Lopez, Jennifer

Lopez�s first big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the title role in Selena, a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena Quintillana Perez, who was killed by a crazed fan in 1995. She earned widespread praise for her performance, including a Golden Globe nomination, and became the highest-paid Latina actress in history with her paycheck of $1 million. That same year, Lopez starred in the forgettable Anaconda and in Blood and Wine, opposite Jack Nicholson. Her role as federal marshal Karen Sisco in Steven Soderbergh�s Out of Sight, a film based on the Elmore Leonard novel and co-starring George Clooney, further enhanced her image as a bankable movie star.

Lopez�s musical career also began to take off, as she released her debut Latin pop album, On the 6 in June 1999. The album, fueled by the success of her hit single, �If You Had My Love,� went platinum within two weeks, making Lopez�along with Ricky Martin�one of the most influential examples of the growing Latin cultural influence in pop music.

Early in 2000, Lopez was nominated for Best Dance Performance for her second hit single "Waiting for Tonight," but lost the award to veteran diva Cher. In the summer of 2000, she starred in the science fiction-thriller The Cell, in which she plays a child psychologist helping to track a terrifying serial killer.

The popularity of the multi-talented Lopez reached new heights in early 2001, as her new album, J. Lo debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts, while her new film, the romantic comedy The Wedding Planner, shot to the top spot at the box office in its first week of release.

Lopez was briefly married, in 1997, to Ojani Noa, a model and actor. She is currently dating rap mogul Sean �Puffy� Combs. In December 1999, Combs and Lopez were allegedly involved in a shooting incident outside a New York City nightclub, in which three people were injured. Combs was later charged with gun possession and bribery, as prosecutors claimed he offered his driver, Wardel Fenderson, $50,000 to say that the loaded gun police found at the scene of the crime was Fenderson's. His trial, at which Lopez has publicly stated she will agree to testify, begins in late January 2001. If convicted, Combs faces a possible 15 years in prison. After repeatedly denying widespread rumors of a breakup, Combs confirmed in mid-February that he and Lopez had separated.