Gabourey Sidibe

Gabourey Sidibe (/ˈɡæbəˌr ˈsɪdɪˌb/ GAB-ə-ray SID-i-bay; born May 6, 1983)[1] is an American actress and author. She made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious, a role that earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film roles include Tower Heist (2011), White Bird in a Blizzard (2014), Grimsby (2016) and Antebellum (2020).

Gabourey Sidibe
Sidibe in the Whitehouse correspondents dinner 2010 Wash. D.C.
Born (1983-05-06) May 6, 1983
Alma materManhattan Community College
Occupation
  • Actress
  • author
Years active2009–present
Parent(s)Alice Tan Ridley (mother)
RelativesDorothy Pitman Hughes (aunt)

From 2010 to 2013, she was a main cast member of the Showtime series The Big C. Sidibe co-starred on the television series American Horror Story: Coven (2013–2014) as Queenie and American Horror Story: Freak Show (2014–2015) as Regina Ross, and later reprised her role as Queenie in American Horror Story: Hotel (2015–2016) and American Horror Story: Apocalypse (2018). From 2015 to 2020, she starred in the Fox musical drama series Empire as Becky Williams.

Early life

Sidibe was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Harlem.[2] Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is an American R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America's Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is from Senegal and is a cab driver.[3] Growing up, Sidibe lived with her aunt, feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes.[4] She holds an associate degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College and attended but did not graduate from City College of New York and Mercy College.[5] She worked at The Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before pursuing an acting career.[6]

Career

In Precious, Sidibe played the main character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, a 16-year-old mother of two (the result of Precious being raped by her father) who tries to escape abuse at the hands of her mother. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award.[7] On December 15, 2009, she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Precious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

Her next film, Yelling to the Sky, was a Sundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz, in which she played Latonya Williams, a bully.[8] In 2011, Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist and voiced a "party girl" character in "Hot Water", the first episode of season 7 of American Dad! She appeared in the season 8 American Dad! episode "Stanny Tendergrass" early in 2013, and starred in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by the indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe also appeared in the Showtime network series The Big C as Andrea Jackson.

Sidibe said in 2012 that before she was hired for the 2009 film Precious, she was advised by Joan Cusack not to pursue the entertainment industry, advising Sidibe to quit the business since "it's so image-conscious."[9]

By April 2013, Sidibe had joined the cast of American Horror Story season 3, portraying Queenie, a young witch.[10] She returned to the series for its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show as a secretarial school student, Regina Ross.[11] From 2015, she stars in Lee Daniels' Fox musical series Empire as Becky Williams alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Sidibe portrays the head of A&R in the Empire company.[12] As of April 2015, Sidibe was promoted to a series regular in season 2.[13] She also starred in the Hulu series Difficult People as Denise.[14]

In 2015, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced Sidibe would be writing a memoir set to be published in 2017.[15] On January 6, 2016, Sidibe appeared in the penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, reprising her Coven role as Queenie, marking her third season in the series. After sitting out subsequent seasons Roanoke and Cult, Sidibe returned to American Horror Story in 2018, appearing once again as her character Queenie in its eighth season, Apocalypse.

Personal life

In March 2017, Sidibe revealed that she had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and that as a consequence she underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery in an effort to manage her weight.[16]

In November 2020, Sidibe announced her engagement to Brandon Frankel.[17][18]

Filmography

Sidibe in July 2010

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2009PreciousClaireece "Precious" Jones
2011Yelling to the SkyLatonya Williams
Tower HeistOdessa Montero
2012Seven PsychopathsSharice
2014White Bird in a BlizzardBeth
Life PartnersJen
Top FiveHerselfCameo
2015GravyWinketta
2016GrimsbyBanu
2019Come As You AreSam
2020AntebellumDawn

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2010Saturday Night LiveHostEpisode: "Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT"
2010–13The Big CAndrea Jackson30 episodes
2011Glenn Martin DDSKeisha (voice)Episode: "Date with Destiny"
American Dad!Herself (live action cutaway appearance)Episode: "Stanny Tendergrass"
2012American Dad!Party girl (voice)Episode: "Hot Water"
2013–14American Horror Story: CovenQueenie12 episodes
2014American Horror Story: Freak ShowRegina Ross3 episodes
2015–20EmpireBecky Williams90 episodes
2015–17Difficult PeopleDenise12 episodes
2016American Horror Story: HotelQueenieEpisode: "Battle Royale"
Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio PeepioVarious10 episodes
Drunk HistoryElla FitzgeraldEpisode: "Legends"
2017BoJack HorsemanTamara (voice)Episode: "The Old Sugarman Place"
2018American Horror Story: ApocalypseQueenie5 episodes

