Taraji P. Henson’s Hidden Figure


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The Woman

Taraji P. Henson loved performing, but had a very difficult time getting started in the business. She spent her first year in college studying electrical engineering at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University. After failing pre-calculus, she transferred to Howard University, where she studied theater. At the same time, Henson was working two jobs—one as a secretary at the Pentagon and another as a cruise-ship entertainer.  She also found out she was going to be a 20 year old mother and begged the theatre department not to treat her any differently because she was pregnant. They kept their end of the bargain and watched her blossom and learn on stage.

She and her son, Henson, moved to Los Angeles in 1996 with $700 in her checking account. Her day job let her audition and she finally booked a recurring role on the show Smart Guy.  Future roles began to spring up for her including Homicide, ER and Sister, Sister. Read More

Melissa McCarthy: Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts

Melissa McCarthyThe Woman

Actress Melissa McCarthy is a stand up person who literally started in stand up. McCarthy worked clubs in New York City for years before she decided to pack it all up and move to the warm climate of Los Angeles. She joined a sketch comedy group known as The Groundlings and perfected her craft. Read More

Rose Byrne Is Just a Perfect Neighbor

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The Woman

Rose was the youngest of four children growing up in Sydney, Australia. She took an interest in acting at a very young age and was a part of the Australian Theatre for Young People at age 8. She made her film debut in 1994′s Dallas Doll, which starred Sandra Bernhard. After appearing on several Australian TV shows, such as Heartbreak High, Byrne starred opposite Heath Ledger in Two Hands (1999). Read More

Sally Field: Her Career Is Still Flying High

Sally Field as Doris

THE WOMAN:

Sally Field is back on the big screen with her latest film, Hello, My Name Is Doris, where she stars as an eccentric middle-aged woman who has held on to her bottom-rung accounting job while her colleagues have all been replaced by younger 20-somethings. A self-help seminar inspires 60—something Doris to pursue a much younger co-worker — the new art director (played by Max Greenfield from New Girl), who’s young and hot. Doris is determined to “catch” him and pulls out a few sneaky tricks to get his attention.

But how did Sally Field — one of America’s favorite actresses — get started? Read More

The Brilliant Shades of Jennifer Lopez

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The Woman

Jennifer Lopez is back on television with her new NBC series, Shades of Blue, and it appears to be a role the always surprising star was made for.

Born July 24, 1969, in the Bronx, New York, Lopez began her career as a dancer, appearing in stage musicals and various music videos. In 1990, she won a national competition and earned a spot dancing on the popular Fox comedy television series, In Living Color, as one of the “Fly Girls.” Read More

Shonda Rhimes: A Voice for Women

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The Woman

An academic over-achiever growing up, Rhimes received her BA from Dartmouth College in English literature and creative writing. After a short stint in advertising, she enrolled in the Writing for Screen & Television program at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, earning her MFA. Read More

Claire Danes: Using Her Power for Good

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The Woman

For Claire Danes, who returns to HBO this weekend for her fifth season of Homeland, a passion for acting came at the age of six when she began studying modern dance and caught a whiff of life on the stage. Her parents enrolled her in a performing arts school where Danes took Saturday morning acting classes. She soon landed an agent.

At age 13, Danes’ first big job was working on the Dudley Moore TV sitcom pilot called Dudley.  She then played a teenage murderer in a guest starring role on Law & Order and appeared briefly in an episode of HBO’s Lifestories: Families in Crisis. Her life-changing role would come around soon after when she turned 15. Danes landed the role of Angela Chase, a curious, hyper-intelligent teen in the ABC series, My So Called Life. The show was buried by the networks for almost 2 years, but finally broke through and the biggest reason why was Danes’ wonderful performance. The role garnered her a Golden Globe award for best actress and launched her career. Read More

Laura Linney Just Keeps on Winning Awards & Hearts

 

laura linneyThe Woman

Laura Linney has been nominated for three Academy Awards® and three Tony Awards. She has won Four Emmys® and Two Golden Globes. Her list of accolades continues to grow and grow, and yet she seems to be just now hitting her stride.

Laura studied acting at the Juliard School in 1986 and began working on Broadway two years later. She broke into film work a few years later with small roles in the films, Lorenzo’s Oil, Dave and Searching For Bobby Fisher. Her Hollywood break-through role came in 1998 when she was cast opposite Jim Carrey in the reality-obsessed world of The Truman Show. Her performance was critically acclaimed and opened the door for even more film and television work. Read More

Sheroes: Munn’s the Word for This Star

The Woman

olivia munn2Olivia Munn is feeling pretty super human at the moment. The former model and actress was recently cast by Marvel as the sexy and mysterious assassin, Psylocke in the new X-Men movie. She recently wrapped filming of the Aaron Sorkin hit series, The Newsroom.  As if that weren’t good enough, Munn is also madly in love with and dating MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Good things seem to happen to good people, and Munn is no exception. Read More

Robin: An Actor Who’s on the Wright Path

The WOMAN

robin wrightJodie Foster, who directed Wright in an episode of House of Cards, believes that Wright has finally “settled into a pair of shoes that were the ones that were always supposed to fit her.” This Princess Bride star has a history of playing beautiful characters that are full of secrets and are vulnerable beyond repair. Her portrayal of Clair Underwood in Cards, seems to surpass even the great Kevin Spacey and elevates the show to a whole new level. Read More

In the mood for romance