Queen Latifah

Born: 18 March 1970
Where: Newark, New Jersey

Billed as a one-woman entertainment conglomerate, the former Burger King server divides her time between music, film, hosting TV talk shows and running a record company.

Her breakthrough movie role was in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever and now she is establishing herself as a sort of surrogate Whoopi Goldberg.

Born Dana Owens, Rap artist Queen Latifah (which means gentle and sensitive in Arabic) broke through in the late 80s with a style that merged jazz rhythms with soul music.

She worked alongside female rapping crew Ladies Fresh and released her first single - Wrath of My Madness - aged 18.

Following Jungle Fever, she starred in Set It Off, which earned her a Spirit Award in the best actress category.

She co-starred with Holly Hunter and Danny DeVito in Living Out Loud and also appeared in Philip Noyce's The Bone Collector opposite Denzel Washington.

Her barnstorming performance as Matron "Mama" Morton in the Oscar-winning Chicago was followed by a comedy turn opposite Steve Martin in Bringing Down The House.

In 2004, she starred as a despatch rider-turned-taxi driver in the stuttering American remake of Luc Besson's Taxi.

Upcoming projects include Barbershop 2 with Ice Cube.