Diana Ross - Biography - IMDb
Diana Ross
Biography
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Overview (4)
5' 4½" (1.64 m)
Mini Bio (1)
Best known as the the lead singer of the popular 1960s singing group The Supremes , Diana Ernestine Earle Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan, the second of six children of African-American parents Ernestine Lillian (Moten), a schoolteacher, and Fred Earl Ross, who served in the army. After being raised in housing projects for most of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Diana started singing in the gospel choir of a Baptist church. With friends Mary Wilson , Florence Ballard and Barbara Martin, she formed a vocal group, The Primettes, at age 15. After Barbara had departed the group, the remaining three girls inked a deal with Motown Records and were renamed The Supremes . Ross wasn't picked to become the group's lead singer until Motown honcho Berry Gordy decided that the time was exactly right, and from then on he described the group as "Diana Ross and the Supremes." From 1965 to 1969 the group had a string of #1 records. In late 1969 Gordy announced that Ross would be leaving the group for a solo career. In the third week of 1970 she played her last concert with The Supremes and started working with the songwriting team of Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson . Ross' first two songs by the team reached #1 on both the pop and R&B charts, justifying her move. Prior to starting a family of her own, she won the title role in the Billie Holiday biopic Lady Sings the Blues (1972), which was extremely successful at the box office, and had the distinction of being nominated for an Academy Award for her first film. The movie's soundtrack reached #1 on the U.S. charts. Despite fame and fortune, her next two big films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978), didn't meet with the same success. However, she had a #1 hit single with "Mahogany" to make up for it. In February 1976, just before another #1 hit with "Love Hangover," she was stunned when her singing partner and friend, Florence Ballard , died after complications from a combination of alcohol abuse and long-term depression, which led to cardiac arrest. Ballard was only 32 years old and Ross was devastated by the loss.
After recovering from Ballard's death, Ross went on to focus on her singing career and continued having more #1 songs, including "Upside Down". The following year she performed the theme song from Endless Love (1981), which was composed by Lionel Richie . That same year she left Motown Records and signed contracts with various record companies across the globe, and formed her own production company. The following year she released "Silk Electric," on which she sang "Muscles," a song written and produced by Michael Jackson .
After she sang a tribute song dedicated to the late Marvin Gaye , Ross scored another #1 song in 1986 in the UK with "Chain Reaction," which brought back her days as the member of The Supremes', and was written and produced by The Bee Gees . Unlike the song she sang when Florence died, this song was about how she became accustomed to Marvin over the years. After an eight-year absence, in 1989 she came back to Motown. Ross had gained more fame through concert appearances over the years, and in April 1993 she became a best-selling author with her first and only children's book, "When You Dream," which featured a CD with four songs that were dedicated to the book. That same year she was declared by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the most successful female singer of all times. Two years later she was honored with the Heritage Award for Lifetime Achievement on the Soul Train Awards. After receiving those honors, she came back to the studio in 1999 with "Every Day Is A New Day," and the song reached the UK Top 10. The following year, with Mary Wilson --the only other surviving original Supremes member--she planned to book a Supremes reunion tour, but this was eventually canceled.
She was arrested in 2002 in Tucson, Arizona, for driving under the influence and after pleading guilty was sentenced to two days in jail, 36 hours of counseling and one year probation. Today she is hard at work finishing her forthcoming book, "Upside Down: Wrong Turns, Right Turns and the Road Ahead."
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Richard Collins II (hugsarealwaysinorder@yahoo.com)
Spouse (2)
Her high-pitched, reedy, and achingly vulnerable singing style
Trivia (84)
Mother of Rhonda Ross Kendrick ( with Berry Gordy but raised as Robert Silberstein's daughter because Diana married Robert in Jan 1971 before Rhonda's birth ). From her marriage to Robert Ellis Silberstein , she has daughters Tracee Ellis Ross (b. October 29, 1972) and Chudney Ross (b. 4 November 1975). With her second 16-year marriage to Norwegian shipping millionaire Arne Naess Jr, she has sons Ross Naess (b. 7 October 1987) and Evan Ross (b. 26 August 1988).
