Gabourey Sidibe
| Gabourey Sidibe | |
|---|---|
 Sidibe at the 2010 CBS Summer Press Tour Party, on July 28, 2010. | |
| Born | May 6, 1983 Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Parents | Alice Tan Ridley Ibnou Sidibe |
Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe (pron.: /ˈɡæbəˌreɪ ˈsɪdiˌbeɪ/ GAB-ə-RAY SID-ee-BAY; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress[1] who made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious, a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
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Early life and education [edit]
Sidibe was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Harlem.[2] Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is an American R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America's Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is from Senegal and is a cab driver.[3] She has attended Borough of Manhattan Community College, City College of New York, and Mercy College.[4] She worked at the Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before she went on to pursue a career in acting.[5]
Career [edit]
In Precious, Sidibe plays the central character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, an illiterate, obese 16-year-old girl with two children (both of whom are the products of being raped by her father) trying to escape abuse at the hands of her mother. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award.[6] On December 15, 2009, she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Precious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Her next film, Yelling to the Sky, was a Sundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz, in which she plays a bully.[7]
In 2011 Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist and voiced a party girl character in "Hot Water", the season 7 premiere of American Dad. She also stars in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe currently appears in the Showtime network series entitled The Big C.[8]
During an interview, Sidibe reported that before landing her role in the 2009 film, Precious, Joan Cusack advised her that the entertainment industry was not for her and to quit, leaning over and stating: "Oh honey, you should really quit the business. It's so image-conscious."[9][10]
In April 2013, it was announced that Sidibe would be joining the cast of the third series of American Horror Story.[11]
Filmography [edit]
Film [edit]
Television [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Saturday Night Live | Host | 1 episode |
| 2010–present | The Big C | Andrea Jackson | 26 episodes, Series Regular Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series |
| 2011-12 | American Dad! | Party Girl, herself | 2 episodes |
| 2013- | American Horror Story: Coven | TBA | TBA |
Music videos [edit]
See also [edit]
- List of black Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
References [edit]
- ^ "Gabourey Sidibe". The New York Times.
- ^ Stated on the Late Show with David Letterman, November 9, 2009.
- ^ Williams, Kam (November 10, 2009). "Gabby Sidibe "Precious" Interview with Kam Williams". NewsBlaze. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
- ^ Right Cinema. "Gabourey Sidibe profile". Movies.rightcelebrity.com. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
- ^ "A Breath of Fresh Air". New York Social Diary.
- ^ "Push' takes Sundance grand jury award" Ed Zeitchik, Hollywood Reporter, January 24, 2009
- ^ Yadegaran, Jessica (November 12, 2009), "Gabourey Sidibe on being 'Precious'", San Jose Mercury News, retrieved November 15, 2009
- ^ Gabourey Sidibe, Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Channel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZQfO8o64pY&NR=1.
- ^ Fisher, Kelly (April 26, 2012). "WATCH: Gabourey Sidibe: Joan Cusack Told Me To Quit Show Business". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Gabourey Sidibe Reveals the Terrible Advice She Got From Joan Cusack" Video, Yahoo.com.
- ^ Keveney, Bill (April 29 2013). "Gabourey Sidibe joins 'American Horror Story: Coven'". USA Today. Retrieved May 2 2013.
External links [edit]
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gabourey Sidibe |
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- 1983 births
- Living people
- Actresses from New York City
- African-American film actresses
- African-American television actresses
- American people of Senegalese descent
- Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead winners
- Mercy College (New York) alumni
- People from Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
- People from Harlem, New York
- 21st-century American actresses
- African-American voice actresses