Music videos

Awards and nominations

YearNominated workAssociationCategoryResult
2009PreciousAlliance of Women Film JournalistsBest ActressNominated
Best Bravest PerformanceNominated
Best Breakthrough PerformanceNominated
Best Ensemble CastNominated
Chicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
Most Promising NewcomerNominated
Chicago International Film FestivalBest Breakthrough PerformanceWon
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
Detroit Film Critics Society AwardsBest ActressWon
Breakthrough PerformanceWon
Best EnsembleNominated
Florida Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActressWon
Breakout AwardWon
Hollywood Film FestivalNew HollywoodWon
Houston Film Critics Society AwardsBest ActressNominated
National Board of ReviewBreakthrough Female PerformancesWon
Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBreakout Performance - On CameraWon
Southeastern Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
Best Breakthrough PerformanceWon
Best EnsembleNominated
Women Film Critics Circle AwardsBest Young ActressWon
2010Academy AwardsBest ActressNominated
BAFTA AwardsBest Actress in a Leading RoleNominated
BET AwardsBest ActressNominated
Black Reel AwardsBest ActressWon
Best Breakthrough PerformanceWon
Best EnsembleWon
Boston Society of Film Critics AwardsBest ActressNominated
Best CastWon
Broadcast Film Critics Association AwardsBest ActressNominated
Best CastNominated
Dublin Film Critics Circle AwardBest ActressNominated
Golden Globe AwardsBest Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated
Independent Spirit AwardsBest Female LeadWon
International Cinephile Society AwardBest ActressNominated
Iowa Film Critics AwardsBest ActressWon
Las Vegas Film Critics Society AwardsBest ActressWon
MTV Movie AwardsBest Breakout StarNominated
NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Actress in a Motion PictureWon
Online Film Critics Society AwardsBest ActressNominated
Satellite AwardsOutstanding New TalentWon
Screen Actors Guild AwardsOutstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion PictureNominated
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading RoleNominated
Vancouver Film Critics Circle AwardsBest ActressNominated
2012Seven PsychopathsBoston Society of Film Critics AwardsBest CastWon
The Big CNAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy SeriesNominated
2013NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy SeriesNominated
2014American Horror Story: CovenNAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Actress in a Television, Miniseries or Dramatic SpecialNominated

Bibliography

  • Sidibe, Gabourey (2017). This Is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-544-78676-9.

See also

References

  1. "Gabourey Sidibe Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 3, 2015.
  2. Stated on the Late Show with David Letterman, November 9, 2009.
  3. Williams, Kam (November 9, 2009). "Gabby Sidibe "Precious" Interview with Kam Williams". NewsBlaze. Retrieved November 10, 2009.
  4. Marcus, Stephanie (May 2, 2014). "Gabourey Sidibe's Speech on Confidence is Incredibly Moving". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  5. "Gabourey Sidibe profile". Right Cinema. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2010.
  6. Sawyers, Susan (June 15, 2010). "A Breath of Fresh Air". New York Social Diary. Archived from the original on August 22, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  7. Zeitchik, Ed (January 24, 2009). "'Push' takes Sundance grand jury award". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. Yadegaran, Jessica (November 12, 2009), "Gabourey Sidibe on being 'Precious'", San Jose Mercury News, retrieved November 15, 2009
  9. Sidibe in "Show Highlight: Bye, Bye, Bye Justin Timberlake". Watch What Happens Live. Season 6. Episode 71. April 25, 2012. Event occurs at 01:31. Bravo. Retrieved November 25, 2020. I know that she meant well. I met Joan Cusack, who is my favorite-favorite, ... and I was at some industry party and she says, 'Are you an actress?' And I said, 'Yeah.' And she says, 'Oh, honey, you should really quit the business — it's so image-conscious. And I think she really, really meant it in a good way. ... But I was, like, 'Oh, but I love you. Please don't tell me to quit my job!' and as reported at Fisher, Kelly (April 26, 2012). "Gabourey Sidibe: Joan Cusack Told Me To Quit Show Business". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020.
  10. Keveney, Bill (April 29, 2013). "Gabourey Sidibe joins 'American Horror Story: Coven'". USA Today. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  11. "'American Horror Story: Freak Show' adds Michael Chiklis; Emma Roberts and Gabourey Sidibe returning". Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  12. "Empire Close Up: Gabourey Sidibe as Becky Williams". Fox. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  13. Aussiello, Michael (April 12, 2015). "Empire Promotes Pair to Series Regular". TVline. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  14. Bierly, Mandi (March 24, 2015). "Gabourey Sidibe Talks Joining Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner in Their Hulu Comedy 'Difficult People' and Life Inside 'Empire'". Yahoo!. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  15. Biedenharn, Isabella (June 3, 2015). "Empire actress Gabourey Sidibe to publish memoir". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  16. Nelson, Jeff (March 8, 2017). "Gabourey Sidibe Opens Up About Weight-Loss Surgery for the First Time: 'I Love My Body Now'". People. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  17. Sibide, Gabourey (November 24, 2020). "It's weird that people think we're already married [...]". Gabourey Sibide verified Instagram account. Retrieved November 25, 2020. My BFF proposed and now I get to hold him forever.
  18. Macke, Johnni (November 24, 2020). "Gabourey Sidibe Is Engaged to Brandon Frankel After More Than 1 Year of Dating". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.