23 September 1999 - Arrested for grabbing an airport security guard's breast, whom she claimed touched her breast while she was being frisked after setting off an airport metal detector.
Entered Malibu, CA drug and alcohol rehab Promises center May 20, 2002 prior to start of global summer tour.
In 1983 introduced a line of pantyhose "Diana Ross Ultra Sheers"
Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Supremes ) in 1988.
Renewed vows with now-ex-husband Arne Naess Jr. on 1 February 1986 in Switzerland.
A member of The Supremes from 15 January 1961 - 14 January 1970.
The second of 6 children.
Graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1962
In January 1965 Music Business Magazine named The Supremes the #1 Female Soul Artist.
Made her first solo TV appearance with Lucille Ball and Dinah Shore .
On November 8, 1969, she announced that she was leaving The Supremes in order to pursue a solo career, but the last Supremes concert with Ross was played on January 14, 1970, at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Was honoured by the Guinness Book of World Records in 1993 as the most successful female singer of all time.
Received the Lifetime Achievement Award from MIDEM in 1994
Performed the half-time show on Super Bowl in 1996
Received the BET (Black Entertainment Television) Walk of Fame Award on October 23, 1999
Received a 2000 Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). The award was the highest distinction bestowed by the New York Chapter.
10 days after the terrorist attack (9-11), she sang, "God Bless America", at Shea Stadium in New York City, New York. [September 2001]
Sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl in 1982
Ross is the 2nd of six children born to Baptist family by Fred Ross Sr. and Ernestine Moten in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in in Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects.
Intended to call her third daughter (born in 1975) "Chutney", yet misspelled the name as "Chudney" on the birth certificate.
Grew up in Detroit's Brewster Housing Projects.
When she was with The Supremes the group had 12 #1 songs and 18 top ten songs in the US.
Her ex-husband, Arne Naess Jr., died on 13th January, 2004 in a climbing accident in South Africa.
Ranked #38 on VH1's Greatest Women of Rock N Roll
Mother of Rhonda Ross Kendrick , Tracee Ellis Ross , Ross Naess , Chudney Ross and Evan Ross .
Sister of Barbara Ross (doctor), Rita Ross (schoolteacher), Fred Ross, Jr., Arthur 'T-Boy' Ross (successful Motown songwriter), and Wilbert "Chico" Ross (a dancer on Ross' tours).
February 2004 - Sentenced to two days in jail, 36 hours of counseling, and one year probation after a no-contest plea for driving under the influence in Tucson, Arizona, in 2002.
Is the most successful female recording artist ever with 18 US #1 hits and 70 top 10 hits since 1964
Brother Arthur was murdered in Detroit in 1996.
Has been nominated for 12 Grammy awards, but never won.
In 1972 she and Cicely Tyson were nominated for the same "Best Actress in a Leading Role" award category (for different roles, in different films), for the same performing, nomination, and award year for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences (AMPAS), more commonly known as the Oscars. This was only the second time in the history of the Academy Awards that African-American actresses had been nominated in the "Best Actress" Academy Award/Oscars category, although there had been several nominations in best supporting actress categories. The first, and only previous, female nominee in the best, or leading actress category, had been Dorothy Dandridge 's nomination for Carmen Jones (1954). Coincidentally, the same two actresses, Ross and Tyson, were awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom award in the same ceremony, from President Barack Obama , in his final "class," or group, on November 22, 2016.
Billboard Magazine named her Female Entertainer of The Century.
Is on the board of A Better Chance, the only national program that recruits and places academically talented inner city children in the nation's best prepatatory schools.
Ranked #86 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists in 2002.
She and The Supremes had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") 17 times from 1964-1969.
She has two stars on the Hollywood walk of fame, one for her work with The Supremes and one for her solo career.
Her 1981 song "I'm Coming Out" was used in The Princess Diaries (2001) trailer and in the Maid in Manhattan (2002) soundtrack, which was revived by Amerie .
Inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Foundation as a member of The Supremes on February 21, 2003.
Has won the Legendary Female award from the Capitol Gold Legends Award (2003).
Does not write songs of her own like Linda Ronstadt and Barbra Streisand .
