Selena Gomez | Biography, Albums, Movies, & Facts (2024)

American actress and singer

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Also known as: Selena Marie Gomez

Written by

John M. Cunningham John M. Cunningham graduated from Kalamazoo College in 2000 with a B.A. in English. He worked at Britannica from 2004 to 2018.A student of pop culture and the arts, he wrote about popular (and semipopular)...

John M. Cunningham

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Selena Gomez

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In full:
Selena Marie Gomez
Born:
July 22, 1992, Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S. (age 32)

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Top Questions

What was Selena Gomez best known for?

Selena Gomez was known for her starring role on the 2007–12 Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place and as the singer of such pop hit songs as “Come & Get It” and “Same Old Love.”

How did Selena Gomez get her start?

Selena Gomez, who grew up in a suburb of Dallas, began her acting career in 2002 as a child on the PBS children’s TV series Barney & Friends. She began her music career on Disney projects, including singing the theme song for Wizards of Waverly Place, in which she also starred.

What was Selena Gomez’s family life like?

Her parents divorced when she was a small child, and she was raised by her mother. Selena Gomez had romantic relationships with Justin Bieber and, more briefly, with The Weeknd.

Selena Gomez (born July 22, 1992, Grand Prairie, Texas, U.S.) is an American actress and singer who won legions of young fans as the winsome star of the Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place (2007–12) and as a pop vocalist.

Gomez, who was named after the popular Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, was raised in suburban Dallas. Inspired by her mother, an amateur actress, Gomez tried out for a role on the PBS children’s television series Barney & Friends and, as a result, appeared regularly on the program in 2002–04. After making her big-screen debut in the family movie Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003), she auditioned for the Disney Channel, which eventually led to a guest spot on the TV series The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. In 2007 Gomez was cast as Alex Russo, a mischievous tomboy with magical powers, on a new Disney sitcom, Wizards of Waverly Place. The show, for which she also sang the theme song, became an instant hit among the preteen set, and she earned favourable comparisons to the channel’s leading ingenue, Miley Cyrus.

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While continuing to star in Wizards of Waverly Place, Gomez acted in various tween-oriented videos and TV movies and provided a voice for the animated feature Horton Hears a Who! (2008). She then landed lead roles in the theatrical film Ramona and Beezus (2010), which was based on a children’s novel by Beverly Cleary, and the romantic comedy Monte Carlo (2011). Gomez departed from her family-friendly image with a role as a college student seeking adventure in Florida in the lurid Spring Breakers (2012). She then portrayed the girlfriend of a college student who is killed in a shooting on campus in the drama Rudderless (2014) and a sorority sister in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016). Gomez also voiced a character in the animated Hotel Transylvania (2012) and its sequels (2015, 2018) as well as Dolittle (2020). In 2019 she appeared in Jim Jarmusch’s zombie movie The Dead Don’t Die and in Woody Allen’s A Rainy Day in New York. She returned to TV for Only Murders in the Building (2021– ), in which she costarred with Steve Martin and Martin Short as an unlikely crime-solving trio.

Gomez ventured into music as the front woman of Selena Gomez & the Scene, an electronic-influenced pop band that produced several dance hits. The group released the albums Kiss & Tell (2009), A Year Without Rain (2010), and When the Sun Goes Down (2011) before announcing its separation in 2012. Gomez then forged a solo career with Stars Dance (2013), which featured the seductive single “Come & Get It.” Subsequent solo albums included Revival (2015) and Rare (2020), the latter of which yielded the hit ballad “Lose You to Love Me.”

As Gomez transitioned into adulthood, her fame was undoubtedly magnified by a romantic relationship with pop singer Justin Bieber. She was also known for her philanthropic work, much of it accomplished through UNICEF, which in 2009 appointed her a goodwill ambassador. In 2015 Gomez revealed that she had been diagnosed with lupus. As a result of complications from the disease, she had a kidney transplant in 2017. During this time Gomez was also candid about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and in 2020 she revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In the documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind and Me (2022), she discussed her mental health and her struggles with fame.

