Florence Henderson: America's Favorite Mom Florence Henderson was born on February 14, 1934, in Dale, Indiana, the youngest of 10 children. The family was nearly destitute during the Great Depression, but Henderson managed to keep her relatives' spirits up and even sang at the local grocery in exchange for food. When she was 12, her mother left home. The young Henderson escaped from some of her emotional turmoil with a sponsorship to St. Francis Academy, a private school in Kentucky, where she blossomed as a performer. After graduation, the aspiring actress headed for the Big Apple to attend the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on a scholarship. In 1952, the 18-year-old nabbed the lead in the national production of ""Oklahoma."" Two years later she landed the musical ""Fanny"" on Broadway. She also captured the heart of young casting director Ira Bernstein. They married in 1956 and welcomed daughter Barbara less than a year later. In 1959, Henderson segued to television as a Today Girl o

Constance Marie: Barrier Breaker Constance Marie was born on September 9, 1965, in East Los Angeles. Her family struggled financially and moved frequently before settling in West Hollywood. Her parents divorced when she was just five years old, causing her to suffer from low self-esteem and abandonment issues. Growing up as a young Latina in a predominantly white neighborhood only heightened her emotional problems. In high school, Constance Marie enrolled in drama class but floundered onstage because of her shyness. She came out of her shell, however, when she began dancing in the underground club scene. Unfortunately, it also led her down a path of drinking and drug experimentation. Shortly after she graduated from high school, her all-star moves caught the eye of singer-choreographer Toni Basil, who helped Constance Marie to become one of the dancers on a David Bowie concert tour. Soon she found herself dancing in music videos, commercials and the 1988 feature film ""Salsa."" At 23, s

Laura Bush: National Role Model Laura Bush (née Welch) was born in Midland, Texas. Her charismatic father was a successful entrepreneur and homebuilder; her mother possessed a passion for reading that she passed on to her only child. By second grade, the young girl had already chosen her future calling — to be a teacher — and she followed through on that decision when she attended Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, to study elementary education. In 1968, the college grad began teaching second grade throughout Texas. She wanted to make her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, so she asked to be placed at schools in impoverished areas. After five years at the blackboard, she earned a master's degree at the University of Texas and became a librarian. In 1977, the young professional attended a barbecue hosted by close friends. There she met George W. Bush, a congressional hopeful at the time. The connection was immediate; just three months later, the two were married. After t

Peggy Fleming was born on July 27, 1948, in San Jose, California. She showed promise as an athlete from an early age, but it wasn't until a family trip to a skating rink in 1957 that Fleming found her passion: ice skating. With her family's help, Fleming began training and competing at age 11. Her mother was especially involved and helped Fleming choose her coach and costumes. Tragedy struck when she was 12: Her coach and several ice skating champions died in a plane crash. Although the loss was devastating, in many ways, it opened the door for her as a competitor, and in 1964 she won at the U.S. Nationals. Fleming was only 15 at the time. Determined to remain at the top, she hired a new coach who helped her develop her legendary skating style. She also found love with college student and fellow skater Greg Jenkins. In the late '60s, Fleming won numerous ice skating titles — her career was soaring. Amid the glory, however, she suffered a terrible loss when her father passed away at the

Sheryl Crow In Tune With Herself Sheryl Crow was born on February 11, 1962, in Kennett, Missouri. While growing up she took to activities such as working on her school yearbook, being a drum major and acting, but music was always at the forefront — something Crow attributes to her parents, musicians who were active in a swing band. At age 18, Crow enrolled at the University of Missouri to become a music teacher; she began performing in a cover band on the side. After graduating from college, Crow taught music in St. Louis. It was then that she was hired to sing a national commercial for McDonald's, which invigorated her rock-star dreams. She headed to Los Angeles and quickly found studio work; her big break came in 1988, when she crashed an audition held by Michael Jackson. Soon she was singing backup for Jackson on his overseas tour. Eighteen months later, Crow returned to Los Angeles, where her career floundered — and her depression was mounting. She tried to keep herself motivate

