Background

Ethnicity: Madonna's father was of Italian descent (from a family from Pacentro) and her mother was of French-Canadian ancestry.

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

Education

Madonna attended Rochester Adams High School where she became a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad.

Madonna, attending the University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, drops out after two years and moves to New York City, where she lives in a series of ramshackle apartments while studying and dancing with the Alvin Ailey and Pearl Lang companies.

Career

Once in New York, Madonna paid her rent with a handful of odd jobs, including nude art modeling; serving at the Russian Tea Room; and performing for the American Dance Center. In 1979, Madonna began dating Dan Gilroy, one of the founding members of a ska influenced pop-punk band called Breakfast Club. Gilroy introduced Madonna to the head of a vaudeville review in Paris, and she spent some time in France working as a showgirl. During this trip she fell in love with the combination of singing and performing.

When she returned to the States in 1980, she joined Gilroy's band as its drummer and later became lead singer. Madonna formed several different bands of her own over the next few years, including Madonna & The Sky, The Millionaires and Emmy.

In 1981, Madonna decided to go solo and hired manager Camille Barbone of Gotham Records to help her get her singing career on track. Camille showed Madonna how to navigate the male-dominated world of the music business, and helped put together a studio band that accentuated the budding star's hip style. Friend Stephen Bray, a musician in her band, wrote her first hit, "Everybody," and Madonna used her brash business style to get the recordings to New York music producer Mark Kamins. Kamins then helped Madonna score a record deal with Sire Records. "Everybody" hit No. 1 on the dance charts in 1982.

Using the success of the song as leverage, Madonna convinced Sire to produce the full-length album Madonna in 1983. The album was a slow but steady success, and included the hit singles "Borderline," "Lucky Star" and "Holiday." Soon, girls all over the country were imitating Madonna's distinct sense of fashion, which included fishnet stockings, lace lingerie, fingerless gloves and large crucifix necklaces. "Holiday" also earned the singer an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1984, where she told the host that her main ambition was "to rule the world."

This intensity and determination was apparent in her 1985 follow-up album, Like a Virgin, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Chart and went platinum within a month. The title track, produced by Nile Rodgers, would later be listed as Madonna's biggest pop hit of all time, with the song remaining on the top of the charts for six weeks. She had two other Top 5 hits from the record: the tongue-in-cheek, empowering "Material Girl" and the dance ditty with bounce, "Angel."

She also starred in her first mainstream feature film, Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), and performed the soundtrack's single, "Into the Groove," which hit No. 1 on the U.S. dance charts. Her next single "Crazy for You", which she performed for the 1985 film Vision Quest, also became a No. 1 hit. She then started her first music tour, The Virgin Tour, and watched 17 consecutive songs climb into the Top 10 on the Billboard Chart while also creating a wave of iconic music videos, constantly re-crafting her persona.

In the next five years, Madonna's life was a whirlwind of activity. On August 16, 1985, she married actor Sean Penn and co-starred with him in the film Shanghai Surprise (1986). She then went on to star in three more movies over the next few years: Who's That Girl (1987), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990). Madonna's soundtrack album I'm Breathless: Music From and Inspired by the Film Dick Tracy resulted in two Top 10 hits: "Vogue" and "Hanky Panky." She also released four more hit albums: True Blue (1986), Who's that Girl (1987), You Can Dance (1987) and Like a Prayer (1989).

As always, Madonna mixed her drive for success with her penchant for scandalous behavior. It started with her controversial 1985 performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" on the MTV music awards, which involved writhing around suggestively onstage in a wedding dress. Then came her marriage to Penn, which was marred by reports of domestic violence and his assault of a photographer - behavior that landed him a month's jail time and eventually led to the couple's very public divorce.

This was followed by the debut of Madonna's 1989 "Like a Prayer" video, which was to be aired on MTV as part of a lucrative Pepsi endorsement. The video featured interracial relationship themes, burning crosses and a blending of sexual innuendo and religious ideologies. As a result of the video, Pope John Paul II urged fans not to attend her concerts in Italy, and Pepsi pulled their endorsement of the star.

Despite the public outcry, Madonna had become more popular than ever. The Like a Prayer album spawned a No. 1 title track as well as additional hits like "Express Yourself," "Cherish," "Keep It Together" and "Oh Father." By 1991, she had achieved 21 Top 10 hits in the United States and sold more than 70 million albums internationally, generating $1.2 billion in sales. Committed to controlling her career, Madonna helped found Maverick Records, a label under the Warner Music Group, in April of 1992.

