Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an
American actress and
singer, having appeared in films such as
Men in Black II,
Clerks II,
The Rundown,
Sin City,
Rent,
Death Proof,
Eagle Eye and
Seven Pounds.
Early life
Dawson was born in
New York City, the daughter of Isabel,
a plumber of
Puerto Rican,
Cuban and
Dominican descent, and Greg Dawson, a construction worker of
Native American and
Irish descent.
[Between The Rock and a hard place] Isabel was 17 when Rosario was born, and 18 when she married. When Isabel was 21, she broke into an abandoned building on the
Lower East Side of
Manhattan where she and her husband installed plumbing and electrical wiring, in order to turn the building into a
squat in which Rosario would grow up. Dawson cites this when explaining how she learned "if you wanted something better, you had to do it yourself."
[Rosario Dawson. "Using Fame and Fortune to Help Others" Newsweek; October 13, 2008; Page 58.] Her parents are now
divorced.
Career
As a child, Rosario made a brief appearance on
Sesame Street. She was subsequently "discovered" on her front porch step by photographer
Larry Clark and
Harmony Korine, where Harmony lauded her with praise as being perfect for a part he had written in his screenplay that would become the controversial 1995 film
Kids. She went on to star in varied roles; ranging from
independent films, to big budget
blockbusters including
Rent,
He Got Game and
Men in Black II.
