Madonna Biography
A pop diva of the 1980s, Madonna created a raunchy blonde bombshell persona that propelled such music-video hits as “Like a Virgin” (1984), “Material Girl” (1985), “Like a Prayer” (1989), “Vogue” (1990) and “Justify My Love” (1991). A high-energy performer of aggressively sexual and irreverent material who has been called “the queen of bimbo rock” and a “punk Mae West”, Madonna has outraged many with her messages of assertiveness and kinky sexuality as well as her outrageously suggestive costuming. Her champions, however, have praised her catchy, danceable music (most of which she co-writes and produces), her iconoclastic humor, her bravado in expressing female desire, her provocative assaults on such sacred cows as interracial relationships, homophobia and ignorance about birth control, her shrewd business sense and her post-modern performance style, ideally suited to the end of the 20th century.
The working-class Midwesterner moved to New York in 1978 to become a dancer, but after several false starts as a model and actress (in an underground soft-core feature, “A Certain Sacrifice”, 1979), she hit the clubs and made her name as a high-energy singer. Vibrantly ambitious, Madonna propelled herself to pop stardom, becoming the first queen of the MTV era by the mid-80s. After a cameo appearance in the film “Vision Quest” (1985), she had her first starring role as the rule-breaking, free-living, punk title character in Susan Seidelman’s “Desperately Seeking Susan” (1985). It won her acclaim as a unique new screen presence and showed her talent at wisecracking farce, not unlike tough 30s comics Patsy Kelly and Thelma Todd.
Madonna’s subsequent film performances, however, have proven less than sensational and it has been said that she is an actress “desperately seeking a role.” While never abandoning her music, she has tried to refashion herself into a modern-day Marilyn Monroe or Marlene Dietrich. In 1986, she co-starred with then-husband Sean Penn in the flop comedy “Shanghai Surprise”. Despite her charmingly kooky performance, her next film, the screwball “Who’s That Girl?” (1987) also bombed. She got an “A” for effort for her Broadway debut in the underwritten female role in David Mamet’s “Speed-the-Plow” (1988). Madonna went on to appear in a small role in the episodic period film “Bloodhounds of Broadway” (1989), then turned on the high-voltage glamour to good effect as Breathless Mahoney in the big-budgeted Warren Beatty showcase “Dick Tracy” (1990).
In 1991, Madonna returned to the character she plays best–herself–in Alek Keshishian’s behind-the-scenes documentary of her Blonde Ambition tour, “Truth or Dare”. A riveting, self-important and fascinating look at superstardom, it is overshadowed only by comedienne Julie Brown’s dead-on parody, “Medusa: Dare to be Truthful”. Madonna engaged in unintentional self-parody with “Sex” (1992), an X-rated photo book of herself and “friends” disporting themselves. She earned her best notices since “Susan” for another tough-gal comic role, in Penny Marshall’s ensemble film “A League of Their Own” (1992). As WWII baseball player Mae Mordabito, Madonna expertly played off co-stars Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell and once again proved what a smart, funny performer she could be.
But Madonna’s hoped-for dramatic breakthrough continued to elude her: the over-wrought melodramas “Body of Evidence” and “Dangerous Game” (both 1993) quickly disappeared. She made cameo appearances as a hooker in Woody Allen’s “Shadows and Fog” (1991), as a singing telegram girl in Wayne Wang’s “Blue in the Face” (1995), portrayed a witch in Allison Anders’ segment of the critically lambasted “Four Rooms” (1995) and briefly appears as a phone sex veteran in and Spike Lee’s “Girl 6″ (1996). Madonna was cast in what many feel was a role she was born to play, the Argentine First Lady Eva Peron in Alan Parker’s film musical “Evita” (1996).
