Madonna biography

1 on the U.S. dance charts. Her next single "Crazy for You", which she performed for the 1985 film Vision Quest, also became an instant No. 1 hit. She then started her first music tour, The Virgin Tour and watched 17 consecutive songs climb into the Top 10 on the Billboard Chart.

In the next five years, Madonna's life was a whirlwind of activity. On August 16, 1985,

she married actor Sean Penn and co-starred with him in the film Shanghai Surprise (1986). She then went on to star in three more movies during the 80s: Who's That Girl? (1987), Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) and Dick Tracy (1990). Madonna's soundtrack album I'm Breathless: Music from and Inspired by Dick Tracy resulted in two top-10 hits: "Vogue" and "Hanky Panky." She also produced four more hit albums: True Blue (1986), Who's that Girl? (1987), You Can Dance (1987) and Like a Prayer (1989).

Shock Value

But, as always, Madonna mixed her drive for success with her penchant for scandalous behavior. It started with her controversial 1985 performance of her hit single "Like a Virgin" on the MTV music awards, which involved writhing around suggestively onstage in a wedding dress. Then came her marriage to Sean Penn, which was marred by reports of domestic violence and his assault of a photographer—behavior that landed him a month's jail time, and eventually led to the couple's very public divorce. This was followed by the debut of Madonna's 1989 "Like a Prayer" video, which was to be aired on MTV as part of a lucrative Pepsi endorsement. The video featured interracial relationship themes, burning crosses, and a blending of sexual innuendo and religious ideologies. As a result of the video, Pope John Paul II urged fans not to attend her concerts in Italy, and Pepsi pulled their endorsement of the star.

Despite the public outcry, Madonna had become more popular than ever. By 1991, she had achieved 21 Top 10 hits in the United States and sold more than 70 million albums internationally, generating $1.2 billion in sales. Committed to controlling her career, Madonna helped found Maverick Records, a label under the Warner Music Group, in April of 1992.

She also continued to gain attention by pushing social boundaries. First came the film Truth or Dare (1991), a revealing documentary about her Blonde Ambition tour. This was followed by the publishing of Sex (1992), a soft-core pornographic coffee-table book featuring the pop star in a variety of erotic poses. Despite its controversial nature, Sex sold 150,000 copies on the day of its release in the USA alone. Three days later, all 1.5 million copies of the first edition were sold out worldwide, making it the most successful coffee table book ever released. The album Erotica (1992) was unveiled at the same time, and proved equally successful: by the end of 1993 it had reached double-platinum status.

Personal Life

By 1996, Madonna had proven her versatility as a star in both film and music. She starred in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita (1996). She won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, and the song, "You Must Love Me," earned her an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song.