John M. Cunningham The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Selena Gomez | Biography, Albums, Movies, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

How many albums has Selena Gomez had? ›

American singer Selena Gomez has released three solo studio albums, one compilation album, three extended plays (EPs), 36 singles (including 6 as a featured artist), 3 promotional singles and 2 charity singles.

What is Selena Gomez best known for? ›

What was Selena Gomez best known for? Selena Gomez was known for her starring role on the 2007–12 Disney television series Wizards of Waverly Place and as the singer of such pop hit songs as “Come & Get It” and “Same Old Love.”

What was Selena Gomez's first job? ›

Gomez first gained an interest in pursuing a career in entertainment watching her mother prepare for stage productions. In 2002, she began her acting career on the children's television series Barney & Friends, portraying the character Gianna. The show was her first acting gig.

What was Selena Gomez's childhood like? ›

Early life

Her parents divorced when she was five years old with Selena Gomez staying with her mother. Gomez had a close relationship with her grandparents as a child, who said that they "raised her" up until she found success in the entertainment industry. She appeared in various pageants while she was growing up.

What was Selena's most successful album? ›

As of January 2015, Dreaming of You has sold five million copies worldwide, and remains the best-selling Latin album of all-time in the United States.

How many Grammys does Selena Gomez have? ›

List of awards and nominations received by Selena Gomez
Awards and nominations
Critics Choice Awards15
Emmy Awards07
Golden Globe Awards02
Grammy Awards02
8 more rows

Who is Selena Gomez's bestie? ›

While Selena Gomez is the subject of her new documentary My Mind and Me, her longtime friend Raquelle Stevens frequently appears alongside her.

What is Selena most remembered for? ›

Known as the “Queen of Tejano Music,” Selena Quintanilla was a beloved Latin singer who was killed by the president of her fan club at age 23.

How rich is Selena Gomez? ›

Bloomberg determined a “vast bulk” of her net worth is attached to the success of her Rare Beauty makeup and cosmetics brand. Selena Gomez is officially a billionaire, according to a Bloomberg report. She is estimated to be worth $1.3 billion, making her one of the country's youngest women with a 10-figure fortune.

Why is Selena Gomez so successful? ›

Alongside her success in the music, television, and film industries, she is a lucrative business owner as founder of the cosmetics brand Rare Beauty. The majority of Gomez's wealth—roughly 81%—has been amassed through her work with Rare Beauty.

What is Selena Gomez's favorite color? ›

Selena's favorite color is green.

Who is Selena Gomez real love? ›

July 22, 2024: Selena calls Benny the love of her life.

Blanco posts a loving tribute to Gomez on Instagram, while Gomez shares a photo of him kissing her forehead on her Instagram Story with the words “Love of my life.”

What did Selena do in her early life? ›

When Selena was eight, she began a career in a band formed by her father. The band was composed of Selena and her older siblings Abraham junior, who played the base guitar, and Sister Suzette, who played the drums, and Selena was the singer of the band.

How old was Selena Gomez when she was hospitalized? ›

According to TMZ, Gomez had “an emotional breakdown” after being admitted to the hospital for a consistently low white blood cell count. The 26-year-old actress and singer has been open about how her struggle with lupus has affected her mental health.

How many albums did Selena have? ›

American singer Selena released twelve studio albums, three live albums, three boxsets, three remix albums, three soundtrack albums, and twenty compilation albums.

How much is Selena Gomez worth in 2024? ›

In September 2024, she was officially reported to be a billionaire, per Bloomberg, worth $1.3 billion.

How many albums does Taylor Swift have? ›

The discography of the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift includes 11 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded albums, 5 extended plays (EPs), and 4 live albums. She has sold 114 million album-equivalent units worldwide, 51 million of which are certified in the United States.

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