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| Rosario Dawson was born on May 9, 1979 in New York City. She was raised in a Manhattan tenement building by her mother, a professional vocalist, and her father, who worked in construction. Although they separated when Rosario was still young, they continued to live in the same building and Rosario and her brother remained close to them. Rosario attended an alternative school in downtown Manhattan where she harbored aspirations of one day becoming a marine biologist. When she was 15, fate stepped in. Director Larry Clark saw Rosario sitting on the stoop of her building and asked her to be in a documentary he was filming called Kids. Kids went on to become a controversial hit, and Rosario opted to pursue acting and enroleld at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. The training she received complemented the publicity that Kids had earned her, and it wasn't long before she received her next casting call, this time from director Spike Lee for his 1998 film, He Got Game. That same year she appeared in Side Streets, a series of vignettes depicting life throughout the Big Apple. Over the next few years, Rosario appeared in three more small-time films: as an honor student held hostage in Light It Up, a junkie in Down to You, and King of the Jungle, playing a bully. Although none of these projects did well at the box office, they provided Rosario much-needed exposure crucial to a young actress and her career. Her next role was as bassist Valerie Brown in 2001's Josie and the Pussycats, the film adaptatoin of the Archie comic. Despite the avalanche of publicity Universal Studios pumped out, Josie was a disappointment both critically and popularly. Nonetheless, the mass marketing of the film translated well for Rosario, who soon found herself on the "ones to watch" lists of various entertainment publications throughout the country. Before the end of 2001, she appeared in three more movies: Sidewalks of New York, Trigger Happy and Chelsea Walls (produced by Ethan Hawke). Rosario Dawson's career has continued to blossom throughout 2002. She has demonstrated her talent as an actress that can perform well in any genre, from independent art-house films such as Love In the Time of Money to multi-million dollar blockbusters like Men in Black II and The Adventures of Pluto Nash. Dawson added to her list of appearances in a number of films released in 2002, including Ash Wednesday and Spike Lee's 25th Hour. She has also been tapped for three films this year: Shattered Glass, This Girl's Life, and The Rundown, co-starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Between roles, Rosario Dawson finds time to practice the guitar, receiving lessons from Pluto Nash co-star Eddie Murphy. |
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