Gabourey Sidibe Biography

Quick Facts

NAME: Gabourey Sidibe
OCCUPATION: Film Actress
BIRTH DATE: May 06, 1983 (Age: 30)
PLACE OF BIRTH: Brooklyn, New York
ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus

Best Known For

Actress Gabourey Sidibe won an Oscar nomination for her moving portrayal of an abused, 350-pound teenager in the 2009 film Precious.

Quiz

Think you know about Biography?

Answer questions and see how you rank against other players.

Play Now

Print Cite This

Gabourey Sidibe

APA Style

Gabourey Sidibe. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:43, May 25, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222.

Harvard Style

Gabourey Sidibe. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222 [Accessed 25 May 2013].

MLA Style

"Gabourey Sidibe." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 25 2013, 08:43 http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222.

MHRA Style

"Gabourey Sidibe," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222 [accessed May 25, 2013].

Chicago Style

"Gabourey Sidibe," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222 (accessed May 25, 2013).

CBE/CSE Style

Gabourey Sidibe [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 25] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222.

Bluebook Style

Gabourey Sidibe, http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222 (last visited May 25, 2013).

AMA Style

Gabourey Sidibe. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/gabourey-sidibe-538222. Accessed May 25, 2013.

Synopsis

Gabourey Sidibe was born on May 6, 1983, in Brooklyn. Her father drove a cab and her mother taught special education. After her parents divorced, Sidibe lived with her mother. She pursued acting in New York while attending community college and working odd jobs. In 2007, she landed the lead in the film Precious. Her portrayal of an abused, 350-pound teenager earned her an Oscar nomination.

Younger Years

Actress Gabourey Sidibe was born on May 6, 1983, in Brooklyn, New York to special education teacher Alice Tan Ridley and Senegalese cab driver Ibnou Sidibe. Sidibe's parents split when she was young, and she moved in with her mother, who gained local fame for singing in the subways. Sidibe, inspired by her mother's passion for music, spent her teen years singing songs to fellow students at recess for pocket change.

'Precious'

Sidibe maintained her love of performance throughout her adolescence and appeared in bit parts in local theater. But Gabourey's big break came in 2007, when she landed an audition for the movie Precious, directed by Lee Daniels. The film, about a 16-year-old, 350-pound girl who is abused by her parents, featured seasoned stars Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz in supporting roles. Sidibe, a relative unknown, was bouncing between several New York community colleges and working odd jobs when she found out that she had landed the part.

The film, which was revealed at Sundance, turned Sidibe into an overnight sensation. Since its release, she has been nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actress. She also finished work on another film project, Yelling to the Sky, which co-stars Zoe Kravitz.

Gabourey currently resides in New York City.