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Quick Facts
- NAME: Mo'Nique
- OCCUPATION: Actress
- BIRTH DATE: December 11, 1967 (Age: 45)
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Baltimore, Maryland
- Full Name: Monique Imes
- ZODIAC SIGN: Sagittarius
Best Known For
Mo'Nique is an actress and stand-up comedian who won an Academy Award for her role in Precious.
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Play NowMo'Nique. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:23, May 21, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474.
Mo'Nique. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474 [Accessed 21 May 2013].
"Mo'Nique." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 21 2013, 07:23 http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474.
"Mo'Nique," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474 [accessed May 21, 2013].
"Mo'Nique," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474 (accessed May 21, 2013).
Mo'Nique [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 21] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474.
Mo'Nique, http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474 (last visited May 21, 2013).
Mo'Nique. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/monique-517474. Accessed May 21, 2013.
"He was a monster to me so when [Lee] said 'action' I became a monster," she said on The Ellen Show.
It's a performance, too, that's proven to be cathartic for Mo'Nique, helping her deal with her brother, whom she has not spoken to in years. "It allowed me not to hate him," she said. "It allowed me not to be angry. It allowed me not to be the victim anymore."
It also delivered plenty of Oscar buzz,
from critics and audiences who couldn't get enough of the comedian's transformation and performance, which resulted in the actresses first Academy Award win. And it's put her on a path for other, meatier roles. Already on tap is another Lee Daniels production, a biopic about Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar for her role in Gone with the Wind (1939).
Recent Work
That's not to suggest, however, that Mo'Nique has turned her back on the laughs. BET forked over the most money it ever has to a performer for her to host her own late night talk show, The Mo'Nique Show, which debuted in the fall of 2009. And there's sure to be more stand-up and more comedy for her in the future.
"I'm gonna play this game the way I want to," she has said. "It might be serious, it might be a comedy, it might be a dramedy, it might be variety, it might be a talk show, whatever. There's no box."
But there is a little less of her. After tipping the scales at 262 pounds, Mo'Nique cut out red meat and started working out when her husband, Sidney Hicks, asked her to place more attention on her health. By the time Precious had debuted in November 2009, she'd lost more than 40 pounds.
Mo'Nique and Sydney are the parents of twin boys. The comedian and actress also has a son from a previous marriage.
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Black Comedians
View groupFrom the early comedy of Nipsey Russell, Richard Pryor and Bill Cosby to the contemporary routines of Steve Harvey, Mo'Nique, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes and Dave Chappelle, black comedians have often used their wit to become the voice and face of the African-American experience. These legendary comedians have also set a very high bar—not only for African Americans, but for all comics trying to make it in show business. Learn more about these famous jokesters, from their early days to their comic beginnings, to their side-splitting performances and more.
Black Comedians 33 people in this group
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Female Talk Show Hosts
View groupTaking on topics of politics, entertainment, women's issues and more, female talk show hosts have proven to be every bit as engaging, intelligent, and funny as their male counterparts. Oprah Winfrey's 25-year-reign as the queen of talk is unparalleled, but many other female talk show hosts have come into their own as well, including Tyra Banks, Ellen DeGeneres, Sally Jessy Raphael and Kelly Ripa.
Visit Biography.com's Women's History group to explore more biographies, photos and videos of some the world's most fascinating women.
Female Talk Show Hosts 26 people in this group
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Weight Loss Winners
View groupIt's hard to face weight gain—but it's even harder to face it when the whole world is commenting on your expanding waistline. Here are a group of stars who got in shape despite the scrutiny of the press. Their efforts serve as an inspiration to the millions out there trying to live a healthier lifestyle.
Weight Loss Winners 26 people in this group
