Rashida L. Jones was born in 1976 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of the music legend, Quincy Jones. Her mother, Peggy Lipton, is an award-winning Jewish American actress. She has one older sister, Kadida, and an older brother who goes by the name QD3.

Rashida’s father began teaching her about music when she was just five years old, though her mother said that Rashida simply inherited her father’s musical ability. At five she was already performing in classical concerts and even won several awards for her abilities. Her father later taught her how to orchestrate and arrange classical music as well.

Rashida’s parents split up when she was ten years old, though they remained in close proximity to one another throughout Rashida’s childhood. Rashida stayed at her mother’s house while her sister stayed with her father. The children grew up in Bel Air, and Rashida attended the private Buckley School of Los Angeles. Jones was always gifted academically and was voted the most likely to succeed in high school.

Rashida also made a splash as a teenager when she responded to some publicly lewd remarks by Tupac Shakur about her father and his mixed marriage. The teenager wrote a thoughtful and critical letter to Shakur, who after reading it, felt bad for his remarks. In an attempt to seek Rashida out and apologize to her, he accidentally apologized to her sister, Kadida instead. In the end, peace was made. Kadida fell in love with Tupac and they remained engaged until his tragic death. Their brother, QD3, also produced some of Tupac’s songs.

Rashida attended Harvard University and graduated in 1997 with a double major in religion and philosophy. During her time at Harvard, Rashida performed in several school plays in which she was well received by the public. Immediately following her graduation, Rashida landed her first film appearance in The Last Don. This led to other roles including a regular role on the television show Boston Public, in which she plays the character Louisa Fenn.

Although Rashida has been offered the typical blockbuster roles in the past, she prefers to take on well developed characters. Many of her films have been low budget or independent films which have prevented her from being stereotyped as just another pretty face. She also continues to do work on the stage.

Although Jones prefers to keep her love life private she has been known to date various actors. Some of her more serious relationships include Tobey Maguire, Josh Hartnett, and Seth Meyers. Currently, it is rumored that she is dating John Krasinski, who is best known for his work on the television show The Office.

Besides acting, Rashida has also landed quite a bit of work modeling for major labels including The Gap and Triple 5 Soul. She has also sung back up vocals on a Maroon 5 record, Songs About Jane. On top of all of that Rashida also works as a freelance writer and has done several feature pieces for Teen Vogue magazine. Rashida is a true renaissance artist who does not limit herself to a single mode of expression. Instead, she succeeds in every art form she touches.

Besides her multi-faceted career in the entertainment industry, Rashida is also a philanthropist. One of her many causes included promoting the organization, Peace Games. The purpose of the group is to teach young people how to resolve their problems without using violence.

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