Gabourey Sidibe (/ˈɡæbəˌreɪ ˈsɪdɪˌbeɪ/ GAB-ə-ray SID-i-bay; born May 6, 1983)[1] is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the 2009 film Precious, a role that earned her the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead, in addition to nominations for the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Actress. Her other film roles include Tower Heist (2011), White Bird in a Blizzard (2014), Grimsby (2016), and Antebellum (2020).
Gabourey Sidibe | |
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Born | (1983-05-06) May 6, 1983 (age 39) New York, New York, U.S. |
Other names | Gabby Sidibe |
Alma mater | Manhattan Community College |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 2009–present |
Parent | Alice Tan Ridley (mother) |
Relatives | Dorothy Pitman Hughes (aunt) |
From 2010 to 2013, she was a main cast member of the Showtime series The Big C. Sidibe co-starred in the television series American Horror Story arcs Coven (2013–2014) as Queenie and Freak Show (2014–2015) as Regina Ross, and later reprised her role as Queenie in Hotel (2015–2016) and Apocalypse (2018). From 2015 to 2020, she starred in the Fox musical drama series Empire as Becky Williams.
Sidibe was born in New York City in the Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn neighborhood, and was raised in Harlem.[2] Her mother, Alice Tan Ridley, is an American R&B and gospel singer who appeared on the fifth season of America's Got Talent, on June 15, 2010. Her father, Ibnou Sidibe, is from Senegal and is a cab driver.[3] Growing up, Sidibe lived with her aunt, feminist activist Dorothy Pitman Hughes.[4] She holds an associate degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College and attended but did not graduate from City College of New York and Mercy College.[5] She worked at The Fresh Air Fund's office as a receptionist before pursuing an acting career.[6]
In Precious, Sidibe played the main character, Claireece "Precious" Jones, a 16-year-old mother of two (the result of Precious being raped by her father) who tries to escape abuse at the hands of her mother. The film won numerous awards, including two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Award.[7] On December 15, 2009, she was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in Precious. The next month she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
Her next film, Yelling to the Sky, was a Sundance Lab project directed by Victoria Mahoney and starring Zoe Kravitz, in which she played Latonya Williams, a bully.[8] In 2011, Sidibe was in the film Tower Heist and voiced a character in "Hot Water", the first episode of season 7 of American Dad! She appeared in the season 8 American Dad! episode "Stanny Tendergrass" early in 2013, and starred in the music video for "Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)" by the indie pop band Foster the People. Sidibe also appeared in the Showtime network series The Big C as Andrea Jackson.
Sidibe said in 2012 that before she was hired for the 2009 film Precious, she was advised by Joan Cusack not to pursue the entertainment industry, advising Sidibe to quit the business since "it's so image-conscious."[9]
By April 2013, Sidibe had joined the cast of American Horror Story season 3, portraying Queenie, a young witch.[10] She returned to the series for its fourth season, American Horror Story: Freak Show as a secretarial school student, Regina Ross.[11] From 2015, she stars in Lee Daniels' Fox musical series Empire as Becky Williams alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Sidibe portrays the head of A&R in the Empire company.[12] As of April 2015, Sidibe was promoted to a series regular in season 2.[13] She also starred in the Hulu series Difficult People as Denise.[14]
In 2015, publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced Sidibe would be writing a memoir set to be published in 2017.[15] On January 6, 2016, Sidibe appeared in the penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, reprising her Coven role as Queenie, marking her third season in the series. After sitting out subsequent seasons Roanoke and Cult, Sidibe returned to American Horror Story in 2018, appearing once again as her character Queenie in its eighth season, Apocalypse.
