall, Katharine Hepburn, Lana Turner, and Bette Davis. High school cheerleader. Wanted to play the role of Ginger in Casino (1995), but the role was given to Sharon Stone instead. Turned down the role of Cristal Conners in Showgirls (1995). In his 38th annual Worst Dressed List published in January 1998, Mr. Blackwell wrote about her questionable taste in clothing the previous year, "Let's be blunt, yesterday's Evita is today's Velveeta." Graduated from Rochester Adams High School in 1976. Studied at the North Carolina School of the Arts, and won a scholarship to study modern dance and drama for 3 semesters at the University of Michigan. Her infamous 1994 appearance on "Late Show with David Letterman" (1993) had her saying the "f" word 13 times. Her birthday is also the anniversary of Elvis Presley's death. Born at 7:05 AM EDT. On January 25, 1989, Madonna had a $5 million contract with Pepsi to promote their product as well as cross-promote her new album, "Like a Prayer". However, on March 3, when the video for the first single, "Like a Prayer", was released, it caused international controversy, with images of burning crosses, murder, and racism, and Pepsi soon retracted their contract, after March 2, when the 2-minute commercial was only viewed once, during "The Cosby Show" (1984). The single later soared to Number 1 on the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks. She later thanked Pepsi for creating such controversy. Did a Japanese commercial for Panasonic in 1987. Appeared in a filmed stage play in 1980 called "In Artificial Light", in which she wrote her own part. Her first film, A Certain Sacrifice (1985), was released in 1985, after she became a star, but was actually shot in two parts, the first in 1979, and the other, in 1981. As of 2001, her albums have sold 153 million copies worldwide. Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001". Her grandparents are Michelina and Gaetano Ciccone. Sister-in-law of Joe Henry who write for "Don't Tell Me" and "Jump" from Madonna's albums "Music"(2003) and "Confessions on a Dance Floor" (2005) respectively. In October 2000, Madonna won her fight against a cybersquatter using the domain name madonna.com to operate a pornography website. The UN World Intellectual Property Organization found that site operator Dan Parisi "lacks rights or legitimate interests in the domain name." Parisi claims that he was in the process of handing over the rights to the domain name to a US hospital, Madonna Rehabilitation, which has the domain name madonna.org, when the case started. In November 2000, she held a live concert at the Brixton Academy in London which was broadcast over the Internet. A record nine million people watched the event, making it the largest live webcast of all time. Her song 'Little star' is dedicated to her daughter Lourdes Madonna and Céline Dion share the same French-Canadian heritage through a common ancestor named Zacharie Cloutier. Also related to Camilla Parker-Bowles and Ellen DeGeneres. Attended St. Andrew's Elementary School (now Holy Family Regional). Her parents were married at Visitation Catholic Church in Bay City, Michigan on July 2, 1955. Purchased a mini mansion for daughter Lourdes in 2003. Produced by Posh Tots, a mini-mansion ranges in price from US$6,500 to US$125,000, and can even be installed with cable TV and running water. Ranked #8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll Received a career award at the 2004 French NRJ Awards (January 2004). Won Best Solo Dance Artist at the 17th International Dance Music Awards held at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. (March 2002) "The Immaculate Collection" voted #1 on Blender magazine's 100 Greatest American Albums of All Time List. (Januray 2002) Won Best Chart Act at the 2004 Dancestar USA Awards, in Bayfront Park, Miami. (9th March 2004) Parodied by Amy Poehler on "Saturday Night Live" (1975). She is a fan of Carole Lombard, Betty Grable and Katharine Hepburn. She has posed nude at least three times in her career: briefly in A Certain Sacrifice (1985), in some nude photos taken before she became famous in the late 1970s which eventually ran in Penthouse magazine and in the 1992 photo and interview book "Sex" which became a worldwide best seller. April 1985: Her first ever concert tour "The Virgin Tour" opens in Seattle, WA with the Beastie Boys as the supporting act. In June 1985 the tour ends with performances at Radio City Music Show in New York. On 11th January 1986, the show is released on home video as "The Virgin Tour: Live". Directed by Daniel Kleinman, it peaked at #1 on the Billboard home video chart, where it stayed for 49 weeks. The release includes 10 of the 13 songs performed at the show. It unfortunately leaves out "Angel", "Burning Up" and "Borderline". 24th July 1985: The fourth and final single from "Like A Virgin", "Dress You Up" shimmied to #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100, Australiam Canada and the UK. It stayed on the US chart for 16 weeks and was certified silver in the UK. Other chart activity includes: #6 in Europe and Japan. #18 in France. #20 in Germany. "Dress You Up" was also used as a cartoon music video for DTV (a 'Walt Disney' version of MTV for kids). However, the song became the subject of controversy when the Parents Music Resource Center's Tipper Gore, wife of former vice president Al Gore, called "Dress You Up" "vulgar music" after hearing her daughter Karenna listen to the song (along with "Darling Nikki" by 'Prince (I)'); and soon the PMRC listed "Dress You Up" as #8 on their "Filthy Fifteen" list, for the perceived sexual content in the song's lyrics, leading to the creation of the "Parental Advisory" labels. The single's music video was her first "live" clip, taken from "The Virgin Tour Live" VHS and directed by Daniel Kleinman. The 12" maxi-single featured: "Dress You Up (Album Version)", "Dress You Up (12" Formal Mix)", "Dress You Up (Casual Instrumental Mix)" and "Shoo Bee Doo (Album Version)". She was voted the 36th Greatest Artist of all time in Rock 'n' Roll by Rolling Stone. Had lived in Pontiac, Michigan before living in Rochester Hills from 6th grade until she moved away to college. Her grandparents are named Elsie Fortin and Willard Fortin (1904-1959). Was born at Bay City Mercy Hospital in Bay City, Michigan. Re-Invention Tour was the #1 world tour of 2004 grossing over $125 million. 