Gabourey Sidibe

Actress It was never Gabourey Sidibe's intention to become an actress.  A native New Yorker, her dad drove a taxi while her mom is a special education teacher-turned-street performer.  Sidibe heard about auditions for the Lee Daniels film, Precious, on a lark and tried out.  The 2009 title role of a young, abused girl who is pregnant for the second time by her father brought Sidibe critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination. She has since been cast in additional high-profile projects, including the Showtime series The C Word and the film Tower Heist, alongside Hollywood heavyweights Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy.