1970s

Girl in the Middle

David Lopez and Guadalupe Rodriguez encourage their three daughters to perform skits in their Bronx home, igniting a strong desire to perform in their second daughter, Jennifer. After high school graduation, she appears in the 1987 film My Little Girl with Mary Stuart Masterson and James Earl Jones. She also dances in the musical Synchronicity in Japan.

1991

September 22

Happy Feet

Lopez gets a big Hollywood break as a fancy-footed Fly Girl on the Wayans brothers' hit Fox comedy show In Living Color, soon graduating to dramatic roles on TV's Second Chances and South Central.

1995

The Hollywood Train

After starring alongside Jimmy Smits and Edward James Olmos in Mi Familia, Lopez stars in the action comedy Money Train (left) with Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson. "She's as beautiful as a model, but she can act," director Joseph Ruben tells PEOPLE. She also begins filming Blood and Wine with Jack Nicholson in Miami, where she spots 23-year-old Cuban waiter Ojani Noa.

1997

March 21

Breakthrough Role

Lopez brings the murdered Tejano singer Selena back to life in a biopic, but not before beating out 11,000 competitors who flocked to auditions around the country and winning approval from Selena's padre Abraham Quintanilla. Comedian Paul Rodriguez, a Quintanilla family friend, tells PEOPLE, "Looking at Jennifer, you could swear that the killing was all just a bad nightmare."

1998

June 26

Latina Siren

Lopez stars as a sexy federal marshal with George Clooney in the Oscar-nominated film Out of Sight. Entertainment Weekly critic Owen Gleiberman says, "Lopez, for all her Latina siren voluptuousness, has always projected a continued coolness, and this is the first movie in which it fully works for her."

1999

June 01

Crossover Queen

Lopez's debut album, On the 6 – named after the subway train that shuttled her between her Bronx home and Manhattan dance auditions – produces five hit singles, including "If You Had My Love," and goes triple platinum

2001

January 26

A Double Header

Lopez tops the box office with The Wedding Planner, costarring Matthew McConaughey. Her paycheck for the film is $9 million – the highest salary ever paid to a Latina actress. She also releases her sophomore album J.Lo which debuts at No. 1, making her the first to have the top album and top film simultaneously.

February 14

October

Best Dressed

Lopez launches JLo, the clothing line inspired by her sexy-girlie street style. "I have a very curvaceous body," Lopez says, reports Teen People. "I like to accentuate that with feminine clothes. Things that make me feel sexy." Five months later she will also launch a line of fragrances and cosmetics.

November

Giggly Gigli

With a $3 million bump in salary from her $9 million high for The Wedding Planner, Lopez begins production on the mob comedy Gigli, where she meets her new leading man, Ben Affleck.

2003

August 01

Gigli Takes a Hit

Gigli opens to scathing reviews. The L.A. Times calls the film "nearly as unwatchable as it is unpronounceable." The rancid critical reaction causes Miramax to postpone the release of their second film together, Jersey Girl. By mid-January, they call off their wedding and their torturous relationship all-together.

2005

March 01

Rebirth

Lopez follows up her 2002 This Is Me...Then album, which immortalized her relationship with Ben Affleck in the video "Jenny from the Block" and "Dear Ben," with a new compilation of dance ditties and breezy pop tunes. Sales peak at 1.5 million.

December 05

Passion Projects

Lopez and Anthony film El Cantante, the story of salsa king Hector Lavoe, with Lopez's production company producing the project. The couple also works together on her first full-length Spanish language album, Como Ama Una Mujer (How a Woman Loves).

2006

June 11

Puerto Rican Pride

Lopez and Anthony serve as grand marshals for the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York City. That January, with an estimated $255 million empire that includes music, movies, clothes and fragrances, the New York-bred Latina gets top billing in People en Español's list of the top 100 Most Influential Hispanics.

January 15

A Dancer's Life for Lopez

The former Fly Girl returns to her roots with the MTV reality show Dancelife, acting as executive producer and appearing in only two episodes. The show follows six Los Angeles-based dancers as they audition for Lopez, Ashlee Simpson, Nelly Furtado, Gap and Candies. "It's a tough life and I want to show that struggle," Lopez says to MTV.com. "These dancers have dedicated their lives to this, and honestly, the glory is not always there."

2010

April 23

'Back' to Work

"It was nice to get back to work after being home for a little bit," Lopez says of returning to the big screen in The Back-Up Plan. "You get back to it, with a shift in priorities." The romantic comedy – about a woman who undergoes artificial insemination only to meet the man of her dreams afterward – opens at No. 2.

