Jennifer Lopez was born on July 24, 1970. His father, David, a computer operations specialist and mother a kindergarten teacher in The Bronx, New York. At the age of 16 Jennifer got her first break with a bit part in the film My Little Girl, but her big break came a few years later when she won a dance contest to become a "Fly Girl" for the Fox television series In Living Color.

She used that experience as a springboard for her acting career, appearing as "Melinda Lopez" first in the short lived Second Chances series, then Hotel Malibu. In 1995 she jumped onto the big screen in her first major role, opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson in Money Train.

She would go on to work opposite such talents as Robin Williams and Jack Nicholson, but it was her work with director Gregory Nava, who directed her in My Family, Mi Familia, that would lead her to the role that would make her a star.

Her dance moves, overwhelming stage presence, and soon-to-be-famous Latina curves were the stuff of talent agents' dreams. After landing acting parts on such short-lived TV series as Fox's South Central, CBS's Second Chances, and Aaron Spelling's Malibu Road, she shifted to movies, and her career took off when she eventually landed the title role in the feature film Selena.