She also continued to gain attention by pushing social boundaries. First came the film Truth or Dare (1991), a revealing documentary about her Blonde Ambition tour. This was followed by the publishing of Sex (1992), a soft-core pornographic coffee-table book featuring the pop star in a variety of erotic poses. Despite its controversial nature, Sex sold 150,000 copies on the day of its release in the U.S. alone. Three days later, all 1.5 million copies of the first edition were sold out worldwide, making it the most successful coffee table book ever released.

The album Erotica (1992) was unveiled at the same time, and proved equally successful: By the end of 1993, it had reached double-platinum status. Bedtime Stories came forth in 1994, with groovy lead single "Secret" and the beautifully melancholic "Take a Bow."

By 1996, Madonna had proven her versatility as a star in both film and music. She starred in the critically acclaimed screen adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (1996), which also featured Antonio Banderas. She won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical, and in the film she performed "You Must Love Me," which earned an Academy Award for Music, Original Song.

Then came Music (2000), another successful electronic project, this time with more overt, unpredictable dance leanings and the bulk of production handled by French whiz Mirwais. And she continued her work with Orbit, as seen on a couple of Music tracks and the Grammy-winning homage to 1960s-psychedelia, "Beautiful Stranger," part of the soundtrack for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

She then made the move from the big screen to the London West End stage in the play Up for Grabs (2002), and wrote her first children's book, The English Roses, which was published in 2003, the same year as the release of her album American Life. Madonna was inducted into the inaugural UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004, and her next album Confessions on a Dancefloor came out the following year. Around this time Madonna became the artist with the most gold certified singles in the U.S., beating The Beatles' longstanding record.

Her professional life continued to boom: In January 2008 she was named the world's wealthiest female musician by Forbes magazine, with estimated earnings of more than $72 million in the last year alone. Madonna earned much of this income from her H&M clothing line; a deal with NBC to air concert footage; and her Confessions tour - the highest-grossing tour for a female artist to date. She also continued to sing, act and manage a number of business interests, splitting her time between the United Kingdom and the United States.

In 2011, Madonna released her latest film project, W.E., about the American divorcée Wallis Simpson and her romance with Britain's King Edward VIII, contrasted with a more contemporary relationship. Edward gave up his crown to marry Simpson, and the couple became known as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Working behind the camera, Madonna co-wrote and directed this romantic drama, which received decidedly mixed reviews. She, however, did pick up a Golden Globe for an original song she co-wrote and sung for the film, "Masterpiece."

Madonna released her studio album, MDNA, in March 2012. On her tour to support the record, she courted controversy. Madonna occasionally flashed her audiences and used Nazi imagery while performing in France. At a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, she spoke out in support of LGBT rights, which had landed her in legal trouble. She was sued for more than $10 million for breaking a law against promoting homosexuality to minors, but charges were later dismissed.

Through 2014, Madonna was reportedly at work on her next album, said to be collaborating with producers like Avicii and Diplo as seen via Instagram. In December of that year, however, more than a dozen songs planned for her 2015 album Rebel Heart were leaked online. (An Israeli singer was later arrested and indicted for the thefts.)

To counterattack the theft, Madonna released six songs online before Christmas, with the tracks reaching the Top 10 of iTunes' charts in various countries. However, more controversy followed in January when the singer released via Instagram doctored portraits of prominent leaders and artists like Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley bound by black chord, mirroring the cover art of her forthcoming album. And in early February 2015, there was another album leak of Rebel Heart.

That month, Madonna also performed lead single "Living for Love" live at the 57th annual Grammy with a bull and matador theme. More than two weeks later she performed the song at the Brit Awards, but fell down a short flight of stairs due to a wardrobe mishap, with the singer later reporting that she'd suffered whiplash.

After confirming she was working on new music in early 2018, the iconic singer revealed in an April 2019 video announcement that studio album No. 14 would be titled Madame X. Madame X was released on June 14 and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

Achievements

• 

  Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. The Guinness World Records acknowledged her as the best-selling female recording artist and the fourth best-selling act of all time, behind The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female albums artist in the United States, with 64.5 million certified albums. Madonna is the most certified artist of all time in United Kingdom, with 45 awards from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) as of April 2013. Billboard named Madonna as the top touring female artist of all time. In May 2014, the magazine listed her as the fourth highest grossing touring act since 1990, with total earned revenue of $1.14 billion and 9.7 million attendance at her shows. Madonna has been honored with 20 MTV Video Music Awards - the most for any artist - including the lifetime achievement Video Vanguard Award in 1986.
  
