Marc Anthony Biography

Marco Antonio Muñiz (born September 16, 1968), known professionally as Marc Anthony, is an American actor, record producer, singer-songwriter, and television producer. Anthony is also the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy winner has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads. Anthony has won numerous awards, and his achievements have been honored through various recognitions. He was the recipient of the 2009 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Chair's Award. He also received the "2009 CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award" on September 16, 2009.

Early life

Marco Antonio Muñiz, known professionally by his stage name Marc Anthony, was born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents Guillermina, a housewife, and Felipe Muñiz, a musician and hospital lunchroom worker. Anthony is of Puerto Rican descent, and his parents named him after Mexican singer Marco Antonio Muñiz. Anthony grew up in East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem and El Barrio, and is the youngest of eight surviving children. He was raised in the same housing development with childhood friend, platinum producer and song writer Frankie Cutlass He was raised Roman Catholic.

Singing career

Muñiz began his career as a session vocalist for freestyle and Underground New York house music acts. After changing his name to avoid confusion with his namesake, Anthony worked as a songwriter and backing vocalist for pop acts including Menudo and the Latin Rascals. His first album was a freestyle music record, "Rebel", in 1988 on Bluedog Records. That same year he wrote and produced "Boy I've Been Told" for fellow freestyle artist Sa-Fire. Then in 1989, he sang backup vocals for Ann-Marie on the freestyle club hit, "With or Without You" produced by Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry. A year later, 1990, with Little Louie Vega and Todd Terry, Marc wrote and whispered a duet with Chrissy I-eece, called "You Should Know By Now". In 1992, still working with Todd Terry, he provided vocals for "Love Change" which is on the flip-side of a 12" vinyl released by Elan and The Powermachine titled "Here's Your Hat", production of Todd Terry. At the same time, he collaborated with music producer Little Louie Vega, who featured the singer on many another freestyle-flavored club hits "Ride On The Rhythm" and the "When The Night Is Over" album, which featured the Freestyle classic "Time". In 1992, Vega and Anthony opened for Latin bandleader Tito Puente at New York's Madison Square Garden. After 1992, he changed his style from freestyle to salsa and other Latin styles.

RMM records

Otra Nota (1993) Anthony was initially reluctant to become a salsa musician and declined an offer to make a salsa album when Ralph Mercado, president of RMM Records, asked him. Anthony was in a taxi when he heard Juan Gabriel's hit song, "Hasta Que Te Conocí" which influenced him to change his mind and ask Mercado if he could record it as a salsa tune. Inspired by the music of Tito Puente, Hector Lavoe, Rubén Blades and Juan Gabriel, Anthony released his Spanish-language debut, Otra nota, in 1993. Anthony performed at the Radio y Musica Convention hosted by Alfredo Alonso. "Si Tu No Te Fueras", "El Ultimo Beso", "Palabras Del Alma", The album also included a cover of Bread's song, "Make It with You". Subsequent tours throughout the Americas, including an opening slot for Blades, established Anthony as one of the new stars in salsa. In 1994, he was featured in La India's album Dicen Que Soy, on the song "Vivir Lo Nuestro".

His 1995 follow-up, Todo a su tiempo, won Anthony a Billboard award for Hot Tropical Artist of the Year. The album was also nominated for a Grammy with songs like "Te Conozco Bien", "Hasta Ayer", "Nadie Como Ella", "Se Me Sigue Olvidando", "Te Amare", and "Llegaste A Mi". The album has sold more than 800,000 copies and has become established gold in the US and in Puerto Rico.

Anthony's next Spanish language album, Contra La Coriente, was followed by the television special Marc Anthony: The Concert from Madison Square Garden, broadcast on HBO on Valentine's Day 2000. The special was nominated for Music Special of the Year from TV Guide. The album's song "Y Hubo Alguien" became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks Chart and the first by a salsa musician. The album became the first salsa album to enter the English language Billboard 200 chart. After an ongoing battle with RMM, he severed ties with Ralph Mercado and left the label in 1999.

Move to Sony

Anthony subsequently recorded the duet "No Me Ames" with Jennifer Lopez on her album On the 6, giving her an assist in her Spanish language crossover attempt.

In 1999, riding the crossover wave of Enrique Iglesias and Ricky Martin in the Anglophone market, Anthony, working with producers Walter Afanasieff, Cory Rooney, Dan Shea, and Rodney Jerkins, released an English-language, self-titled album with the US Top 5 single "I Need to Know", and the Spanish version, "Dímelo". His song "You Sang To Me" was featured in Runaway Bride. A dance version was remixed by Dutch producer Rene Van Verseveld. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard album chart, and six weeks later went platinum; it eventually was certified triple platinum.The song "I Need To Know" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2001, he debuted another salsa album, Libre, which was certified gold with songs like "Celos", "Este Loco Que Te Mira", and "Viviendo". The album spent 14 weeks at the number-one spot on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. The year after that, he made another English-language album, Mended.

In June 2004, Anthony released a Latin pop album, Amar Sin Mentiras. The following month, he reintroduced its songs with a danceable salsa rhythm in another album, Valio La Pena. The song "Escapémonos" was a duet with Jennifer Lopez. In the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, his Amar Sin Mentiras won best Latin Pop Album of The Year, and his Valió La Pena won Best Tropical Album of the Year. Lopez and Anthony performed "Escapémonos" at the 2005 Grammy Awards.

