Marc Anthony

Hailed by many as the reigning "King of Salsa," Marc Anthony sold millions of albums, won a slew of Grammy Awards, and married one of the world's most famous women. Anthony launched his career in the Latin music genre, releasing salsa-inflected albums and elevating his career in the Spanish-speaking world. In 1999, the singer successfully crossed over to mainstream pop with his self-titled, English-language debut that spawned the chart-topping hits "I Need to Know" and "You Sang to Me." One of Anthony's fellow artists from the late-1990s Latin pop invasion was triple-threat talent Jennifer Lopez, whom he married in 2005. Until their 2014 divorce, the high-profile couple enjoyed tremendous success as entrepreneurs, artists, and most importantly, parents of twins. As a character actor, Anthony held his own opposite Denzel Washington in "Man on Fire" (2004) and co-starred with his wife Lopez in the biographical film "El cantante" (2006). His scene-stealing role on the medical drama series "Hawthorne" (TNT, 2009-11), coupled with a successful tribute album Iconos (2010), established Anthony not only as a viable all-around entertainer, but as one of the most influential and respected artists of his time.

Marco Antonio Muñiz was born on Sept. 16, 1968 in New York City and named after a famous Mexican singer. Raised in East Harlem by his Puerto Rican parents, the future star began singing as a session vocalist for underground house music and freestyle acts in New York. Anthony released his first single "Rebel" in 1988 through the independent label Bluedog Records. After performing backup vocals for other artists, he collaborated with music producer Little Louie Vega and released the 1991 album When the Night is Over, which spawned club hits such as "Ride on the Rhythm" and "Time." The album's moderate success landed Anthony and Vega an opening slot for Latin legend Tito Puente at New York's Madison Square Garden. After signing with independent music label RMM Records, Anthony changed his musical style from dance-oriented freestyle to salsa and other Latin genres. He released a handful of albums throughout the '90s such as Otra Nota (1993) and Todo A Su Tiempo (1995) that showcased the singer's powerful vocals and emotional delivery. The release of 1997's Contra la Corriente solidified Anthony as an international superstar, from a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden, to winning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Performance.

Anthony's crossover success came in 1999 during a Latin music invasion of the pop charts. Along with renowned superstars Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Anthony helped elevate the presence of Latin artists and sounds in mainstream music and pop culture as a whole. The singer signed with Sony and released his self-titled album, which spawned the Top 5 hit single "I Need to Know." A Spanish-language version of the track, "Dimelo," also climbed to the top of the Hot Latin Tracks chart. One of the album's ballads, titled "You Sang to Me" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was featured in the soundtrack of the romantic comedy "Runaway Bride" (1999), starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Anthony capped off his successful crossover year by picking up a slew of industry honors, including a Song of the Year win for "I Need to Know" at the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards. That same year, Anthony married Dayanara Torres, a former Miss Universe winner and actress whom he went on to have two children with. Their rocky marriage came to an end in 2003 and they divorced the following year. Less than a week after his divorce was finalized, Anthony married pop icon Jennifer Lopez, fresh off her broken engagement to actor Ben Affleck, in June 2005. With this seemingly out-of-the-blue union, the couple instantly became one of Hollywood's power couples. When Lopez gave birth to their fraternal twins Emme and Max in February 2008, People magazine reportedly paid $6 million for the photos.

Having a high-profile marriage did not prevent Anthony from making music for both English and Spanish-speaking categories. He returned to salsa music with 2001's "Libre" followed by the English pop album Mended (2002). Anthony often collaborated with his wife, from their first duet "No Me Ames," featured on her 1999 debut album On the 6, to the ballad "Escapemonos" for his 2004 release Amar Sin Mentiras. Anthony and Lopez were also part owners of the professional football team the Miami Dolphins, along with fellow celebrities Gloria Estefan, and Venus and Serena Williams. In 2005, Anthony added two more Grammy Awards to his growing collection, including a win for Best Latin Pop Album of the Year for Amar Sin Mentiras. The New York Times even dubbed Anthony the reigning "King of Salsa." However, his achievements extended beyond the realm of music, as Anthony was also regarded as an ambassador for Latin culture. In 2009, he received the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) Chair's Award as well as the CHCI Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award. Anthony released his 11th studio album Iconos in 2010, an album of cover songs by some of Latin music's most influential artists, including Juan Gabriel and Jose Luis Perales. The album landed at No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and topped both the Top Latin Albums and Latin Pop Albums charts.

Anthony established a credible acting career with a supporting role in the Martin Scorsese-directed drama "Bringing Out the Dead" (1999) and acting opposite Salma Hayek in the made-for-television film "In the Time of the Butterflies" (Showtime, 2001). He further padded his acting résumé with a featured role as a wealthy businessman who hires a former Marine (Denzel Washington) to guard and protect his daughter (Dakota Fanning) from kidnappers in Mexico City. Anthony made his feature debut as lead in "El Cantante," a biographical drama about the life of salsa music legend Hector Lavoe, who died in 1993 from AIDS complications. Lopez co-starred with Anthony in the film as Lavoe's wife. In 2010, Anthony guest-starred on the TNT medical drama "Hawthorne" as a detective and the title character's (Jada Pinkett Smith) love interest. He graduated to a recurring role during the show's third season in 2011. That same year, Anthony teamed up with his wife, producer Simon Fuller, and concert director Jamie King in an ambitious project titled "Q'Viva: The Chosen." The creators visited over a dozen countries in North and South America in search of talented entertainers to represent their countries in a spectacular live show. The joint projects and happy public appearances made the couple's July announcement that they were ending their seven-year marriage all the more shocking. (Anthony and Lopez formally divorced in June 2014.) Anthony returned to his salsa roots with his 11th album, 3.0, his first album of original salsa material in more than a decade.