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Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970),
better known by her
stage name Queen Latifah, is an American
rapper,
actress, and
singer. Queen Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a
Golden Globe award, two
Screen Actors Guild Awards, two
Image Awards, a
Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an
Emmy Award nomination and an
Academy Award nomination.
Early life
Latifah was born and raised in
Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of Rita, a schoolteacher who worked at
Irvington High School, and Lancelot Owens, a policeman.
[Queen Latifah Biography (1970-)][Stated in interview on Inside the Actors Studio, 2006] Her parents divorced when Latifah was ten.
Latifah performed the number "Home" from the musical
The Wiz in a high school play.
[Queen Latifah | Music Artist | Videos, News, Photos & Ringtones | MTV] Her stage name,
Latifah (لطيفة), meaning "delicate" and "gentle" in
Arabic, was given to her by her cousin when she was eight.
Latifah was raised in the
Baptist church.
[Queen Latifah Discusses God, Jesus, Rap, and Her New Movie, 'Last Holiday,' in this Beliefnet Interview - Beliefnet.com] Always a large girl, the currently 5'10" tall Latifah was a
power forward on her high school
basketball team.
[People.com bio]['Queen' Of Many Hats, Queen Latifah Makes Jump From Hip Hop Artist To Actress - CBS News]