The Material Girl’s seemingly inexhaustible energy continued to propel her through a number of projects, despite her new role as a mother. While continuing to actively develop projects at her Maverick company, she released the electectronica influenced album album “Ray of Light” to rave reviews in 1998. Sporting an unbelivably fit post-birth body in the trendy dance floor video which accompanied the video for the “Ray of Light” single, Madonna proved once again how adept she is at morphing into just the right thing at just the right time. She also proved still influential in pushing trends and ideas forward: her commitment to the religion Kaballah, which influenced the album, helped popularlize its practice outside of its core followers and a small cadre of the Hollywood elite. She followed up the success of this album with the smash hit from the “Austin Powers” soundtrack in 1999, the infectious tune “Beautiful Stranger.” In 2000, Maddonna starred in the film “The Next Best Thing” opposite Rupert Everett but she found that she still could not find the success in acting that has come so easily to her in her pop career. The movie was not a hit but, not surprisingly, her “Drowned World Tour” of 2001 was a phenomenal success.
Now a mother of two and wife to acclaimed director Guy Ritchie, Madonna showed no signs of slowing her takeover of the world. In 2002, she made her stage debut in London, to mixed but not horribly scathing reviews and also began working on her husband’s next film “Swept Away,” playing the role of a rich and spoiled, arrogant wife who finally meets her match in a brash fisherman who despises her all-consuming self obsession. That same year, Madonna also made the switch from “Material Girl” to Bond Girl, writing and performing the title song to the 20th 007 outing “Die Another Day” and appearing in a cameo role in the action film. She proved to still be able to capture headlines when she appeared on stage with the of-the-moment superstars Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Music Video Awards and shared a steamy lip-lock with Spears (the two later collaborated on Spears’ single “Me Against the Music”). In 2005 she released her latest album “Confeessions on a Dance Floor,” which completely set aside any ballads in favor of a full slate of dance tunes.
In additon to her musical and acting efforts, Madonna also had a successful side career as a bestselling children’s book author, penning 2003’s The English Roses and Mr. Peabody’s Apples 2004’s Yakov and the Seven Thieves and The Adventures of Abdi and 2005’s Losta de Casha
- Also Credited As:
Madonna, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone - Born:
Madonna Ciccone on 08/16/1958 in Bay City, Michigan - Job Titles:
Actor, Singer, Dancer, Music producer, Songwriter, Nude artists’ model, Hat check girl
Significant Others
- Companion: Andy Byrd. British; born c. 1970; had brief relationship in 1998; reportedly reconciled late in the year; according to some reports Madonna’s song “Beautiful Stranger” was written about Byrd
- Companion: Carlos Leon. born c. 1966; met in September 1994; father of Madonna’s daughter Lourdes; separated as of May 1997
- Companion: Dan Gilroy. together in the late 1970s and early 80s; formed short-lived garage band Breakfast Club with Madonna
- Companion: Dennis Rodman. played for the Chicago Bulls; together briefly in 1994
- Companion: Ingrid Cesares. had brief relationship in the early 1990s
- Companion: Jean-Michel Basquiat. had three-month relationship in 1982
- Companion: Jellybean Benitez. met in late 1982; together until 1985
- Companion: Jim Albright. born in 1969; had three-year relationship from 1991 until January 1994
- Companion: John Enos. no longer together
- Companion: John F Kennedy. had brief relationship in 1987 when she was separated from Penn
- Companion: Michael Jackson. dated briefly in 1991
- Companion: Sandra Berhard. were friends in 1988; although they appeared publicly on “dates” they never confirmed a relationship with the press, although in his biography, Andrew Morton asserts that Madonna privately acknowledged a sexual relationship with Bernhard
- Companion: Tony Ward. together briefly in 1990
- Companion: Vanilla Ice. together for eight months in 1990-91
- Companion: Warren Beatty. together c. 1989-90
Education
- Adams High School, Rochester, Michigan, 1976
- University of Michigan, dance
Milestones
- — Company Maverick Films is set to produce a feature based on the shocking real-life university scandal known as the 1971 Stanford Prison Experiment (lensed 2004)
- 1964 Moved with family to Pontiac, Michigan at age six following mother’s death (date approximate)
- 1978 Moved to New York to pursue career in dance