September 22

J.Lo's Judgment Day

Confirming weeks of speculation, Lopez is announced as the latest American Idol judge for the show's upcoming tenth season. "I'm looking for the next Michael Jackson," the singer-actress, who'll be joined by fellow Idol newbie Steven Tyler and vet Randy Jackson, tells host Ryan Seacrest at the live announcement. "We're looking for the best American Idol ever."

2011

January

Idol's New Era

Right before the season 10 premiere of American Idol, Lopez dishes on joining the judges' table with fellow newbie Steven Tyler in Entertainment Weekly. "These guys have been together for 10 years now," she says of working with Ryan Seacrest and veteran judge Randy Jackson. "We're the new kids. They embraced us so much. It feels like we're part of a family."

April

'American' Beauty

After numerous appearances on PEOPLE's Most Beautiful list, Lopez nabs the coveted cover. Being beautiful is "part of my job," the mother of two, 41, tells PEOPLE. "I don't want anybody thinking it's easy. It does take time and it's hard work." As for those diva rumors? "I kind of like it," the new American Idol judge says. "We've kind of owned it now."

J.LO's Achievements

Lopez was the first Latina to get paid over a million dollars for a project.

Lopez was the first Latina actress to star in a leading role in film since Rita Hayworth retired in the 1970s.

Lopez is (in 2003) the highest paid Latina actress in Hollywood.

Jenny Lopez's first album On The 6 was 8 times platinum.

Lopez's first single "If You Had My Love" was #1 for more than 9 weeks.

Lopez is the first actress and singer to have a movie ("The Wedding Planner") and an album ("J.Lo") at #1 in the same week.

Lopez's second album J.Lo was 5 times platinum.

FIRST WOMAN TO HAVE A NUMBER ONE MOVIE AND ALBUM DEBUT IN THE SAME WEEK

Lopez's third album J To Tha L-O! The Remixes was the first album of remixes to hit #1, because no other album of remixes had climbed the chart.

Lopez's perfume Glow made history in 2001, by being the #1 perfume in more than 9 countries in more than 4 months.

Lopez is the only woman who has been #1, 3 years in a row in the FHM list of the 100 Sexiest Females in the world.

Lopez made the 2004 Fortune list of the wealthiest entertainers under the age of 40. Her wealth is estimated at $255 million.

Jennifer Lopez and Fashion

Lopez owns a clothing line called J.Lo By Jennifer Lopez. Her line is the most successful clothing line of artists on the industry market. Furthermore, she is planning to launch a jewelry line, hats, gloves, and a scarves line.

She has sold over 55 million records worldwide

She is the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood according to Forbes, and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in the U.S. according to People en Español's list

Lopez has received over 70 gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales certification awards from the Recording Industry Association of America, British Phonographic Industry and Australian Recording Industry Association - Lopez was honored with a World Music Awards - in 2010; recognizing her for her outstanding contributions to the music industry. Her contribution to the music industry have garnered her several accolades, with American Music Award , Brit Awards Billboard Music Award - Latin Grammy Award , Billboard Latin Music Awards - and MTV Video Music Award - being among those. Apart from awards honoring Lopez for her work in the entertainment industry, she has received several other awards for her fragrances, humanitarian work and has won several titles such as "World's Most Beautiful Women" by People (magazine) in 2011.

You missed out her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson

HOW DARE YOU!!!

I MEAN HOW DARE YOU!!!

Forget JLO's greatest careet move ever. Her staring role in Anaconda! that was the role of a lifetime! she even got to bite jon voight & save Ice Cube from a giant ass snake.

booty

purplethunder3121 said:

omg!!!!!!!!

LittleBLUECorvette said:

booty

So sexist.

Where's Enough? That's her greatest movie.

Gunsnhalen said:

HOW DARE YOU!!!

I MEAN HOW DARE YOU!!!

Forget JLO's greatest careet move ever. Her staring role in Anaconda! that was the role of a lifetime! she even got to bite jon voight & save Ice Cube from a giant ass snake.

hey dude blame people magazine they're the one who did this write up

Azz said:

You missed out her career as a backup dancer for Janet Jackson

they didn't mention her being a back up dancer for janet in her biograprahy in people magazine, but i remember it was on driven they said she was offered a spot on the janet tour but she turned it down to focus on her movie career which they said was a wise career b/c she became a household name of her own and her music career exploded 1998-2003

I beg to differ-Her greatest movie is Money Train and Snipes got the booty

[Edited 5/5/12 16:28pm]

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