About Madonna

When mentioned Madonna, people will automatically think of singer, performer and actress, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. Madonna is a mix of Italian and French Canadian. Madonna’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and passed away on December 1, 1963 when Madonna was only 5 years old. Thus, it significantly affected Madonna’s adolescence. She rebelled against the rules imposed by her stepmother, upbringing by turning her conservative clothing into revealing outfits, visiting underground gay clubs and rejecting her religious background.

However, Madonna was drive for perfectionism and high achievement. She was a straight-A student, cheerleader and disciplined dancer which gradually earned her a full scholarship to the University of Michigan to their dance program. In 1980, she joined Breakfast Club as its drummer and later, as its lead singer. Over the next few years, Madonna formed several different bands of her own, including Madonna & The Sky, The Millionaires and Emmy. Madonna decided to go solo and hired Camille Barbone of Gotham Records as her manager in 1981 to her get her singing career on track. Camille showed Madonna to navigate the male-dominated world of the music business.

Madonna then starred in her first mainstream feature film, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985). On August 16, 1985, she married actor Sean Penn and co-starred with him the film Shanghai Surprise. She also star in Who’s That Girl (1987), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990). However, her marriage to Penn ended due to reports of domestic violence and his assault of a photographer. She starred in the critically acclaimed screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (1996) and she won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and in the film she performed "You Must Love Me," which earned an Academy Award for Music, Original Song. Madonna had proven her versatility as a star in both film and music. In 1998, she released Ray of Light, a critically-acclaimed outing that had her delving into electronica and spiritual exploration. Then came Music (2000), another successful electronic project, this time with more explicit, unpredictable dance leanings and the bulk of production.