Dana Delany: Bold Beauty New York City–born Dana Delany inherited her father's passion for movies at an early age, and as a child she acted at home and in school shows. But the spunky preteen struggled emotionally during her parents' drawn-out divorce. At age 16, she decided to leave home to attend school, and she was one of a handful of women accepted into the first coed class at the prestigious Phillips Andover Academy. After graduating in 1974, the aspiring actress earned a drama degree from Wesleyan University. After graduating, she moved back to New York and landed an agent and commercial gigs. In 1980, Delany faked an Irish accent to land her first big role, in the Broadway show ""The Life."" In 1981, she was cast on the popular soap ""As the World Turns,"" but she left after only a year. After a romance with actor Treat Williams ended, Delany packed her bags and headed for Los Angeles, where she landed a career-making stint on the blockbuster show ""Magnum P.I."" In 1988, she followe

Leah Remini: Queens Bee Leah Remini was born on June 15, 1970, in Brooklyn. As a child, she and her sister would put on shows for her family. Even though her first official audition, a tryout for the Broadway musical ""Annie,"" didn't go swimmingly, it only further fueled her acting dreams. Following her mother's second divorce, Remini's family moved to Hollywood. The tough New York teen struggled to fit in at her new school. Despite her mother's protests, the 14-year-old dropped out and spent the next three years working dead-end jobs and auditioning. In 1989, she got her big break when she was cast as a streetwise model on the show ""Living Dolls."" Unfortunately, the series lasted less than one season. A determined Remini went on to land recurring roles on ""Saved by the Bell"" and other TV series. Her tenaciousness finally paid off when, at age 28, she nabbed the part of the secretary wife of a truck driver on the show ""King of Queens,"" which debuted in 1998. Her chemistry with co-star

LeAnn Rimes: Country's Youngest Megastar LeAnn Rimes was born on August 28, 1982, in Flowood, Mississippi. Rimes' father, a part-time musician, passed on his love of singing to his daughter, who was regularly winning singing contests by age five. By the time she was eight, she was belting out the national anthem at professional sporting events such as Dallas Cowboys football games. This led to her being discovered by Bill Mack, a well-known Dallas DJ and songwriter. Mack asked Rimes to try out his song ""Blue,"" which he initially wrote for the legendary Patsy Cline, and the results wowed Mack and all who heard it. ""Blue"" soon became the young artist's signature tune and helped her land a contract with Curb Records in 1994. Rimes' first big album release, also titled ""Blue,"" earned her stardom — and two Grammy Awards. At 14, Rimes had an even bigger follow-up, ""How Do I Live?"" which became the longest-running single in Billboard chart history. But then two years of constant performing,

Mo'Nique: Full-Figured, Funny and Fabulous Mo'Nique Imes was born on December 11, 1967, in Baltimore. As a child, she didn't let her large physique get in the way of being the most outrageous or outgoing. In fact, in school she was voted Most Popular and Best Dressed. At age 17, Mo'Nique began working as a plus-size model and took to the limelight immediately. And when she got married at 20, tying the knot didn't dampen her appetite for fame. She got her wish after her brother dared her to hop onstage at a comedy club one night. The result? Mo'Nique brought down the house, and just one year later, she was performing at ""Showtime at the Apollo."" However, Mo'Nique's home life wasn't going as smoothly. Her spouse turned violent, so she fled to Atlanta with their son Shalon. There, she did the comedy circuit rounds for several years. But in 1997, her luck drastically changed: She fell in love and remarried, and also landed a guest role on the sitcom ""Moesha."" Mo'Nique's over-the-top quips

Amy Brenneman: Queen of the Courtroom Amy Frederica Brenneman was born on June 22, 1964, in New London, Connecticut. Her parents, both Harvard Law School graduates, were active in the legal field; by the time Brenneman was three years old, her mother had become a judge. While her parents worked, Brenneman kept busy by getting involved with her local children's theater group, which she performed with until she was a teenager. Then she attended college at her parents' alma mater, where she studied comparative religion and continued to act. In 1986, Brenneman graduated from Harvard and continued to act in her college theater group, the Cornerstone Theater Company. She spent the next five years putting on plays in small towns across the country. In 1991, 26-year-old Brenneman moved to New York City, where she soon landed commercial gigs and sitcom work. Her big break came as a tough rookie on the cop drama ""NYPD Blue."" Brenneman's debut on the show caused some controversy because of her R

