By Sue Mayfield-Geiger
They were all raised right here in H-town and they’ve all made it
to the top. Meet the stars who spent their formative years growing up
in the Houston area. Who knows, you may have rubbed elbows with
them way back when, walked by them on the street or even lived next
door to their families. Today, they are household names, and chances
are, you’ve seen more than one of their movies, heard their music or
seen them on Broadway. So, grab the popcorn, turn on the DVD or
better yet, enjoy a night out at the big screen. Have fun at the movies
this summer and meet some stars below who are from your very own
neck of the woods.
BEYONCÉ KNOWLES
Born September 4, 1981 in Houston, Beyoncé’s first name is a
variation of her mother’s maiden name, Beyincé. She started taking
dance lessons at age seven and grew up singing in the church choir.
She would eventually form a quartet and sing in her mother’s hair
salon. The group entered the popular television show Star Search,
but lost. Beyoncé’s father, Mathew, quit his job and began managing
her career. It paid off. The group, Destiny’s Child, shot to stardom
in 1998 with the Billboard Top Ten hit, No, No, No, Part 2. The four
eventually narrowed down to a trio, and Beyoncé went solo. In 2003,
her first solo album Dangerously in Love debuted and sold 317,000
copies the first week. To date, the album has sold over eight million
copies worldwide. In 2004, Beyoncé won five Grammy Awards; she
won another in 2006 and 2007. Her second studio album B’Day came
out in Sept. of last year, selling more than 541,000 copies in the U.S.
the first week.
In 2002, Beyoncé stepped into the acting arena co-starring in
Austin Powers in Goldmember. Next came performances in The Fighting
Temptations with Cuba Gooding, Jr. and The Pink Panther with Steve
Martin. Her most recent film, Dreamgirls, merited two Golden Globe
and eight Academy Award nominations.
Beyoncé is one of many Houston actors who attended the High
School for Performing and Visual Arts in Houston. However, Beyoncé
graduated from Alief Elsik High School. She is romantically linked to
rapper Jay-Z, and at the ripe age of 25, life probably could not get any
sweeter. Trivia: Her favorite Diana Ross song is Love Hangover and
favorite Supremes song is Love Child.
(Note: You can catch Beyoncé's performance at the Toyota Center
in Houston on July 14. See Hourglass on p. 40 for details.)
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