A breakout star who defies the impossibly slim standard set by other young Hollywood actresses of her generation, Gabourey Sidibe was born May 6, 1983, in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood to an American R & B singer mother and a Senegalese father.

In her debut film -- Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire -- Sidibe's role was anything but glamorous. Nevertheless, her emotionally arresting portrayal of a teenage mother caught in a crippling cycle of violence and abuse caused a stir among critics and audiences. The movie won widespread acclaim, including the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, and Sidibe scored Golden Globe, Oscar and BAFTA nominations for her performance.

Sidibe added a second film to her acting résumé in 2010 with the indie drama Yelling to the Sky, in which director Victoria Mahoney cast her as a school bully.