Beyonce Knowles: Biography

Primarily known as the creative and driving force behind one of the most popular music groups of the late '90s and early 2000s, Beyoncé Knowles began expanding her remarkable repertoire in 2002 with her feature-film acting debut in Austin Powers in Goldmember. Born on September 4th, 1981 in Houston, TX, Knowles' performance career began at the tender age of seven, under the leadership of her father, producer Matthew Knowles. Joining forces with her cousin Kelly Rowland and acquaintances LeToya Tuckett and LaTavia Roberson, Knowles and her father formed the group Destiny's Child in 1990. The group spent the better part of the 1990s languishing in obscurity until 1997, when they recorded the song "Killing Time" for inclusion on the Men in Black soundtrack. Shortly thereafter, the group recorded their self-titled debut album, which sold over a million copies and spawned platinum-selling follow-up albums. Unfortunately, the group was also soon immersed in a bitter breakup and a subsequent lawsuit. Throughout the course of these setbacks, however, Knowles assumed a larger amount of responsibility and control over her group's creative output. As the group began to stabilize once again, Knowles began experimenting with acting in a modern-day version of the opera Carmen, produced in 2001 by MTV. Shortly after this opportunity, Knowles found herself cast in the third film in comic Mike Myers' Austin Powers series, Austin Powers in Goldmember. Knowles received generally positive reviews for her role as Foxxy Cleopatra, a CIA agent and the love interest for Myers' Austin Powers. With her success in this film, Knowles began getting follow-up offers and accepted a role in the 2003 Jonathan Lynn film The Fighting Temptations starring opposite Cuba Gooding Jr. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide