Jennifer Lopez: 1970—: Actor, Singer, Dancer

The word "callipygian" came into common usage as journalists struggled to describe Lopez's curvaceous backside—the word is used to describe one as having shapely buttocks. Though she laughs at rumors that she has her body insured for one-billion dollars, Lopez is as heralded for her physical beauty as she is for her talents as singer, dancer, or actor. Once called "La Guitarra," for her guitar-shaped body, Lopez is the only woman in the world to have twice been voted number one in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women" list. She is a regular on People magazine's annual "50 Most Beautiful People In The World" list, and was voted to have the best female body in the British Celebrity Bodies magazine. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, jaws dropped when she showed up wearing a risqué, barely-there dress that "showed as much as a dress could possibly show without actually showing anything," according to Vanity Fair. Fans missed out on seeing Lopez's heavenly body in Antz, the 1998 animated film that featured only the actress's voice.

Once she had conquered Hollywood, Lopez—known as "J.Lo" and "La Lopez"—made moves to fulfill her lifelong dream of singing. Many an actor has suffered the indignity of trying to rebuild a film career after a failed turn in the music industry. Such was not the case with Lopez. She spent a full year in the studio, working diligently on her debut album, On the 6, named for the train she used to take from her Bronx home to Manhattan. Built on Latin soul, pop, R&B, pop, and dance influences, the album sold over eight million copies and launched the popular single "If You Had My Love."

At the start of her career, Lopez had a rocky relationship with the media. She was reputed to be a difficult interview. One Hollywood public-relations firm declined to represent her, so bad was her reputation. She often was irritated or angry in interviews, and used them as an opportunity to lambaste everyone from actress Gwyneth Paltrow to former co-star Wesley Snipes. Over time, she softened that image, and learned to discuss only what she felt comfortable talking about—which did not include her love life, the subject of much tabloid and media attention. "In this business," she told Anthony Bozza in Rolling Stone, "Your soul is so public and open and out there for everybody. There is no privacy. At the end of the day, you really have to fight to keep certain things sacred so that they survive."