On July 11, 2006, Anthony released Sigo Siendo Yo, a Spanish greatest-hits album. On May 2010 he released Iconos, a tribute to old Latin songs by artists such as José Luis Perales, Juan Gabriel and José José. In 2012 he released a new song called "Cautivo De Este Amor."

On December 2012, it was announced that Anthony was recording a salsa album alongside with longtime producer Sergio George. The title of the upcoming single is Vivir Mi Vida, a Spanish adaptation of Khaled's song "C'est la vie", and was released on April 25, 2013. In July 2013, Anthony released 3.0, a salsa album including his song "Vivir Mi Vida". Since the release, the album has been certified Platinum. In addition to the new album, Anthony announced his Vivir Mi Vida World Tour, and plans to travel across 15 countries on 3 continents.

Acting career

Anthony played supporting roles in projects including 1995's Hackers, and 1996's Big Night and The Substitute. He appeared with Rubén Blades and Puerto Rican pop singer Ednita Nazario in Paul Simon's 1998 stage musical, The Capeman, which ran for 68 performances. He had a role in Martin Scorsese's 1999 drama Bringing Out the Dead, and in 2001, opposite Salma Hayek, was in the film In the Time of the Butterflies. In Man On Fire (2004), Anthony, opposite Denzel Washington, played a wealthy businessman who hires a former U.S. Marine to protect his daughter from kidnappers in Mexico City. In 2007, Anthony starred in El Cantante, a biographical drama about the life of salsa music legend Héctor Lavoe, who died in 1993 from AIDS complications. Anthony's then-wife, Jennifer Lopez, narrated the story and portrayed Lavoe's wife. The film, released in August 2007, received strong reviews. In 2010, Anthony guest-starred in two episodes of the TNT medical drama "HawthoRNe" as a detective and the title character's (Jada Pinkett Smith) love interest. He was later named the executive music producer of the show. Anthony worked with ex-wife Lopez and director-choeographer Jamie King in late 2011 on a Latin talent series created by Simon Fuller, called Q'Viva! The Chosen. It follows Lopez and Anthony as they travel across 21 countries to find new talent.

Personal life

Anthony is a Democrat and performed the National Anthem at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Anthony also sang "God Bless America" at Major League Baseball's All-Star game in New York on July 16, 2013. While Anthony is an American cit­i­zen, born and raised in New York but of Puerto Rican descent, numer­ous offen­sive tweets made the rounds, say­ing "shouldn't an Amer­i­can be singing God Bless Amer­ica?" and imply­ing that Anthony is actu­ally from Mex­ico or Cuba, gen­er­ally assert­ing any­one who is Latino in appear­ance is not inher­ently American. The Anti-Defamation League spoke out against the offensive tweets.

Relationships and family

In 1994, Anthony's ex-girlfriend Debbie Rosado, a NYC police officer, gave birth to their daughter Ariana.

Marc married former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres on May 9, 2000 in Las Vegas. They have two sons, Cristian Anthony Muñiz (February 5, 2001) and Ryan Anthony Muñiz (August 16, 2003). There were many problems in the marriage, and the couple separated in early 2002. They later reconciled and renewed their vows in a formal ceremony on December 7, 2002 at San Juan's Cathedral in Puerto Rico. The rocky marriage came to an end in October 2003 with Dayanara filing for divorce in January 2004. To help in her recovery from the divorce, Dayanara traded her engagement ring for a diamond-encrusted Cartier watch and wrote the book Married to Me: How Committing to Myself Led to Triumph After Divorce.

When his divorce proceedings began, Anthony was spotted with long-time friend Jennifer Lopez. Prior to his first marriage and her second, they had briefly dated. Lopez and Anthony married on June 5, 2004, less than a week after his divorce was finalized. Guests had been invited to an "afternoon party", unaware they were attending a wedding. Lopez gave birth to their children, twins Emme Maribel Muñiz and Maximillian David Muñiz on February 22, 2008. People (magazine) paid $6 million for the first photos of the twins. In 2009, Anthony and Lopez purchased a stake in the Miami Dolphins. They joined several personalities in buying small stakes in the club, including Gloria and Emilio Estefan, Venus and Serena Williams, and Fergie. Anthony and Lopez announced their separation in July 2011, with Anthony filing for divorce on April 9, 2012. Anthony is currently dating Topshop heiress Chloe Green.

Discography

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• 1988: Rebel
• 1991: When the Night is Over
• 1993: Otra Nota
• 1995: Todo a Su Tiempo
• 1997: Contra la Corriente
• 1999: Marc Anthony
• 2001: Libre
• 2002: Mended
• 2004: Amar Sin Mentiras
• 2004: Valió la Pena
• 2007: El Cantante
• 2010: Iconos
• 2013: 3.0

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1988	East Side Story	Flaco	Singer
1993	Carlito's Way	Cameo Appearance	Sings "Parece Mentira"
1994	Natural Causes	Marine Guard
1995	Hackers	Agent Kee
1996	Big Night	Cristiano
1996	The Substitute	Juan Lucas
1999	Bringing Out The Dead	Noel
2001	In the Time of the Butterflies	Lio
2004	Man on Fire	Samuel Ramos
2007	El Cantante	Héctor Lavoe

Television

• 2010"2011: HawthoRNe (TV series) as Officer Nick Renata in "A Mother Knows" (Season 2, Episode 8) and "Picture Perfect" (Main - Season 3)
• 2012: The X Factor, as a guest judge in Season 2, Episode 9

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• List of Number 1 Dance Hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart