Madonna (Louise Veronica Ciccone) was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan to Madonna Fortin and Sylvio Ciccone. She was the oldest female, and one of eight children (Martin, Anthony, Christopher, Paula, Melanie, Mario and Jennifer). Her mother passed away when she was five years old and she was raised mostly by her father. She was raised in a strict Christian household and attended church daily.


At an early age she began to sing and dance and took ballet lessons. Her family eventually moved to Rochester, Michigan where she was a cheerleader at the Rochester Adams High School. After graduating in 1976, she decided to go into a career in dance. She wanted to attend the dance school at the University of Michigan, and won a dance scholarship to the school. College really was not her thing and left after three semesters.


In 1977 she moved to New York to pursue a career in classical ballet. She eventually became part of the prestigious Alvin Ailey Dance Troop. She also did some modeling on the side to make money.


She continued to sing as well while in New York. She performed with several bands around the city and Europe, including the Patrick-Hernandez Revue, Emmy and The Breakfast Club [Note: she originally played drums for the band].


In 1982 she signed a record contract with Sire Records. Her first album released, Everybody was an instant hit at the dance clubs. A year later, she released her self-titled debut album Madonna. Her song “Holiday” broke the top fourty in Billboard and a few months later (in 1984) broke the top-ten list with “Borderline” (the first of 17 consecutive top-ten singles).


Not only did she make a big splash on the music scene, but also starred in a movie the following year as the character Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan. 1985 became a big year for her in music again with the release of her second album Like a Virgin. The album was a huge international success and gave her top ten hits, including the number one singles “Like a Virgin” and “Crazy for You.”


Her success in 1985 was dragged down slightly when a low budget very soft-porn movie named A Certain Sacrifice she appeared in 1979 was released followed by nude photos in Penthouse and Playboy from when she modeled after arriving in New York


She also found love in 1985 and married actor Sean Penn in August. The marriage lasted longer than most expected and they were divorced in September 1989.


True Blue, her third album released in 1986 was another success and reached number one on Billboard’s album chart in both the U.S. and the U.K. with three more number one hits (“Live to Tell,” “Papa Don’t Preach,” and “Open Your Heart”). On the other hand, her movie career was taking a down-turn. In Shaingai Surprise, she co-starred with her husband Sean, but it turned out to be a flop.


In 1987, her music career was still going strong, but in her third attempt at starring in a film was a dismal failure in Who’s That Girl? Since her acting career on the big screen was floundering, she brought her talents in 1988 to the lights of Broadway and appeared in Speed the Plow (by David Mamet).


In 1989, she released Like a Prayer, another number one album. The title track, “ Like a Prayer” went straight up to number one followed by “Vogue. She also took to the road and performed around the world to sold-out performances during her Blonde Ambition Tour. A Video of the Tour was released a year later, which won Madonna her first Grammy Award (for Best Music Video, Long Form).


She hit success again in the movies in 1990 as a support actress in the movie Dick Tracey, which did exceptionally well at the box office. She also released a greatest hits album (The Immaculate Collection), which sold very well. She included two new singles, “Justify My Love,” which was another number one hit and “Rescue Me” a top-ten hit which debuted at number 15.


Another number one hit, “This Used to Be My Playground” was released in 1992 as part of the soundtrack to A League of Their Own, a movie in which she appeared as a female baseball player. Later that year she released a hit album Erotica, and a controversial photo book of that same title in which she and other models and celebrities posed in erotic positions, sometimes fully nude. It was panned by critics calling it pornographic – but still sold fairly well. In 1992, she also formed her own record company, Maverick.


In 1993 she appeared in a few more movies such as Body of Evidence and Dangerous game without much critical acclaim. However, that same year, she released another album, Bedtime Stories which although not as successful as her previous undertakings, still went platinum and included another number one hit (“Take a Bow”).


In 1995 she began on a movie project unlike any others in the past, portraying Evita Perone in the movie Evita. Her role did bring her some critical acclaim and was awarded a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical. The soundtrack for the album included songs that were not her usual “pop-rock” style, but more ballard like and was only moderately successful including the hit “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina.” She also had her first child in 1996, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, with her fitness trainer Carlos Leon.


Madonna released her next album, Ray of Light in 1998. The Album was another hit. She won three Grammy Awards for this effort including: Best Dance Recording, Best Pop Album and Best Short Form Music Video.


Madonna won her fifth Grammy Award for Best Song Written For a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (shared with William Orbit) for the song “Beautiful Stranger” from the soundtrack to the motion picture, Beautiful Stranger.


In 2000, she also had her second child, Rocco Ritchie, with film maker Guy Richie. Later that year, her and Guy Richie were married in a ceremony in Scotland.


Madonna has also become an author and has been writing books for children since 2003.


American Life was released in 2003 and was another success for this pop diva. In 2003 she was awarded the International Artist of the Year Award by the AMA. She followed this in 2004 with the spectacular sold-out Reinvention Tour.


This busy pop diva, actress, dancer, author and mommy is still on the move. She just released her new album and will appear in yet another movie in 2006.


Madonna was hurt while horseback riding in early August 2005. She received a few broken bones (ribs and collar bone).


She released the album Confessions on a Dance Floor in November 2005, which takes listeners back to her origins with rythmatic dance tunes.


While in Africa, in October 2006, it was rumored that Madonna and husband Guy Richie were looking to adopt a child. According to a judge, priest, government worker and the child's father, she is. However, at this time she still denies the report.