Madonna An incandescent icon of her era, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City Michigan on August 16, 1958. One of eight children in a large Italian family, she evinced an early affinity for the classic music of nearby Motown and showed a talent for dance, winning a scholarship to the University of Michigan following graduation from high school as an honor student. In 1977, with $35 in her purse, she arrived in New York to pursue a career in dance, eventually working for Martha Graham and the Alvin Alley Dance Troupe. Pursuing her interest in music she briefly joined the group The Breakfast Club before being signed to Sire Records in 1982 and beginning a recording career that stands as one of the most successful and influential in modern times. With thirteen releases over the next fifteen years, Madonna has, to date, sold over one hundred million albums worldwide. Her run of over twenty-five Top Ten singles, including such epochdefining hits as "Like A Virgin, " "Material Girl, " "Like A Prayer, ' "Express Yourself, " "Vogue," "Ray of Light" and so many others, puts her in the chart-topping territory of such giants as the Beatles, Elvis and Sinatra. As a pioneering video conceptualist, it can fairly be said that Madonna has clone more than any other artist to define the art form as we know it today. Madonna has also expanded the boundaries of cinematic expression with a film career that ranges from the hits "Desperately Seeking Susan " , "Dick Tracy " and "A League Of Their Own " to such provocative independent features as "Body of Evidence ", "Snake Eyes " and the acclaimed documentary "Truth Or Dare". Her starring role in 1996's "Evita " established her as a screen presence of mesmerizing power. In her first role since the hit movie, Madonna is scheduled to begin filming "The Next Best Thing" with Rupert Everett this year. Madonna had matched her artistic accomplishments with extraordinary achievements as an entertainment entrepreneur. Her multi-media Maverick Entertainment firm has become one of the most successful start-up companies of our time and her hands-on involvement in every aspect of Mavericks s creative operation has ensured the company's continued cutting edge reputation. Madonna is also prominent in a variety of charitable and philanthropic AIDS-related causes. Madonna's critical and commercial popularity have continued unabated into the second decade of her career. Most recently she was honored with six 1999 Grammy nominations for her latest album, the multi platinum "Ray of Light" and is scheduled to embark on a eagerly awaited world concert tour later this year.