Sarah McLachlan: Feminist Music Maven Sarah McLachlan was born on January 28, 1968, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her love of singing was apparent early on: By age four, she was performing at her mother's tea parties, and by age eight she was enrolled at the Nova Scotia Royal Conservatory of Music. During McLachlan's awkward teen years, music proved to be a refuge, and she decided to further her passion by attending college at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. After just two years there, she was recruited by Nettwerk Records. The 18-year-old struggled to write lyrics for her debut album; writer's block would be a challenge throughout her career. Her first CD, ""Touch,"" and its 1991 follow-up, ""Solace,"" found a small hard-core fan base, but it was her third album, ""Fumbling Towards Ecstasy,"" that went platinum and launched her into superstardom. Amid her growing fame, McLachlan fell for Ashwin Wood, her drummer. In 1997, the couple eloped. Later that year, she released the chart-bus

Nancy McKeon got a very early start in show business (she was a child model for years before she played Jo on ""The Facts of Life""), but has endured as a talented actress with a knack for portraying flawed women battling their personal demons. One of the stars of Lifetime's new cop show with a heart, ""The Division,"" McKeon is also a gifted writer, producer, director and, most importantly, friend. At the ripe old age of three, she was signed with a modeling agency. The precocious little girl and her mother would shuttle from the family's suburban home in Queens to glitzy Manhattan, so that she could strike adorable poses for the Sears catalog and The New York Times. As McKeon grew, so did her resume. By age 10, she had appeared in dozens of commercials and a TV soap. But she owes her big break to her beloved big brother, Philip. In 1977, Philip McKeon, then 12, was cast as Linda Lavin's son on the TV sitcom ""Alice."" The big-time gig meant the entire McKeon clan had to uproot itself and m

Ashanti: An Unstoppable Force Ashanti was born on October 13, 1980, in Glen Cove, New York. She inherited a zest for music from her mother, a former dance teacher, and her father, a former singer. Growing up, she took dance lessons and joined the church choir; by the time she hit puberty, her mom was sending out demo tapes of her daughter's vocal talents, which led to a record deal with Jive Records in 1994. Unfortunately, this relationship soured when Jive tried to make the soulful singing teen into a run-of-the-mill pop star. Ashanti regrouped by throwing herself into schoolwork and running on her school's track team, which earned her an athletic scholarship to Princeton. But she put college pursuits aside when Epic Records came calling with a contract in 1998. However, the label's management changes quickly left Ashanti out in the cold. Undaunted, she continued to croon at local New York clubs and began hanging out at the Murder Inc. recording studio, hoping for another big break.

Bonnie Hunt: Never Say Quit Bonnie Hunt was born on September 22, 1964, in Chicago. One of seven children, Hunt loved hamming it up by telling funny stories and putting on plays with her siblings. In high school, she found a far different passion — medicine — while working as a nurse's aide, which led her to pursue a career as a nurse. But she satisfied her craving for the spotlight by doing stand-up in comedy clubs at night. Hunt was soon recruited into the well-known Second City comedy troupe. Her personal life was blossoming, too, and in July 1988, she married investment banker John Murphy. Shortly after, Hunt took a leap of faith and headed to California with stardom on the brain. Her first big break happened quickly in 1990, with the TV show ""Grand."" Unfortunately, the show was short-lived, the first of four failed sitcoms for the actress, including two that she created. Hunt had better luck on the big screen, with roles in ""Jerry Maguire"" and ""The Green Mile,"" as well as a stint

