Rosario Dawson

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Not to be confused with Roxann Dawson.
Rosario Dawson

Dawson in 2009
Born May 9, 1979 (1979-05-09) (age 30)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actress/Singer
Years active 1995 – present
Official website

Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles in the films Men in Black II, Clerks II, The Rundown, Sin City, Rent, Death Proof, Eagle Eye and Seven Pounds.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Dawson was born in New York City, the daughter of Isabel,[1] a plumber of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent, and Greg Dawson, a construction worker of Native American and Irish descent.[2][3][4] Isabel was 17 when she had Rosario, 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." She grew up surrounded by friends and family members who were HIV-positive.[5][6] Her parents are now divorced.[6]

[edit] Career

 This section is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (May 2009)

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. Since then Dawson's films have varied; ranging from independent films, to highly successful big budget blockbusters, and large scale box office bombs. Among her successes are Rent, He Got Game and Men in Black II. Among her failures are The Adventures of Pluto Nash (which was nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards[7]) and the live-action film adaptation of Josie and the Pussycats.[8]

In 1999, Dawson teamed up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999".[9] The new remixed version featured the actress in an introductory voice over, offering commentary on the state of the world in the year before the new millennium.[10] The same year she appeared in The Chemical Brothers' video for the song "Out of Control" from the album Surrender.[11] She is also featured on the track "She Lives In My Lap" from the second disc of the OutKast album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, during which she speaks the intro and a brief interlude towards the end.

Dawson starred as "Naturelle," the love interest of a convicted drug dealer played by Edward Norton, in the 2002 Spike Lee film drama, 25th Hour.

In 2004, Dawson appeared in Oliver Stone's Alexander as the bride of Alexander the Great, which also featured her in a fully nude/sex scene. In August-September 2005, Dawson appeared on stage as Julia in the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" revival of Two Gentlemen of Verona.[12]

She starred in the film adaptation of the popular musical Rent, where she played the exotic dancer Mimi Marquez, replacing the original Mimi, Daphne Rubin-Vega, who was pregnant and unable to play the part. She also appeared in the adaptation of the graphic novel Sin City, where she played a prostitute-dominatrix.

In 2005, Dawson appeared in a graphically violent scene in the Rob Zombie film The Devil's Rejects. Though the scene was cut from the final film, it is available in the deleted scenes on the DVD release. In 2006's Clerks II, Dawson starred as Becky, the crush-turned-wife of Dante Hicks. As she mentioned in the making of documentary, Back to the Well, the donkey show sequence was what made her decide to appear in the movie. In May of the same year, Dawson, an avid comic book fan, co-created the comic book miniseries Occult Crimes Taskforce.[13] She was at the 2007 Comic-Con to promote her new comic book miniseries.

In 2007, Dawson co-starred with former Rent alum Tracie Thoms in the Quentin Tarantino throwback movie Death Proof, part of the Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double feature Grind House.

In 2007, Dawson teamed up with friend Talia Lugacy, whom she met at the Lee Strasberg Academy, to produce and star in Descent.[14] On July 7, 2007, Dawson presented at the American leg of Live Earth.

On June 26, 2008, it was announced that Dawson will play Artemis in the upcoming animated Wonder Woman film.[15]

Starting on August 18, 2008, Dawson starred in Gemini Division, an online-based TV series.

In September of 2008, Dawson voiced the character Officer Delondre Baines in the computer animated series Afterworld.[16]

In 2008, Dawson starred with Will Smith in Seven Pounds.

Later that year on September 26, Dawson starred in Eagle Eye.

On January 17, 2009, Dawson hosted Saturday Night Live.

Dawson had also recorded a duet for the Kasabian album West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum. The track featuring Dawson is named "West Ryder Silver Bullet"

[edit] Personal life

Dawson dated former Sex and the City star Jason Lewis for two years. They lived together in Los Angeles until they separated in November 2006.[17] She has also been rumored to have dated Dawson's Creek star Joshua Jackson.[18] In December 2008, Dawson confirmed on the Tonight Show that she had been dating an international DJ that she met at a French cafe.

Dawson is involved with the Lower East Side Girls Club[19][20] and supports other charities such as environmental group Global Cool, the ONE Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Stay Close.org (a poster and public service ad campaign for PFLAG where she is featured with her uncle Frank Jump),[21] International Rescue Committee, Voto Latino,[22][22][23] and she participated in the Vagina Monologues. She attended both the Democratic National Convention as well as the Republican National Convention in 2008. In October 2008, Dawson became a spokesperson for TripAdvisor.com’s philanthropy program, More Than Footprints,[24][25] involving Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy, and Save The Children. Also in October 2008, she lent her voice to the RESPECT! Campaign,[26] a movement aimed at preventing domestic violence. She recorded a voice message for the Giverespect.org Web site stressing the importance of respect in helping stop domestic violence.

