Gabourey Sidibe
- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe, the star of
Precious (2009), was born in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother,
Alice Tan Ridley, is a former special
education teacher who gave up her career and became a street
performer/singer, while her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a cab driver. Her
mother is African-American and her father is Senegalese. Her parents
split when she was a youngster and Gabby grew up in Harlem. Though she
was cast in school plays as a child, Sidibe had no interest in acting.
She had witnessed her mother's financial struggles as a street singer
and wanted the security that an education and a desk job would give
her. After attending local colleges, Gabby pursued a degree in
psychology at Mercy College. She was in the middle of preparing for an
exam when a friend phoned her about an audition for the newest effort
from Lee Daniels,
Precious (2009).
Instead of attending class, she ended up being cast in the title role
as Claireece "Precious" Jones, a taciturn, sixteen year-old who is
pregnant for the second time after being raped by her father and is
also on the receiving end of constant physical abuse by her mother. As
grim as the subject matter is,
Precious (2009) has become
critical success and a source of inspiration for many. While her
co-stars, Mo'Nique and
Mariah Carey have both received a great
deal of critical attention, it is Gabby who is the revelation as
Precious, a character whose personality is quite different from her
own. Anyone expecting a damaged young woman with no self-esteem is in
for a shock after meeting the charming Sidibe. She hopes that her
success in the film will motivate others to chase their dreams.
Precious (2009) has opened other
doors for Sidibe. She has also completed shooting
Yelling to the Sky (2011), a
project from the Sundance Lab that also stars
Zoë Kravitz and has other projects in the
works.
Precious (2009), was born in the
Bedford-Stuyvesant community in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother,
Alice Tan Ridley, is a former special
education teacher who gave up her career and became a street
performer/singer, while her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is a cab driver. Her
mother is African-American and her father is Senegalese. Her parents
split when she was a youngster and Gabby grew up in Harlem. Though she
was cast in school plays as a child, Sidibe had no interest in acting.
She had witnessed her mother's financial struggles as a street singer
and wanted the security that an education and a desk job would give
her. After attending local colleges, Gabby pursued a degree in
psychology at Mercy College. She was in the middle of preparing for an
exam when a friend phoned her about an audition for the newest effort
from Lee Daniels,
Precious (2009).
Instead of attending class, she ended up being cast in the title role
as Claireece "Precious" Jones, a taciturn, sixteen year-old who is
pregnant for the second time after being raped by her father and is
also on the receiving end of constant physical abuse by her mother. As
grim as the subject matter is,
Precious (2009) has become
critical success and a source of inspiration for many. While her
co-stars, Mo'Nique and
Mariah Carey have both received a great
deal of critical attention, it is Gabby who is the revelation as
Precious, a character whose personality is quite different from her
own. Anyone expecting a damaged young woman with no self-esteem is in
for a shock after meeting the charming Sidibe. She hopes that her
success in the film will motivate others to chase their dreams.
Precious (2009) has opened other
doors for Sidibe. She has also completed shooting
Yelling to the Sky (2011), a
project from the Sundance Lab that also stars
Zoë Kravitz and has other projects in the
works.