Stockard Channing: Totally Transformed Stockard Channing was born on February 13, 1944, in New York City, to an extremely affluent family. Her prim-and-proper upbringing included years at boarding school, and she attended the prestigious Radcliffe College. At age 19, the freshman married Harvard graduate student Walter Channing. Through her husband, she met the director of the Harvard production of ""Three Penny Opera,"" who cast Channing, an acting novice, in a leading role. That was how Channing caught the theater bug. In 1967, she and Walter divorced. A few years later, she headed for Broadway. A 1971 chorus part in ""Two Gentlemen of Verona"" led to TV roles and a part in the feature film ""The Fortune,"" co-starring Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson. Unfortunately, the movie and Channing's follow-ups fizzled at the box office. Her five-year career slump finally ended when the thirtysomething portrayed 17-year-old bad girl Rizzo in the movie musical ""Grease,"" which became a cinema classi

Donna Summer: Disco Diva Donna Summer was born in Boston on December 31, 1948. Her family lived in a dangerous part of the city; when she was a young girl, Summer was shot by a stray bullet that scarred her both physically and emotionally. At eight years old, she turned to music and the church choir to build up her self-esteem. By her teen years she was fronting the local band The Crow. In 1968, an RCA executive offered her group a record deal, but she left the band to perform the lead role in the German production of ""Hair."" Other musicals followed, and so did a marriage to her co-star, Helmut Sommer, in 1972. In 1974, she gave birth to daughter Mimi. The marriage was short-lived, and the suddenly single mom turned to singing studio backup vocals to pay the bills. In 1975, her collaboration on the hit disco song ""Love to Love You Baby"" transformed the shy woman into a sex symbol and international icon. But the grueling pace of touring left Summer despondent and suicidal. After being

Missy Elliott: Song of Strength Missy Elliott was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on July 1, 1971. Her childhood was traumatic: Her father violently abused her mother, and for several years, Elliott was sexually molested by a cousin. She found comfort in writing and singing music. Thankfully, when she was 13, she and her mother left her father. Though they barely scraped by financially, Elliott continued to find joy in creating music, even winning numerous local talent contents. As a young adult, Elliott formed the girl band Sista and landed an Elektra Records deal. When the group's album was permanently shelved, the determined artist gained her big breaks elsewhere, with work on Aaliyah's ""One in a Million"" and Gina Thompson's ""This Thing You Do."" She soon launched her own label, Gold Mind, and went on to write, produce and perform on her breakthrough 1997 album ""Supa Dupa Fly"" and in the accompanying groundbreaking videos. Just a few years later she earned a Grammy Award for the song

Molly Shannon: Queen Of Quirky Molly Shannon was born on September 16, 1964, in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Her happy youth was marred by tragedy when her mother, sister and cousin were killed in a car accident in 1969. The constant support of Shannon's free-spirited father helped her to cope, as did a budding passion and talent for comedy and performing. Her knack for improv comedy led Shannon to study acting at New York University, and she moved to Hollywood after graduating. There, she waited tables and auditioned for nearly 10 years, with little success. Determined, the aspiring actress decided to be more proactive and created her own venue with Rob Muir, a fellow improv actor; it was called ""The Rob and Molly Show."" Her initiative paid off when a talent scout from ""Saturday Night Live"" caught the program and recruited Shannon for the legendary sketch comedy show. Her portrayal of zany characters quickly made Shannon a hit on SNL. Particularly popular was her armpit-sniffing, sexually c

Dionne Warwick: Speaking Volumes Dionne Warwick was born on December 12, 1941, in East Orange, New Jersey. Her household was filled with music, and as a girl, she joined her church choir. By the time she entered her teens, Warwick was appearing on TV as part of another gospel choir. Before long, she was performing as a backup singer for the likes of Dinah Washington and Ray Charles. In 1962, the 21-year-old began churning out international hits, such as ""Don't Make Me Over,"" by pairing up with powerhouse songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David. In 1963, she fell in love with drummer-turned-actor Bill Elliot; the volatile pair married and divorced twice over a 12-year period. While the singer's personal life was shaky professionally, the chart-busters she wrote with Bacharach and David kept coming, as did her first Grammy Award, for ""Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"" in 1968. Warwick made her screen debut in 1969 opposite Ozzie Davis in ""Slaves."" After filming wrapped, she gave birth