Won a Special Tony Award in 1977.
Performed a memorable free concert through a terrible storm in New York City's Central Park in the summer of 1983. The storm caused much damage to the park, and she agreed to pony up the costs of repair a few years later.
She and The Supremes had appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show") 17 times from 1964-1969.
The Supremes ranked #16 on VH1's Greatest Women in Rock N Roll.
Is portrayed by Holly Robinson Peete in The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992).
When interviewed on the TV show American Idol (2002), she explained that her hit song, "Missing You", was in memory of her good friend, Marvin Gaye .
Is one of 9 African-American actresses to be nominated for the Best Actress Oscar. The others in chronological order are: Dorothy Dandridge , Cicely Tyson , Diahann Carroll , Whoopi Goldberg , Angela Bassett , Halle Berry , Gabourey Sidibe and Viola Davis .
Her father, Fred Ross, passed away November 20, 2007 at the age of 87.
Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher , Steve Martin , Martin Scorsese , and Brian Wilson .
Daughter Tracee Ellis Ross had previously been best known to the public for her starring role as "Joan Clayton" on Girlfriends (2000), but as of 2014/2015/2016, Tracee Ellis Ross is best known to the public for her starting role as Rainbow "Bow" Johnson, on Black-ish (2014).
Classmate and former neighbors of Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson , who later joined Ross in The Supremes .
Her parents were both African-American.
She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
The Supremes were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 7060 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Lives in Manhattan's renowned Beresford apartment building, northwest corner of 81st St. and Central Park West, which is also the residence of Jerry Seinfeld , Glenn Close and other celebrities.
Won her first Grammy award in 2012.
In 2013, sold out the Hollywood Bowl with 20,000 seats.
Release of the book, "Diana Ross" by Patricia Mulrooney Eldred. [1975]
Release of her book, "Secrets of a Sparrow: Memories". [1993]
Release of her book, "Diana Ross: Going Back". [2002]
Release of her book, "Upside Down: Diana Ross - The Real Story". [2003]
Release of the book, "Diana Ross" by Geoff Brown. [1981]
Release of the book, "Diana Ross: An Unauthorized Biography" by Randy J. Taraborrelli. [2007]
As of Lena Horne 's passing in 2010, Diana is the last surviving principal cast member of The Wiz (1978).
She is known to be a very private person.
Had known and was close friends with Michael Jackson from when he was only 8 years old, through until his death, in 2009. Ross was a very important influence on him, throughout his career.
When she released her 1st solo album, in 1970, it sold over 500,000 copies.
By the time she was 14, Ross's parents had 6 children to support. Money became tighter for her family.
Attended the funeral of her former classmate and former co-Supreme member Florence Ballard , when she passed away in 1976.
Her decision in becoming a singer infuriated her father.
Shares the same birthday with Steven Tyler , who is 4 years Ross's junior. He approached her son, Evan Ross , who was also conversing with a few young friends when Evan's black SUV pulled up to the sidewalk and he rolled down his window to do a little catching up.
Appeared in Rod Stewart 's video, "I've Got a Crush on You," which was a remake of the 1939 song, sung by Lee Wiley , but was written by Ira Gershwin .
In 1991, Ross became one of the few American artists to have headlined the annual Royal Variety Performance, when she performed a selection of her UK hits in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
After her contract from RCA expired, she returned to Motown in 1989.
In February 2012, Ross received her first ever Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, and announced the nominees for the Album of the Year.
Is very good friends with: Paul McCartney , Eric Clapton , Steven Tyler , Michael Jackson , Smokey Robinson , Melba Moore , Donna Summer , Tina Turner , Aretha Franklin , Berry Gordy , Gladys Knight , Dionne Warwick , Rod Stewart , Elton John , Lionel Richie , Stevie Wonder , Gloria Gaynor , Pat Benatar and Al Green .
Moved to Detroit's Brewster Projects on the exact day of her fourteenth Birthday, in 1958.
At a very young age, she really admired her Detroit projects neighbor, Smokey Robinson , but she wanted to compete with somebody older than herself, that person turned out to be her own father.