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1995 Kids Ruby
1998 He Got Game Lala Bonilla
Side Streets Marisol Hidalgo
1999 Light It Up Stephanie Williams
2000 Down to You Lana
King of the Jungle Veronica
2001 Josie and the Pussycats Valerie Brown
Sidewalks of New York Maria Tedesko
Chelsea Walls Audrey
2002 Ash Wednesday Grace Quinonez
Men in Black II Laura Vasquez
The Adventures of Pluto Nash Dina Lake
25th Hour Naturelle Riviera
The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest Alisa
Love in the Time of Money Anna
2003 V-Day: Until the Violence Stops Herself Documentary
This Girl's Life Martine
Shattered Glass Andy Fox
The Rundown Mariana
2004 Alexander Roxana
This Revolution Tina Santiago
2005 Sin City Gail
Rent Mimi Marquez
2006 Clerks II Rebecca "Becky" Scott
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints Laurie
2007 Grindhouse: Death Proof Abernathy Ross
Descent Maya
2008 Explicit Ills Babo's Mom
Eagle Eye Zoe Perez
Seven Pounds Emily Posa
2009 Killshot Donna
Wonder Woman Artemis Voice
The Haunted World of El Superbeasto Velvet Von Black Voice
Un-broke: What You Need To Know About Money Herself Television special
2010 Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Persephone

[edit] Awards and nominations

  • 2006, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Rent) Nominated
  • 2004, Rising Star Award Won
  • 2006, Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Rent) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Actress (Rent) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Ensemble (Rent) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Supporting Actress (Sin City) Nominated
  • 2003, Best Supporting Actress (25th Hour) Nominated
  • 2000, Best Actress (Light It Up) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Song (Rent) "Seasons of Love" Nominated
  • 2009, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Seven Pounds) Won
  • 2006, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Rent) Nominated
  • 2000, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture (Light It Up) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Kiss (Sin City) Nominated
  • 2006, Best Supporting Actress Comedy or Musical (Rent) Won

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Rent Party". http://www.newyorkcool.com/archives/2005/November/about_5.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-10. 
  2. ^ "Spotlight on Rosario Dawson". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1213683,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-04-10. 
  3. ^ Between The Rock and a hard place
  4. ^ Hensley, Dennis. "Rosario Dawson: Actress Profile". Movies.go.com. http://movies.go.com/rosario-dawson/b830777. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  5. ^ Rosario Dawson. "Using Fame and Fortune to Help Others" Newsweek; October 13, 2008; Page 58.
  6. ^ a b Hensley, Dennis. "Rosario Dawson: From Tenement to Tinseltown". Marie Claire. http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire/print/0,,679254,00.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  7. ^ "Adventures of Pluto Nash awards page". Internet Movie Database. http://imdb.com/title/tt0180052/awards. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  8. ^ "Mutant Reviewers from Hell Josie & the Pussycats review". http://www.mutantreviewers.com/rjosie.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  9. ^ "1999: The New Master EP". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/1999-New-Master-Prince-Revolution/dp/B00000I3XH. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. "2. Rosario 1999" 
  10. ^ "Prince & The Revolution - The New Master Lyrics". http://www.dtt-lyrics.com/albums/newmaster.html#rosario. Retrieved on 2007-03-30. 
  11. ^ "SlickMedia.com - August 1999". http://www.slickmedia.com/super/bn990830.htm. Retrieved on 2007-04-05. "Starring Rosario Dawson of "Kids" and "He Got Game" as a cola-brandishing rebel, the new video is said to deal with a revolution in a fictional Latin American banana republic." 
  12. ^ Brantley, Ben. "Shakespeare in the Park Review; Enter 'Two Gentlemen' For a Sexy Sip of Sangría", The New York Times, August 29, 2005
  13. ^ "SPEAKEASY TEAMS UP WITH ACTRESS ROSARIO DAWSON FOR NEW COMIC". http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=6422. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  14. ^ Rosario Dawson & Talia Lugacy on Descent
  15. ^ Comics Continuum cast list
  16. ^ "Welcome to GD Files". Gemini Division Files.com. 2008-03-18. http://www.geminidivisionfiles.com/?tag=afterworld. Retrieved on 2009-03-25. 
  17. ^ "Rosario Dawson and Jason Lewis Split". Us Weekly. http://www.usmagazine.com/rosario_dawson_and_jason_lewis_split. Retrieved on 2007-03-20. 
  18. ^ Rosario Dawson Biography - Yahoo! Movies
  19. ^ http://www.girlsclub.org/special/index.html
  20. ^ Rosario Dawson on Jimmy Kimmel Live 4-9-07 part1
  21. ^ Stay Close :: Pflag
  22. ^ a b Rosario Dawson's Charity Work
  23. ^ Vidéos MySpaceTV : Rosario Dawson par Global Cool
  24. ^ http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/081031/0448209.html
  25. ^ http://www.rosario-dawson.net/
  26. ^ http://rosario-dawson.net/2008/10/24/rosario-dawson-joins-the-respect-campaign/

[edit] External links

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