Rosario Dawson

Rosario Dawson
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)

Rosario Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American singer and actress, best known for her roles in the movies Kids, Sin City, Rent, and 25th Hour.

History

Early life

Dawson was born in New York City to a construction worker father of Native American and Irish descent and a professional vocalist mother of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban ancestry. According to recent interviews, the two are now divorced.

Early career

Her career began unexpectedly when filmmaker Larry Clark saw her on a Manhattan street and asked her to be in a movie he was making. The movie, Kids, became a critical success and Dawson's performance was commended. As a result, Dawson decided to pursue an acting career and attended the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. Dawson has worked steadily since her debut, with a mixed amount of commercial and critical success. As of 2006, she has worked with directors such as Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Chris Columbus and Spike Lee, and costarred with the likes of Will Smith, Edward Norton, Taye Diggs, Colin Farrell, Clive Owen, Richard Blake and Lauren Hopkins.

Dawson's film career has been varied, ranging from independent films to massive big-budget flops to highly successful blockbusters, among them the Spike Lee-directed He Got Game, opposite Denzel Washington and professional basketball player Ray Allen, to the second Men in Black film, opposite Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. In 2003, Dawson had a starring role, along with The Rock, in Peter Berg's "The Rundown". She has had leading roles in two flops: Josie and the Pussycats and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. The Adventures of Pluto Nash was nominated for six Razzie Awards.

Recent work

Template:Spoilers In 2005, Dawson appeared on stage as Julia in the Public Theatre revival of Galt MacDermot's 1971 musical The Two Gentlemen of Verona at the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, New York (August-September 2005). Next Dawson portrayed the HIV-positive heroin-addicted exotic dancer Mimi Marquez in the film adaptation of Rent. It was her first role in a film musical. Some critics praised her performance; others panned it, stating that she was not as good as the actress who originated the role. Also in the same year Rosario had a major role in the comic book adaptation, Sin City; and she is also scheduled to be in the film's sequel. Dawson is also working on a role in the movie Descent with Rent costars Tracie Thoms and Wilson Jermaine Heredia.

In 1999, Dawson teamed up with Prince for his timely re-release of his 1980s hit "1999". This remixed version featured the actress in an introductory voiceover, offering commentary on the state of the world in the titular year. She is also featured on the music track "She Lives In My Lap" from the OutKast album The Love Below. A comic book fanatic, especially of Jhonen Vasquez's Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Dawson co-created the comic book miniseries Occult Crimes Taskforce.

In 2006's Clerks_2, Dawson played Becky, the crush-turned-wife of Dante, played by Brian O'Hallaran. As she mentioned in the making of for Clerks 2 entitled Back to the Well, she mentioned that the "Donkey Show" was what made her decide to agree to play in the movie. Also, during the commentary, it's mentioned she and fellow actor Trevor Fehrman, who played Elias, had a small argument about a comment Trevor made about the writer/composer of "Rent" who died. Fehrman stated matter of factly while glancing at a picture of the writer, Jonathan Larson: "Oh. He's dead." Rosario, who had heard around the set that Fehrman disliked the musical, misunderstood this as a rude remark and felt compelled to defend Larson, saying that maybe one day Fehrman would accomplish something as great as Larson had. While Fehrman was caught off-guard, he insists in the DVD commentary that it was not catty and that he enjoyed working with her.

Personal life

Dawson has been described by fans and staff as being extremely 'kind' and 'down to earth', and is noted for her 'friendly' and 'sociable' attitude during public appearances. She has dated former Sex and the City star Jason Lewis for 2 years where they resided in Los Angeles. They seperated in November 2006. . It has been reported she is currently dating another Sex and the City actor Andrea Boccaletti

Trivia

• Her uncle is a teacher known as two names: Uncle Frank the other is Mr. Jump.

• Dawson is of Puerto Rican, Afro-Cuban, Irish and Native American descent.

• Was discovered sitting on her front porch in New York City and asked if she wanted to be in a movie. That movie was Kids (1995).

• She was attended an alternative school in downtown Manhattan, where she harbored aspirations of some day becoming a marine biologist.

• Grew up in Manhattan by her mother, a professional vocalist, and her father, who worked in construction.

• For her twenty - seventh birthday party, she asked Guns N' Roses to perform. The noted Axl Rose and Tommy Hilfinger dispute took place at this gathering.

Filmography

• Kids (1995)
• Girls Night Out (1997) (short subject)
• He Got Game (1998)
• Side Streets (1998)
• Light It Up (1999)
• Down to You (2000)
• King of the Jungle (2000)
• Josie and the Pussycats (2001)
• Sidewalks of New York (2001)
• Trigger Happy (2001)
• Chelsea Walls (2001)
• Love in the Time of Money (2002)
• Ash Wednesday (2002)
• Men in Black II (2002)
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
• 25th Hour (2002)
• The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest (2002)
• World VDAY (2003) (documentary)
• This Girl's Life (2003)
• Shattered Glass (2003)
• The Rundown (2003)
• Alexander (2004)
• This Revolution (2005)
• Sin City (2005)
• The Devil's Rejects (2005) (scenes deleted)
• Little Black Dress (2005)
• Rent (2005)
• Clerks II (2006)
• Spit (2006) (documentary) (narrator)
• A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
• Killshot (2006)
• Descent (2006)

Upcoming:

• Grind House (2007)
• Sin City 2 (2007)
• Occult Crimes Taskforce (2008)

External link

• Rosario Dawson at IMDb
• 2 Part Video Interview - PopCultureShock