  Madonna holds the record for the most number-ones on all combined Billboard charts, including twelve number-one songs on the Billboard Hot 100 and eight number-one albums on the Billboard 200. With 45 songs topping the Hot Dance Club Songs chart, Madonna became the artist with the most number-one songs on an active Billboard chart, pulling ahead of George Strait with 44 number-one songs on the Hot Country Songs chart. She has also scored 38 top-ten singles on the Hot 100, more than any other artist in history. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked her at number two, behind The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of American singles chart.

Works

More photos

• music

  • Madonna 1983
  • Like a Virgin 1984
  • True Blue 1986
  • Like A Prayer 1989
  • Erotica 1992
  • Bedtime Stories 1994
  • Ray Of Light 1998
  • Music 2000
  • American Life 2003
  • Confessions On A Dance Floor 2005
  • Hard Candy 2008
  • Mdna 2012
  • Rebel Heart 2015
  • Madame X 2019

Religion

Madonna was raised in Detroit, Michigan in a big Italian Catholic family. Her name is in fact adopted from one of the many aliases of the Virgin Mary, a near goddess to the Catholic faith.

Later in her life, Madonna converted to a sect of Judaism called Kabbalah. She has even, at times been asked to be called Esther, after the Jewish historical figure.

Madonna has given millions of dollars to the Kabbalah Institute and some argue that her divorce with her most recent husband, Guy Ritchie, was because of her strange religious beliefs and practices.

Madonna has talked about why she went from Catholic pop star to Jewish, saying: "I was what you would call at the top of my world. I’d won a Golden Globe for Evita, I was pregnant, I had fame, I had fortune, everything that you would perceive a person would want in life. But I’m sure everyone’s had that out-of-body experience where you say to yourself - and it might happen at 28 or 38 or 68 - why am I here? Why am I inside of this body? What am I doing? And I was hearing that question a lot."

Politics

Madonna has been a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and many liberal social movements. She came out in support of Barack Obama during his 2008 campaign. She also supported Hillary Clinton's 2008 electoral campaign.

She came out against the war in Iraq and the Bush administration, saying: ''Global terror is everywhere. Global terror is down the street, around the block. Global terror is in California. There’s global terror everywhere and it’s absurd to think you can get it by going to one country and dropping tons of bombs on innocent people.''

Views

Madonna has been an advocate for gay rights since her rise to fame in the 80s. At a gay rally, Madonna said in a speech: ''If we can elect an African-American as president, we can support gay marriage!''

Quotations: "I won't be happy till I'm as famous as God."

"I stand for freedom of expression, doing what you believe in, and going after your dreams."

"I sometimes think I was born to live up to my name. How could I be anything else but what I am having been named Madonna? I would either have ended up a nun or this."

"How could I have been anything else but what I am, having been named Madonna. I would either have ended up a nun or this."

"Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion."

"Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another."

''I think in the end, when you're famous, people like to narrow you down to a few personality traits. I think I've just become this ambitious, say-whatever's-on-her-mind, intimidating person. And that's part of my personality, but it's certainly not anywhere near the whole thing.''

''When I'm hungry, I eat. When I'm thirsty, I drink. When I feel like saying something, I say it.''

''If you have children, you know you're responsible for somebody. You realize you are being imitated; your belief systems and priorities have a direct influence on these children, who are like flowers in a garden.''

''I am the result of the good choices I've made and the bad choices.''

''We like to put people on a pedestal, give them one character trait, and if they step outside of that shrinelike area that we blocked out for them, then we will punish them.''

''One of the things that helps me tell a story through music is to create a character. I have to have a muse, whether it's Frida Kahlo, Martha Graham, Marlene Dietrich, or Pippi Longstocking.''

''In this business, my business, I get to meet all kinds of incredible people, fascinating people, glamorous people and sexy people and highly intellectual people. And you meet them and you go 'interesting, interesting, interesting'. They're interesting, but not very many people stop you in your tracks.''

''But I love the idea - whether it's in my work or where I live - exploring new frontier, and I like putting myself in strange places and trying to survive and figure things out and gather up an infrastructure. I like knowing that I could figure out a way to live anywhere.''

''Writing is a very intimate thing, especially when you write lyrics and sing them in front of someone for the first time. It's like a really embarrassing situation. To me, singing is almost like crying, and you have to really know someone before you can start crying in front of them.''

''I think the biggest reason I was able to express myself and not be intimidated was by not having a mother. For example, mothers teach you manners. And I absolutely did not learn any of those rules and regulations.''

''My father was very strong. I don't agree with a lot of the ways he brought me up. I don't agree with a lot of his values, but he did have a lot of integrity, and if he told us not to do something, he didn't do it either.''

