'''Jennifer Lynn Lopez''' (born July 24 1969), popularly nicknamed '''J.Lo''', is an American actress, pop/Latin pop/R&B singer, fashion designer, and dancer.
Biography
Early years
Lopez was born and raised in the Castle Hill neighborhood in The Bronx, New York City, New York to Puerto Rican parents Maxjen, Guadalupe Rodríguez and David Lopez. Although reports have long claimed to have been born in 1970, her http://www.courttv.com/trials/puffy/docs/duty-caps_3.html arrest in 1999 shows her birthdate as 1969 and most people now agree that this is correct. She has two sisters, Lynda and Leslie. "Our parents had a strong work ethic – there wasn't really any other way," Lynda Lopez told ''Rolling Stone''. Lopez parents also stressed cultural assimilation, especially the need to speak English. Lopez spent much of what she called "the boyfriend years" secretly meeting with first-love, Davíd Cruz, with whom she remained in a relationship between the ages of 16 and 25. "I was always climbing out windows, jumping off roofs, and he was sneaking up," she said. "It was crazy." Lopez spent her entire academic career in Catholic school and acknowledges that she still prays regularly. Lopez financed singing and dancing lessons for herself from the age of 16. After leaving a one semester-long career at Baruch College, Lopez divided her time between working in a legal office, dance classes, and dance performances in Manhattan clubs at night. After months of auditioning for dance roles, Lopez was selected as a dancer for various rap artists' music videos, and was given a guest spot on the American Music Awards. After being rejected for the role twice, Lopez gained her first regular high profile gig as a "Fly Girl" dancer on the television comedy program ''In Living Color'' in 1991. Soon after Lopez became a back-up dancer for famed singer Janet Jackson and made an appearance in her 1993 video "That's The Way Love Goes". Scheduled and contracted to go on Janet Jackson's World Tour, she asked the superstar to be let out of her contract to pursue her acting dreams.
Acting
Lopez has appeared on the short-lived television programs ''South Central'', ''Second Chances'', and ''Hotel Malibu'', the television movie ''Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7''. Lopez broke into the big screen in 1995, in the drama ''My Family'' and then appeared opposite Wesley Snipes in the action film ''
Money Train''. Lopez has also played roles in Francis Ford Coppola's 1996 comedy ''
Jack'' starring Robin Williams, and the 1997 thriller ''
Blood and Wine'' with Jack Nicholson. Lopez played the lead