In March 2017, Sidibe revealed that she had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and that as a consequence she underwent laparoscopic bariatric surgery in an effort to manage her weight.[16]
In November 2020, Sidibe announced her engagement to Brandon Frankel, a talent manager with Cameo.[17][18][19]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2009 | Precious | Claireece "Precious" Jones | |
2011 | Yelling to the Sky | Latonya Williams | |
Tower Heist | Odessa Montero | ||
2012 | Seven Psychopaths | Sharice | |
2014 | White Bird in a Blizzard | Beth | |
Life Partners | Jen | ||
Top Five | Herself | Cameo | |
2015 | Gravy | Winketta | |
2016 | Grimsby | Banu | |
2019 | Come As You Are | Sam | |
2020 | Antebellum | Dawn | |
2022 | Asking For It | Rudy |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Saturday Night Live | Host | Episode: "Gabourey Sidibe/MGMT" |
2010–13 | The Big C | Andrea Jackson | 30 episodes |
2011 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Keisha (voice) | Episode: "Date with Destiny" |
American Dad! | Herself (live action cutaway appearance) | Episode: "Stanny Tendergrass" | |
2012 | American Dad! | Party girl (voice) | Episode: "Hot Water" |
2013–14 | American Horror Story: Coven | Queenie | 12 episodes |
2014 | American Horror Story: Freak Show | Regina Ross | 3 episodes |
2015–20 | Empire | Becky Williams | 90 episodes |
2015–17 | Difficult People | Denise | 12 episodes |
2016 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Queenie | Episode: "Battle Royale" |
Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio | Various | 10 episodes | |
Drunk History | Ella Fitzgerald | Episode: "Legends" | |
2017 | BoJack Horseman | Tamara (voice) | Episode: "The Old Sugarman Place" |
2018 | American Horror Story: Apocalypse | Queenie | 5 episodes |
2021 | Santa Inc. | Goldie | 8 episodes |
2022 | American Horror Stories | Jaslyn Taylor | Episode: "Aura" |
2023 | The Prank Panel[20] | Herself | Host |
Year | Nominated work | Association | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Precious | Alliance of Women Film Journalists | Best Actress | Nominated |
Best Bravest Performance | Nominated | |||
Best Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | |||
Best Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |||
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Most Promising Newcomer | Nominated | |||
Chicago International Film Festival | Best Breakthrough Performance | Won | ||
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Detroit Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Breakthrough Performance | Won | |||
Best Ensemble | Nominated | |||
Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Breakout Award | Won | |||
Hollywood Film Festival | New Hollywood | Won | ||
Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
National Board of Review | Breakthrough Female Performances | Won | ||
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Breakout Performance - On Camera | Won | ||
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Breakthrough Performance | Won | |||
Best Ensemble | Nominated | |||
Women Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Young Actress | Won | ||
2010 | Academy Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | |
BAFTA Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Nominated | ||
BET Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Black Reel Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Best Breakthrough Performance | Won | |||
Best Ensemble | Won | |||
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Cast | Won | |||
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Best Cast | Nominated | |||
Dublin Film Critics Circle Award | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Nominated | ||
Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Won | ||
International Cinephile Society Award | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Iowa Film Critics Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Won | ||
MTV Movie Awards | Best Breakout Star | Nominated | ||
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Won | ||
Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
Satellite Awards | Outstanding New Talent | Won | ||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Nominated | |||
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress | Nominated | ||
2012 | Seven Psychopaths | Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Cast | Won |
The Big C | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2013 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated | |
2014 | American Horror Story: Coven | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Television, Miniseries or Dramatic Special | Nominated |
2021 | Antebellum | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
I know that she meant well. I met Joan Cusack, who is my favorite-favorite, ... and I was at some industry party and she says, 'Are you an actress?' And I said, 'Yeah.' And she says, 'Oh, honey, you should really quit the business — it's so image-conscious. And I think she really, really meant it in a good way. ... But I was, like, 'Oh, but I love you. Please don't tell me to quit my job!'and as reported at Fisher, Kelly (April 26, 2012). "Gabourey Sidibe: Joan Cusack Told Me To Quit Show Business". HuffPost. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved April 27, 2012.
My BFF proposed and now I get to hold him forever.
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