Gabourey sidibe biography

Her mother is African-American and her father is Senegalese. Her parents split when she was a youngster and Gabby grew up in Harlem. Though she was cast in school plays as a child, Sidibe had no interest in acting.

Gabourey sidibe biography: Gabourey Sidibe is an American

She had witnessed her mother's financial struggles as a street singer and wanted the security that an education and a desk job would give her. After attending local colleges, Gabby pursued a degree in psychology at Mercy College. She was in the middle of preparing for an exam when a friend phoned her about an audition for the newest effort from Lee DanielsPrecious Instead of attending class, she ended up being cast in the title role as Claireece "Precious" Jones, a taciturn, sixteen year-old who is pregnant for the second time after being raped by her father and is also on the receiving end of constant physical abuse by her mother.

As grim as the subject matter is, Precious has become critical success and a source of inspiration for many. While her co-stars, Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey have both received a great deal of critical attention, it is Gabby who is the revelation as Precious, a character whose personality is quite different from her own. Anyone expecting a damaged young woman with no self-esteem is in for a shock after meeting the charming Sidibe.

She hopes that her success in the film will motivate others to chase their dreams. Precious has opened other doors for Sidibe. With absolutely no acting experience to draw on for the audition, Gabby sought inspiration from her own life experiences. She used her psychology training to portray Precious — an obese illiterate teen mum who enrols on a special education project — channelling her knowledge of how a victim acts and looks to deliver her powerful performance.

And after beating more than girls to land the role, it didn't take long for the self-confessed N-Sync fanatic to find herself hanging out with the stars. The film attracted both Lenny Kravitz and Gabby's childhood hero Mariah Careyand after great success at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the grand jury prize, Oprah Winfrey came on board.

Gabourey sidibe biography: Early life. Sidibe was

Since then, Precious has received a number of accolades, including three Golden Globe nominations. On February 2, Gabourey heard that her incredible portrayal had earned her an Academy Award nomination for the best lead actress award. I'm going to get a car! But despite her overnight success, Gabourey's warm down-to-earth attitude continues to shine through.

On her Facebook page, the Oscar-nominated actress describes herself quite simply as "a normal girl, trying to do abnormal things". Retrieved March 27, Archived from the original on May 13, Retrieved August 13, Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 11, Gabourey Sibide verified Instagram account. Archived from the original on December 26, My BFF proposed and now I get to hold him forever.

Us Weekly. Retrieved May 13, Retrieved December 5, Retrieved February 28, Entertainment Tonight.

Gabourey sidibe biography: Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, the star of

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