55 of 56 shows were sold-out. (Billboard Boxscore) Was Prince's first choice for the role of the Kid's angelic muse Aura in his movie musical Graffiti Bridge (1990). She turned it down, brazenly telling him "the screenplay was awful." When it was finally released in theaters, the movie was a critical and commercial bomb. Nude pictures of her taken years earlier, when she was a starving dancer, ran in Penthouse magazine. Due to the success of that issue, she posed nude again in the coffee table book "Sex" which became an instant best seller. One of the very few friends she has kept from the old days is her former makeup artist, Debi Mazar, who is now an actress. Is spoofed in Eminem's music video "Just lose it" Is a distant cousin of Gwen Stefani. Gwen's great-aunt's mother-in-law shares the same last name with Madonna. Fell off a horse on her country estate in England, sustaining numerous injuries. [August 16, 2005] Along with Pia Zadora, Sylvester Stallone, Pauly Shore and Demi Moore, one of the few people who have "won" back to back awards at the Razzies in successive years. She "won" Worst Actress of 1987 for her performance in the film Shanghai Surprise (1986) and, then again, the next year she "won" Worst Actress of 1988 for her performance in the film Who's That Girl (1987). During her career she always had much influence on fashion due to her constant image change. She is considered as a fashion icon by most women in the world. "Hung Up" jumped seven places to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in December 2005. Consequently the pop icon matches Elvis Presley's tally for top 10 hits - 36, the most for any artist in the rock era. Won two prizes at the 2006 Echo Awards for "Best Female Artist international" and "Hit of the Year" for "Hung Up" (12 March 2006). The first song she ever wrote before she became famous was a song called "Tell the Truth". Introduced the songs that won Oscars for Broadway "rivals" Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Her favorite flowers are white roses. Her father and stepmother, Silvio Ciccone & Joan Ciccone, own and operate the award- winning Ciccone Vineyard and Winery in Suttons Bay, Michigan, just outside of Traverse City. Former daughter-in-law of Leo Penn and Eileen Ryan Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at MTV's 2006 TRL Awards (25 February 2006). 1986: Wrote the song "Each Time You Break My Heart" for Nick Kamen. 1990: Allowed French TV host Michel Drucker to interview her in her L.A. home in 1990. She was ranked #1 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists. Appears in the 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records as the female singer with the highest annual earnings. Estimated in 2006 to have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. On Oprah (October 25,2006) Madonna stated that the adoption of David is not official until one year from now. A child service worker needs to check if David is fed and taken care of properly. Then after a year, Madonna may or may not be David's adoptive mom. On her 1989 "Like A Prayer" album, she wrote a song about her failed marriage to Sean Penn called "Till Death Do Us Part". 1982: Signs a deal with Sire Records. Ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll. Distantly related to Mark Wahlberg. Favourite alcoholic drink is lemon drops. Provided the idea of doing a parody of "Like a Virgin" for Weird Al. "Like a Surgeon" was her original idea. Madonna's friend who worked at Weird Al's record company passed the message. Matthew Vaughn was Best Man at her wedding to Guy Ritchie. Her 1989 album "Like A Prayer" ranked #100 on VH1's 100 Greatest Albums. Her mother, Madonna Louise Fortin, was born on 11 July 1933 and died at the age of 33 on 1 December 1963. She was the mother of Anthony Ciccone (1956), Martin Ciccone (1957), Madonna (1958), Paula Ciccone (1959), Christopher Ciccone (1960), Melanie (1962). After his first wife's death, Silvio Ciccone married Joan Gustaffson (now Joan Ciccone (born in 1943), who gave birth to Mario (1968) and Jennifer (1969). Good friends with Mary Lambert, Herb Ritts, Jean-Baptiste Mondino and David Fincher. Thanked by Alanis Morissette in the liner notes of her album "Jagged Little Pill". Her 2008 song "4 Minutes" featuring Justin Timberlake and Tim Mosley (aka Timbaland) made her the female artist with the most Top 10 singles and the most number 1 hits (13) in the UK. Is a fan of Chris Isaak. Godfather of her son David is Rupert Everett. Her ex-husband Guy Ritchie is ten years younger than her. Had a two-year relationship with Warren Beatty and collaborated with him on several projects, including Dick Tracy (1990) and Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991). Had a falling out with deejay and former friend Junior Vasquez in 1996, after he released a single titled "If Madonna Calls," which included audio of a message that she left on his answering machine. The single, which was believe to be in retaliation for Madonna not showing up to one of his club events ended their friendship and professional relationship on bad terms. Madonna's blacklisting of Vasquez was confirmed by her longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg, who in a June 2003 news story in New York Magazine said "I can assure you that Madonna will never work with Junior again.". Adopted a girl from Malawi, Chifundo Mercy James (born 2005) (June 12, 2009).