Gabourey Sidibe Biography

Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe (  ; 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. From 2010 to 2013, She was a main cast member of the Showtime series The Big C.

Early life and education

Sidibe was born in Bedford"Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Harlem. 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. She has attended Borough of Manhattan Community College, City College of New York, and Mercy College. She worked at the Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before she went on to pursue a career in acting.

Career

See Precious (film) for more information In Precious, Sidibe plays the main character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, an obese 16-year-old girl with two children (both of whom are the results of being raped by her father) trying 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. 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 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!. She also stars in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe also appeared in the Showtime network series entitled The Big C.

During an interview, Sidibe reported that before landing her role in the 2009 film, Precious, Joan Cusack advised her that the entertainment industry was not for her and to quit, leaning over and stating: "Oh honey, you should really quit the business. It's so image-conscious."

In April 2013, it was announced that Sidibe would be joining the cast of the third series of American Horror Story.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2009	Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire	Claireece "Precious" Jones
2011	Yelling to the Sky	Latonya Williams
2011	Tower Heist	Odessa Montero
2012	Seven Psychopaths	Sharice
2013	White Bird in a Blizzard	Unknown
2013	Gravy	Winketta
2014	Life Partners	Jen	Filming

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2010	Saturday Night Live	Host	Episode: "Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT"
2010"2013	The Big C	Andrea Jackson	30 episodes
2011	Glenn Martin DDS	Keisha	Episode: "Date with Destiny"
2011	American Dad!	Party Girl	Episode: "Hot Water"
2012	American Dad!	Herself	Episode: "Stanny Tendergrass"
2013	American Horror Story: Coven	Queenie

Music videos

• Foster the People: "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" (2011)

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
2009	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2009	Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	Most Promising Newcomer	Precious
2009	Chicago International Film Festival	Best Breakthrough Performance	Precious
2009	Florida Film Critics Circle Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2009	Hollywood Film Festival	New Hollywood	Precious
2009	National Board of Review	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Academy Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	BAFTA Awards	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Precious
2010	Black Reel Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Black Reel Awards	Best Breakthrough Performance	Precious
2010	Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Cast	Precious
2010	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Cast	Precious
2010	Chlotrudis Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actress " Motion Picture Drama	Precious
2010	Independent Spirit Awards	Best Female Lead	Precious
2010	Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	MTV Movie Awards	Best Breakout Star	Precious
2010	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture	Precious
2010	Online Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress	Precious
2010	Satellite Awards	Outstanding New Talent	Precious
2010	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture	Precious
2010	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Precious
2012	Boston Society of Film Critics Awards	Best Cast	Seven Psychopaths
2012	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	The Big C
2013	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	The Big C

See also

• List of black Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees