Gabourey Sidibe
Encyclopedia
Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe (icon ; born May 6, 1983) is an American actress who made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious
, a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress
.
, New York, and was raised in Harlem
. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley
, is an African-American R&B
and gospel
singer who appeared on the fifth season
of America's Got Talent
on June 15, 2010. Her Senegal
-born father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a cab driver. She has attended Borough of Manhattan Community College
, City College of New York
, and Mercy College
.
, a Golden Globe Award
and Sundance Film Festival
Grand Jury Award. 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.
Her next film, Yelling to the Sky
, was a Sundance Lab
project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz
, in which she plays a bully.
In 2011 Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist
and voiced a party girl character in "Hot Water"
, the season 7 premiere of American Dad.
Sidibe currently appears in the Showtime network series entitled The Big C
.
}
| Andrea Jackson
| 16 episodes; Recurring season 1, Main season 2
|-
| rowspan=3| 2011
| Yelling to the Sky
|Latonya Williams
|
|-
| American Dad
| Party Girl
| 1 episode
|-
| Tower Heist
| Odessa Montero
|
|}
Precious (film)
Precious , is a 2009 American drama film directed by Lee Daniels. Precious is an adaptation by Geoffrey S. Fletcher of the 1996 novel Push by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, and Paula Patton...
, a role that brought her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
.
Early life
Sidibe was born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, and was raised in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley
Alice Tan Ridley
Alice Tan Ridley is a gospel and R&B singer and the mother of Gabourey Sidibe. She auditioned on the NBC series America's Got Talent. Prior to joining America's Got Talent, Alice also appeared in the television show 30 Seconds To Fame, winning $25,000 in the pilot episode.-Early life:Alice raised...
, is an African-American R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer who appeared on the fifth season
America's Got Talent (season 5)
The fifth season of America's Got Talent, an American television reality show talent competition, premiered in the United States on the NBC network and on Canada's Global on June 1, 2010...
of America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
on June 15, 2010. Her Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
-born father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a cab driver. She has attended Borough of Manhattan Community College
Borough of Manhattan Community College
The Borough of Manhattan Community College is one of six two-year colleges within the City University of New York system and the only one in Manhattan. Founded in 1963, BMCC originally offered business-oriented and liberal arts degrees for those intending to enter the business world or transfer...
, City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, and Mercy College
Mercy College (New York)
Mercy College is a private, non-profit liberal arts college with its main campus in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and satellite locations throughout southeastern New York, including the Bronx, Manhattan, White Plains and Yorktown...
.
Career
In Precious, Sidibe plays the central character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, an illiterate, obese 16-year-old girl with two children (both of whom are the products of being raped by her father) trying to escape abuse at the hands of her parents. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, a Golden Globe Award
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
and Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
Grand Jury Award. 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.
Her next film, Yelling to the Sky
Yelling to the Sky
Yelling to the Sky is a 2011 American drama film directed by Victoria Mahoney. The film premiered In Competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear.-Cast:* Zoë Kravitz as Sweetness O'Hara...
, was a Sundance Lab
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981 that actively advances the work of filmmakers and storytellers worldwide...
project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz
Zoë Isabella Kravitz is an American actress, singer and model. She is the daughter of musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet. She has appeared in the films The Brave One with Jodie Foster, and No Reservations with Catherine Zeta-Jones...
, in which she plays a bully.
In 2011 Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist
Tower Heist
Tower Heist is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Griffin. It was released on November 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom, with a United States release following two days later...
and voiced a party girl character in "Hot Water"
Hot Water (American Dad!)
"Hot Water" is the first episode and season premiere of the seventh season of the animated comedy series American Dad!. It was aired by Fox on September 25, 2011.-Plot:...
, the season 7 premiere of American Dad.
Sidibe currently appears in the Showtime network series entitled The Big C
The Big C (TV series)
The Big C is a Showtime original television series created by Darlene Hunt which premiered on August 16, 2010. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere in eight years. On September 20, 2010, The Big C was renewed for a second season which premiered on June 27, 2011...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Precious | Claireece "Precious" Jones | Black Reel Award for Best Actress Black Reel Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress The Chlotrudis Award for Best Actress is an award given by the Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film to the actress or actresses whose winning performance is voted by participating members. The Chlotrudis Awards is an annual ceremony where the best of the previous year's independent and... Detroit Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is an award given by the Florida Film Critics Circle to honor the finest female lead acting achievements in filmmaking.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Hollywood Film Award for Rising Star Award Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Female Iowa Film Critics Award for Best Actress Iowa Film Critics The Iowa Film Critics is an organization of film reviewers from publications based in the U.S. state of Iowa.Each year, the IFC meets to vote on their Iowa Film Critics Awards for films released in the same or the previous calendar year.... Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress The Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society to honor the best actress of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture:Number of Performances that won or nominated for Oscars:*1. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple*2. Angela Bassett - What's Love Got to Do With It?... National Board of Review Breakthrough Performance Female National Board of Review Award for Best Actress The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for Best Actress is one of the annual film awards given by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.-1940s:-1950s:- 1960s :- 1970s :- 1980s :- 1990s :- 2000s :-2010s:... Satellite Award for Outstanding New Talent Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are an annual award given by the International Press Academy. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards.- Film :*Best Actor – Drama*Best Actor – Musical or Comedy*Best Actress – Drama... Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Breakthrough Performance Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... Women's Film Critics Circle Award for Best Young Actress Nominated - Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Award for Best Actress Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry... Nominated - Alliance of Woman Film Journalists Award for Best Actress Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role Best Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :... Nominated- Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Nominated - Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is an annual award given by the Chicago Film Critics Association.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Houston Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Houston Film Critics Society The Houston Film Critics Society is a film critic organization in Houston, Texas, United States. The group presents an annual set of film awards for "extraordinary accomplishment in film" in a ceremony held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston... Nominated - MTV Movie Award for Best Breakout Star Nominated - Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated - Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated - St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is one of the annual awards given by the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Actress Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... Nominated - Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association for Best Ensemble Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association is a group of film critics based out of Washington, D.C., United States that was founded in 2003. WAFCA is composed of 34 DC-based film critics from television, radio, print and the internet... |
| 2010-present |
| Andrea Jackson
| 16 episodes; Recurring season 1, Main season 2
|-
| rowspan=3| 2011
| Yelling to the Sky
Yelling to the Sky
Yelling to the Sky is a 2011 American drama film directed by Victoria Mahoney. The film premiered In Competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Bear.-Cast:* Zoë Kravitz as Sweetness O'Hara...
|Latonya Williams
|
|-
| American Dad
| Party Girl
| 1 episode
|-
| Tower Heist
Tower Heist
Tower Heist is a 2011 crime comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper, and Griffin. It was released on November 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom, with a United States release following two days later...
| Odessa Montero
|
|}
See also
- List of black Academy Award winners and nominees
- List of Black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees