Madonna Biography The Queen of Pop has quite possibly achieved more success as an international pop icon than any other female of all time. Madonna became a legendary pop diva in the 1980s with her music, and has five Grammy Awards and a legendary number of album sales under her belt. She is renowned for her sexually explicit and sometimes vulgar blonde bombshell persona, her unique music videos, and for using controversial themes and images in her work, combining politics, religion, and aggressive sexuality. Madonna is more than a musician and singer—she is also a songwriter, dancer, model, actress, and children’s book author. She was born in Michigan on August 16, 1958, as Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, the third of six children in a Catholic family. Her parents are Italian-American Silvio “Tony” P. Ciccone and French Canadian Madonna Louise Fortin, who died at the age of thirty from breast cancer when Madonna was only five.
After childhood, and beginning ballet classes and cheerleading, Madonna decided to leave college and move to New York City when she was twenty to pursue a dance career. This move led to her studying with Martha Graham and Pearl Lang, and performing with various modern dance companies. She went on to form several bands, and then signed a deal with Sire Records and founder Seymour Stein in 1982. Her early albums were mostly dance and pop music—and although popular were still often dismissed by critics. Her first-ever single was “Everybody” in 1982, which was mildly popular, as was her debut album, Madonna, in 1983. However, it was the release of her follow-up album in 1984, Like a Virgin, that really gave Madonna the fame she continues to enjoy today. The title track was one of Madonna’s most recognized songs, and was also her first #1 hit on the U.S. music charts. “Like a Virgin” has been heavily criticized for its sexual content, as have many of her singles, albums, and music videos. Another single on that album, “Material Girl,” garnered Madonna further acclaim and the nickname The Material Girl. Further hits during this time include “Like a Prayer” in 1989, “Vogue” in 1990, and “Justify My Love” in 1991. “Like a Prayer” created controversy because it was condemned by the Vatican for its “blasphemous” combination of Catholic symbolism and eroticism. Into the 90s, Madonna’s notable songs include “Deeper and Deeper” in 1992, “Take a Bow” in 1994, and “You Must Love Me” in 1996). More recent hits include “Beautiful Stranger,” for Austin Powers, starring Mike Myers, in 1999; as well as “Die Another Day,” for the twentieth installment of the Bond movies featuring Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry in 2002.
Although Madonna is an actress, most of her films have not done exceptionally well, with the noteworthy exception of Evita in 1996, her most critically successful film. Madonna also won a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance in Evita. Several of her other films include A League of Their Own in 1992, with Tom Hanks and Geena Davis; The Next Best Thing in 2000, with Rupert Everett; and Swept Away in 2002, directed by husband Guy Ritchie. Madonna is now a mother and is married to acclaimed director Guy Ritchie. She has shown no signs of slowing down in show business. In 2003, the star shared a much publicized lip-lock with pop singer Britney Spears. Her tenth album, Confessions on a Dance Floor, was released in 2005, featuring the ABBA-like hit “Hung Up.” Madonna has a long and extensive list of past relationships, including Dan Gilroy, Stephen Bray, Jean-Michael Basquiat, and Jellybean Benitez. She was married to big-time actor Sean Penn for almost four years, but that relationship deteriorated based on Penn’s aggressive behavior and Madonna’s affair with John F. Kennedy Jr. After her divorce, Madonna had relationships with Warren Beatty, Lenny Kravitz, Vanilla Ice, Jim Albright, Mark Wahlberg, and Dennis Rodman, among others. In 1996, Madonna gave birth to Lourdes Maria (Lola) Ciccone Leon, a daughter she has with then-boyfriend and trainer Carlos Leon. After they split in 1997, Madonna dated Andy Bird and David Blaine before marrying Guy Ritchie in 2000. The two had a son, Rocco Ritchie, that same year. In 2006 Madonna made headline news again when she decided to adopt a child from Malawi. The adoption caused much controversy due to the fact that Malwaian officials allegedly bent the typical laws for inter-country adoptions, as well as the fact that the child’s father changed his mind about the adoption mid-way through. The child, David, is currently living with Madonna and the rest of her family. On March 10th 2008 Madonna was inducted by pop star Justin Timberlake into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. By July 2008, Madonna had become embroiled in the divorce proceedings of New York Yankee's star player Alex Rodriguez, as his wife accused the Material Girl of having an affair with Alex. Madonna denied the rumours, during a period when her own marriage was under media scrutany with divorce being high on the list of subjects related to Madonna at that time. Let us know of updates to the Madonna biography at editor@yuddy.com YUDDY |
