| Beyonce Knowles Early Life
Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, to Matthew and Tina. Beyonce went to school at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she took
dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes. Beyonce began performing in talent shows where she received standing ovations. At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia while in an audition for a girl group. They, along with Knowles' friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing. Originally the girl's group was named Girl's Tyme. The group even made it onto Star Search, though they did not win.To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job. He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four, with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Beyonce's mother Tina, made all the costumes for the group.
Destiny's Child
Taking inspiration from a passage in the Book of Isiah, the group changed its name to Destiny's Child in 1993. After 4 years of performing, Destiny's Child was signed to Colombia Records n 1997. That same year, Destiny's Child recorded its major label debut song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film Men in Black. In the following year, the group released their first self titled c.d. Their first single "No, No,No" was a big hit. The song won them three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Single" for "No, No, No", "Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year" and "Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist". However, the group rose to bona fide stardom after releasing their multi-platinum sophomore album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group's most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills Bills", the group's first number-one single, "Jumpin Jumpin", and "Say my Name", which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. 
Along with their commercial successes, the group became entangled in much-publicized turmoil involving the filing of a lawsuit by Luckett and Roberson for breach of contract. The issue was heightened after Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared on the video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced. Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months, as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.
After settling on their final line-up, the group recorded "Independent Woman Part 1" for the Charlie's Angels Soundtrack in 2000. The groups third album "Survivor" channels the hardships they overcame during the much-publicized turmoil over Letoya. The lead single, which shares the same name as the album, was a big hit. After releasing their holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas, the group announced a hiatus to pursue solo projects.
Solo Career
Beyonce Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love in June 2003. The album debuted on the Billboard200 at number one, selling 317,000 copies in its first week. The album yielded two number one singles. "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". Knowles won five awards at the 2004 Grammy Awards for her solo effort, which included the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Dangerously in Love 2" Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love", and the Best Contemporary R&B Album.
Beyonce's Second Album "B-Day" was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 and on September 5, 2006 in the United States to coincide with the celebration of her twenty-fifth birthday. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard200, selling more than 541,000 copies in the first week, her highest first-week sales mark as a solo artist. The album spawned the UK number-one single "Deja Vu", the album's lead single, featuring Jay-Z." "Irreplaceable" was released in October 2006 as the album's second single worldwide and third single in the U.S. "Irreplaceable" topped the Billboard Hot100 for 10 consecutive weeks, giving Knowles her longest-running single to date. B'Day won the award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards.
Beyonce Knowles released her third studio album, I am Sasha Fierce, on November 18, 2008. Knowles says that the name Sasha Fierce is the name of the persona she adopts when she performs onstage. "If I were a Boy" and "Single Ladies", the first and second singles off I Am… Sasha Fierce.
Film
Beyonce's first major film role was Foxxy Cleopatra in "Austin Powers in Goldmember". Knowles co-starred in the film "The Pink Panther", playing the role of Xania, an international pop star, opposite Steve Martin. The film was released on February 10, 2006, and debuted at number one at the box office, doing $21.7 million in ticket sales in its first week. In late 2005, Knowles again put her second album on hold after she landed a role in Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on The Supremes. In the film, she portrays the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones. Knowles told Billboard magazine: "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie. Released in December 2006, Dreamgirls stars Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson. Knowles recorded several songs for the film's soundtrack, including the original song "Listen".[ On December 14, 2006, Knowles was nominated for two Golden Globes for the film: Best Actress-Musical or comedy and Best Original Song for "Listen". Next up she played legendary singer Etta James in the biopic "Cadillac Records". Knowles will also star opposite Ali Larter in a thriller film called Obessed, which has been in production since May 2008. This film is due in the United States in April 2009, with an international release slated in March 2009.
House of Dereon and Personal Life
Knowles and her mother introduced House of Dereon, a ready to wear contemporary women's fashion line, in 2005. The store, which is available across the United States and Canada, sells sportswear, denim along with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear. Since 2002, Knowles has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times.On April 4, 2008, Knowles and Jay-Z were married in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008. Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City. The two are a very private couple, and do not reveal much about their relatonship.
| VITAL STATS | Beyonce Knowles Information: Starred in Fade to black and dreamgirls.
| | Eye color: Brown | | Height: 5'6" | | Nickname(s): B, Sasha Fierce | | Notable feature(s): Curvy figure | | Education: High School for the Visual and Performing Arts in Houston, Texas | | Family: Jay-Z (Husband), Matthew Knowles (Father), Tina Knowles (Mother), Solange Knowles (Sister) | | Resides in: New York, Los Angeles. | | Religious affiliations:Christian | | Political affiliation: Apolitical | | Personal interests/hobbies: Acting, Dancing, Producing Music, Reading, Singing, Traveling and Working Out. | | Charities/Causes: Survivor Foundation & Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth (both setup to help Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Houston, TX) | | Other: Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women's fashion line, in 2005. The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles' grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as seamstress. | | |