Janet Jackson Biography

Janet Jackson, Singer/Actress

Birthdate: May 16, 1966

Birthplace: Gary, Indiana

Sign: Taurus

Janet Damita Jo Jackson was born on May 16, 1966 in Gary, Indiana to Katherine Esther and Joseph Walter Jackson. She is the youngest of nine children. Her older brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon, and Michael had formed the successful group Jackson 5 when she was just a toddler. She had her first act in MGM Grand in Las Vegas, alongside all her siblings, in which she became the star of the show when she impersonated Cher, Marie Osmond, Toni Tennille and Mae West.

Jackson got roles in the sitcoms "Good Times, A New Kind of Family" and "Diff'rent Strokes." She also got a part in the drama "Fame." But although she had apprehensions about starting her own music career, it was where she succeeded more. In 1978, she recorded "Love Song For Kids" with brother Randy. Her debut album was entitled "Janet Jackson" and was released in 1982 when she was just 15. Although it reached the top ten on the Billboard R&B albums chart, it sold just over 300,000 copies in the U.S.

Her third album, "Control," had spawned the success her first album failed to deliver. It sold more than five million copies in the U.S. alone. It also received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. In 1987, she hired her father as her manager.

In September 1993, Jackson had sparked controversy when she appeared topless on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine with another person's hands covering her breasts from behind. It had been dubbed by the magazine as their "Most Popular Cover Ever." She had claimed it was her then boyfriend Rene Elizondo's hands.

She had collaborated with brother Michael on "Scream" from his album "History." It debuted at #5 on Billboard and became the first song ever to debut in the top 5. At that time, the cost of the music video amounted to $7,000,000, the most expensive at that time.

In 1993, she made her silver screen debut in "Poetic Justice." This has been followed in 2000 when she returned to the big screen with "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps." Jackson's recent film "Why Did I Get Married?" became her third consecutive film to debut at number one at the box office.

In 2004, Jackson became the subject of ire when she performed with Justin Timberlake live on the Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1. Timberlake had open Jackson's top exposing her right breast, which was covered with just a nipple shield. They claimed it was just a wardrobe malfunction and Jackson apologized.

Jackson first married to James DeBarge in 1984 when she was 18. They were granted an annulment in 1985. Debarge's youngest brother Darrell had claimed that the couple had a child, who is named Renee and already 20 but Jackson denied this claim.

Her second marriage was with Rene Elizondo, Jr. The couple married in 1991 and divorced in 1999. Jackson is now romantically involved with rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri since 2001.

Her music career had earned her the title of the second most successful female artist in pop music history and the ninth most successful act in rock and roll history by Billboard magazine. She is also the world's most searched-for person in Internet History by Guinness World Records.