Gabourey Sidibe

Biography

Gabourey Sidibe (Claireece "Precious" Jones)

"Gabby" Sidibe was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised in Harlem. She is the daughter of R&B/Gospel singer Alice Tan Ridley.  Gabourey was a student pursuing a degree in psychology when she was cast in Precious.

While she never studied theater, she has spent time on stage, participating in plays put on by the Theater department of Lehman College in the Bronx, including “Peter Pan,” “The Wiz,” and “The Vagina Monologues.” She also appeared in the musical revue “Uptown Serenade,” in which she sang two Ella Fitzgerald songs.  

Gabourey recently filmed the Showtime pilot “The C-Word” for director Bill Condon opposite Laura Linney. She also filmed the Sundance Lab independent film Yelling to the Sky.

Though her acting career is a surprise to her, she is excited to pursue it and says the she has "fallen in love" with her work.

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