- 1979 Appeared in independent film “A Certain Sacrifice”, directed by Stephen Lewicki
- 1983 Released first album, “Madonna”
- 1984 First Number 1 hit on the pop singles chart, “Like a Virgin”
- 1984 First hit single, “Holiday”; song reached top 20 (peaked at Number 16)
- 1984 First top 10 hit, “Borderline” (peaked at number 10)
- 1985 Feature film acting debut as title character of “Desperately Seeking Susan”
- 1985 Wrote and performed song “Gambler” for feature film “Vision Quest”; also appeared in film as bar band singer
- 1986 Made stage acting debut in invitation-only performance of David Rabe’s play “Goose and Tom-Tom”, co-starring Sean Penn
- 1987 First film made for own production company (Siren), “Siesta” (Madonna did not appear in film); directed by Mary Lambert, who directed early Madonna videos
- 1988 Broadway debut in “Speed-the-Plow” by David Mamet
- 1991 Agreed in principle on new recording contract with Time Warner; Madonna to receive an approximate $25 million advance for each of her next seven records and her royalty to be raised to 20 percent
- 1991 Subject of documentary feature, “Truth or Dare” (behind-the-scenes record of her “Blond Ambition” concert tour by director Alek Keshishian)
- 1992 Announced a seven-year agreement with Time Warner for Madonna to form her own multi-media entertainment company, Maverick, to be run by Madonna and her long-time manager Freddy DeMann; she is expected to earn a reported $60 million
- 1992 Released the book “Sex”, a volume consisting of erotic photographs of Madonna and erotic literature by Madonna
- 1993 First film to be released by Maverick (with Miramax), “Farewell My Concubine”
- 1994 Was the subject of an unauthorized TV-movie biopic, “Madonna: Innocence Lost”, in which she was played by Terumi Matthews
- 1995 Had 11th Number 1 single, “Take a Bow”; making her the female performer with the most Number 1 songs to date according to Billboard
- 1996 Starred in the title role in the film musical “Evita”
- 1997 Entered into recording distribution agreement for her Maverick Records label with Lawrence Bender and Quentin Tarantino’s newly formed A Band Apart Records
- 1999 With William Orbit, wrote the catchy song “Beautiful Stranger” for the soundtrack of “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”
- 2000 Starred opposite Rupert Everett in “The Next Best Thing”
- 2001 Debuted controversial music video “What It Feels Like for a Girl”, helmed by husband Guy Ritchie
- 2001 Had featured role in “Star”, one of five short film advertisements for BMW shown over the Internet at bmwfilms.com; directed by husband Guy Ritchie
- 2001 Headlined the Drowned World Tour 2001; performed live concert on HBO on August 26
- 2002 Composed and performed the title song to “Die Another Day”, the 20th James Bond feature; song was nominated for 2 grammys
- 2002 Made London stage acting debut in “Up for Grabs”
- 2002 Starred in “Swept Away”, a remake of Lina Wertmuller’s “Swept Away…”, directed by husband Guy Ritchie
- 2003 Was an Executive Producer on the action feature “Agent Cody Banks”
- 2003 Was selected as the GAP spokesperson
- 2004 Executive produced “Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London”
- 2004 Headlined the 14-city “Re-Invention Tour” which featured songs from her entire career
- 2006 Performed at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California, marking her first ever appearance at a music festival
- 2006 Will promote her dance-oriented 2005 album, “Confessions On a Dance Floor” by touring around the world (begining in May)
- Accepted into Alvin Ailey’s third company; abandoned Ailey for lessons with ex-Martha Graham choreographer, Pearl Lang
- Auditioned as singer-dancer with French disco singer Patrick Hernandez; went to Paris and studied with vocal coach and dance instructor
- Demonstration tape “Everybody” played at Danceteria by friendly DJ Mark Kamins; Kamins introduced Madonna to Sire Records executive Seymour Stein, who signed her to recording contract
- Formed MADGUY Productions
- Met musician Dan Gilroy who taught her to play guitar, keyboards and drums
- Returned to New York; performed with several bands including The Breakfast Club and Emmy (her nickname); began performing and writing songs with Stephen Bray (friend from Michigan)
- Studied dance in teen years; acted in school plays
- Voice featured in “Arthur and the Minimoys,” a live-action/computer-animated fantasy feature based on a popular French children’s book by filmmaker Luc Besson, who is directing the project
- Worked at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square and as a figure model
Next:Jane March Biography
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