''There are moments when I can't believe I'm as old as I am. But I feel better physically than I did 10 years ago. I don't think, Oh God, I'm missing something.''

Personality

Madonna stated that she hates television, believing it's "trash" and bans her children from watching it. She also has major claustrophobia and does not like being stuck in small, enclosed spaces or in crowds.

Madonna says that one of her pet peeves is when people make assumptions. Not doing research, investigating or asking questions and just assuming something. Also dislikes when she's talking to someone and they're texting.

Quotes from others about the person

• Sean Penn: "She's very real, very sensitive."
  
  Sting: "She's outrageous, she's provocative, she's inscrutable. And over the years, we've all been witnessed to her evolution, from street smart kid sister to virgin bride, from sex goddess to a yogi. Her mind is as celebrated as her body, she's as feared as she's desired, she leads while others follow... A woman who is all woman, and all women."
  
  Shakira: "I admire Madonna because she always did whatever she felt like doing. She went through some controversial periods when people rejected her, but she kept on reinventing herself."
  
  Lenny Kravitz: "She's a genius, she can do no wrong."
  
  DJ Gordon Edge: "She is very natural. I did not get to know her as a person but she is down-to-earth and straightforward. She just speaks her mind."
  
  Ricky Martin: "I know Madonna as a mother, and she’s exemplary, the love she gives her kids is a dream, and I know that her heart is big enough to adopt not just one child but to adopt 20."
  
  Christina Aguilera: "I do look up to Madonna as a businesswoman. I enjoy looking back at the body of her work and the different changes. I love the fact that she’s been a risk-taker – and pretty fearless in some of her choices."
  
  Eugene Hutz: "Madonna is a funny person, respectful and collaborative. I've been aware for a year that Madonna was a Gogol Bordello fan and in the end, we met trough mutual friends and we spoke a lot."
  
  "I think she was very good and most of all she was scrupulous, that's something I think it's essential for a director. She knew what she wanted and she gave me total creative freedom, so for me it was an incredible experience."

Interests

• painting, art

• Politicians

  Hillary Clinton

• Writers

  Mario Vargas Llosa, Gregory David Roberts, Audrey Niffenegger, Sylvia Plath

• Artists

  Dolce & Gabbana, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Betsey Johnson, Gianni Versace, Stella McCartney, Maripol

• Sport & Clubs

  cycling, horseback riding, fencing, dancing, boxing, skating

• Athletes

  Venus Williams, Donavon Mcnabb

• Music & Bands

  Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Karen Carpenter, The Supremes, Led ZeppelinDavid Bowie, Kylie Minogue, baroque

Connections

In 1985 Madonna married Sean Penn.

Madonna became a mother in 1996, giving birth to Lourdes Maria (Lola) Ciccone Leon, whom she had with her lover and personal trainer, Carlos Leon. In 2000, she married British director Guy Ritchie and gave birth to their son, Rocco John Ritchie, the same year. Madonna and Ritchie split in 2008.

Father:

Silvio Anthony Ciccone

Mother:

Madonna Louise (née Fortin)

Madonna Fortin Ciccone was diagnosed with breast cancer during her pregnancy with Madonna's youngest sister. Treatment had to be delayed until the baby reached full term, but by then the disease had grown too strong. On December 1, 1963, at the age of 30, Madonna's mother passed away. Madonna was only 5 years old at the time of her mother's death.

Sister:

Melanie Ciccone

Born in 1962.

Brother:

Anthony Ciccone

Born in 1956.

Brother:

Martin Ciccone

Born in 1957.

Brother:

Christopher Ciccone

Born in 1960.

Sister:

Paula Ciccone

Born in 1959.

Ex-husband:

Sean Penn

Daughter:

Lourdes Maria

Was born in October 14, 1996. Lourdes is Madonna's daughter from her relationship with Carlos Leon.

Son:

Rocco Ritchie

Was born in August 11, 2000. Rocco is Madonna's son from her second marriage to Guy Ritchie.

Son:

David Banda

Adopted by Madonna and then-husband Guy Ritchie in October 2006. It's believed that David was born in early 2005.

Daughter:

Mercy James

Adopted by Madonna in June 2009. It's believed that Mercy James was born in 2006.

ex-spouse:

Guy Ritchie

Friend:

Sacha Baron Cohen

Friend:

Britney Spears

Friend:

Sting (Gordon Sumner)

References

• Madonna: Ambition. Music. Style.
• The Mammoth Book of Madonna
• Madonna: An Intimate Biography
• Life with My Sister Madonna
• Richard Corman: Madonna NYC 83
• Madonna Biography: The Sex Symbol of The Music Industry Revealed