Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone, born on August 16, 1958, in Bay City, Michigan,

was the third of six children in a Catholic family. Her father Sylvio, also known as Tony, was
a design engineer for Chrysler/General Dynamics. Madonna's mother was of French
Canadian descent. She died of breast cancer when Madonna was five years old. Tony
Ciccone moved the family to Pontiac, Michigan, and he married one of the women hired to
care for the Ciccone household. The adjustment was difficult for Madonna as the eldest
daughter. She had considered herself the "lady of the house" and had received much of her
father's affection and attention.

Madonna acted in school plays in her early school years. As a teenager she discovered
her love and talent for dancing, an activity she pursued under the direction and leadership of
Christopher Flynn, her private ballet instructor. Madonna worked hard and played hard as
well, something Flynn made easy by introducing her to the disco nightlife of Detroit,
Michigan. Still, she cared for her younger brothers and sisters and worked hard in school. She
graduated early from high school and was awarded a dance scholarship to the University of
Michigan. She stayed two years before going to New York City in 1978 with thirty-seven
dollars and a wealth of determination and ambition.

Madonna moved into an apartment in New York City's East Village, a poorer
neighborhood filled with crime and drug problems. Her first jobs included figure modeling
for artists and acting in low-budget movies. She danced briefly with the Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater and studied for a time with choreographer (one who creates and
arranges dance performances) Pearl Lang before going to Paris, France, as a singer and
dancer with French disco artist Patrick Hernandez. Madonna had developed a fascination
with music. She played drums and sang backup in several small bands. When she returned to
New York she wrote and recorded songs and hung out in popular Manhattan nightclubs. She
was signed to a recording contract with Sire Records in October 1982.

The album Madonna was released in July 1983. Repeat club performances and radio
airplay of several cuts from the album eventually earned her three huge hits with "Holiday,"
"Lucky Star," and "Borderline." A series of hit songs, videos, concert tours, and films
followed. A brief performance in the film Vision Quest resulted in the top-five hit "Crazy for
You." Her second album, Like a Virgin, released in 1984, produced two number one hits—
the title track and "Material Girl." In early 1985 she went on her first concert tour, which was
so successful that she had to switch to larger locations to meet the demand for tickets.
Thousands of teenage girls all over the country began tying lace bows on top of their heads,
wearing underwear as outerwear, and walking the halls of schools and shopping malls as
"Madonna wannabees." Madonna's appearance in the film Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985
led to another popular single and video, "In the Groove."

Madonna married actor Sean Penn in 1985. In 1986 she released her third album, True
Blue, from which three singles topped the charts: "Papa Don't Preach," "True Blue," and
"Live to Tell," which also appeared in At Close Range, a film starring Penn. In 1987 a movie
starring Madonna called Who's That Girl was largely ignored, but the accompanying
soundtrack and concert tour were successful.

The release of Madonna's album Like A Prayer (1989) came at the same time as the
breakup of her marriage. The video of the title song, showing Madonna confessing to a priest
and then engaging in suggestive behavior with him, caused a stir in the Catholic Church. The
controversy (dispute) resulted in a disagreement over a five million dollar endorsement (paid
public support of a company's products) contract with the Pepsi company. Controversy again
surrounded Madonna in 1990 when the music video channel MTV refused to play the racy
video for "Justify My Love," a new track from her greatest hits album The Immaculate
Collection, before 11:00 P.M.

Other films featuring Madonna include Shanghai Surprise (1986), in which she co-
starred with then-husband Sean Penn; Dick Tracy (1989), which was accompanied by a
soundtrack of Madonna songs; and Truth or Dare, a feature-length collection of footage from
her Blonde Ambition Tour of 1990–91. Madonna also appeared in A League of Their
Own (1992) and Body of Evidence (1993). Each work kept the press and critics focused on
her.

By 1992 Madonna's popularity stretched across the world, and she had established
herself as a sharp, confident businesswoman. She signed a sixty million dollar contract with
Time-Warner, which included her own record company (under the Maverick label) and called
for her to make videos, films, books, merchandise, and more than six albums. The
announcement of the deal was timed with the release of the album Erotica, an extended
video, and an adults-only picture book called Sex, featuring black-and-white photographs in
which Madonna appears mostly without clothes with everything from men and women (in all
combinations, positions, and numbers) to chairs, dogs, and slices of pizza. She was even
shown hitchhiking wearing nothing but high heels. The book was a best-seller across the
country.

The 1994 release of Bedtime Stories, written mainly by Madonna, showed her with a
softer image and more soulful sound. In the mid-1990s she set her sights on playing the
leading role in Andrew Lloyd Webber's (1948–) movie musical Evita, and after repeated
tryouts, she convinced producers that she would bring a unique understanding to the lead role
of Argentine leader Eva Peron (1919–1952). In her personal life, Madonna settled into a
relationship with Carlos Leon, a personal trainer. In 1995 she released her second greatest
hits album, Something to Remember.

In 1996 Madonna gave birth to a girl named Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon (Lola for
short). Madonna described the event to People magazine as "the greatest miracle of my life."
She even traded in her pink Hollywood mansion for a home in a low-key suburb of Los
Angeles, California. Meanwhile, her determination to play the starring role in Evita paid off,
although her performance received mixed reviews. In 1997 the song "You Must Love Me"
from the film's soundtrack won the Academy Award for best song.

In 1998 Madonna released Ray of Light. The album reflected her study of the
kabbalah (an ancient Jewish teaching) and interest in Far East Indian culture. Its electronic
influence also kept Madonna in touch with modern dance culture, proving to critics that she
still knew how to stay ahead of the pack. The album received rave reviews and was one of
her best-selling records. It also won Grammy Awards for best dance recording, best pop
album, and best music video (short form).

That next year, Madonna contributed the single "Beautiful Stranger" to the Austin
Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me soundtrack. The single won a Grammy Award for best
song written for a motion picture, television or other visual media. Madonna co-starred in the
film The Next Best Thing in 2000. While the film got poor reviews, the soundtrack did
moderately well. It contained two new Madonna songs, "American Pie" (a remake of the Don
McLean classic) and "Time Stood Still." It was Madonna's first record for which she was the
executive producer.

In August 2000 Madonna gave birth to a son named Rocco. The child was her son
with British film director Guy Ritchie. Shortly after that event, Madonna
released Music, which carried on the electronic element she introduced in Ray of Light. The
album received mostly good reviews. In December 2000 Madonna and Ritchie had their son
baptized in a thirteenth-century cathedral in Dornoch, Scotland. The next day, Madonna and
Ritchie were married at Scotland's nineteenth-century Skibo Castle.