Madonna Biography

Fast Facts

• Idolized nuns when she was growing up
• Ranked in the top 2 percent of her high school class, scoring straight A's, and her IQ was said to be higher than 140
• Received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan, but dropped out after a year to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer in New York City; later scored a scholarship to the Alvin Ailey dance school
• Released her self-titled debut album, featuring the enduring hits "Holiday" and "Borderline," in 1983
• Earned a place in pop-culture history with her writhing wedding-gown performance of "Like a Virgin" at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards
• Made her Broadway debut in 1988 with David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow
• Published the controversial coffee-table book Sex in 1992
• Formed Maverick Records, which released albums by artists such as The Prodigy, Michelle Branch and Alanis Morissette, in 1992
• Fell off a horse during a celebration for her 47th birthday in 2005, sustaining multiple injuries, but has since fully recovered
• Has authored several children's books, including Mr
• Peabody's Apples, Lotsa de Casha and the English Roses series