Rosario Dawson was born in New York, New York on May 9, 1979. Rosario's ethinicity is of Afro-Cuban, Irish & Native American descent. She was raised in a Manhattan tenement building by her Bronx-born mother, a professional vocalist, and her father, who worked in construction.

Dawson attended an alternative school in downtown Manhattan, where she harbored aspirations of one day becoming a marine biologist. When she reached age 15, however, Dawson's career plans unexpectedly changed. She was literally cast off the street for the role of Ruby in the 1995 indie production Kids, after director Larry Clark spotted her on the stoop of her apartment building. Kids went on to become a controversial hit, and Dawson opted out of her college plans, choosing instead to attend the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

The training Dawson received at the Strasberg Institute complemented the publicity that Kids had earned her, and it wasn't long before she received her second casting call, this time from Spike Lee for his 1998 film, He Got Game. That same year she appeared in Side Streets, which features a series of vignettes depicting life throughout New York City.

Over the course of the next few years, Dawson appeared in three more small-time films: as an honor student held hostage in Light It Up, a pothead in Down to You and a bully in King of the Jungle. Although none of these projects were box-office hits, they provided Dawson with the exposure crucial to a young actress, and the jobs kept coming. Her next role was as bassist Valerie Brown in 2001's feature film, Josie and the Pussycats.

Despite the slew of publicity Josie and the Pussycats enjoyed preceding its release, the movie was a disappointment both critically and popularly. Nonetheless, the mass marketing of the film translated well for Dawson, who soon found herself on the "hot new faces" lists of entertainment publications throughout the country. Before the end of 2001, she managed to appear in three more movies: Sidewalks of New York, Trigger Happy and Chelsea Walls, an Ethan Hawke production.

Rosario Dawson's career has continued to burgeon throughout 2002. She has demonstrated her versatility as an actress through equally strong performances in a variety of genres, from independent art-house films such as Love In the Time of Money and multi-million dollar blockbusters like Men in Black II and The Adventures of Pluto Nash.

Dawson will round out her resume further with appearances in a number of films slated for release in 2002, including the gangster flick Ash Wednesday and Spike Lee's The 25th Hour, wherein she'll play the girlfriend of a convicted felon. She has also been penned in for two 2003 films: Shattered Glass and opposite The Rock in Helldorado.

Rosario was one of those promising young stars who was literally "discovered" while sitting on the stoop of her Manhattan home, by director Larry Clark, who at the time was making the controversial documentary Kids, about the sexual exploits of inner city youth.

FILMOGRAPHY:

Vinyl (2005)

Rent (2005)

My Life in Idlewild (2005)

Sin City (2005)

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

This Revolution (2004)

Alexander (2004) as Roxanne

Punk'd (2003) as herself Episode #1.8, May 5, 2003

Shattered Glass (2003)

This Girl's Life (2003) as "Martine"

The Rundown (2003) as "Mariana"

The 25th Hour (2002) as "Naturelle"

The First $20 Million (2002) as "Alisa"

The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) as "Dina"

Men In Black 2 (2002) as "Laura Vasquez"

Love in the Time of Money (2002) as "Anna"

Ash Wednesday (2001) as "Grace Quinonez"

Josie & the Pussycats (2001) as "Valerie"

Backstage Pass-Making of "Josie" (2001) as Herself

Chelsea Walls (2001) as "Audrey"

Trigger Happy (2001) as "Dee"

Sidewalks of New York (2001) as "Maria Tedesco"

King of the Jungle (2000) as "Veronica"

Down to You (2000) as "Lana"

Light It Up (1999) as "Stephanie Williams"

He Got Game (1998) as "Lala Bonilla"

Girls Night Out (1997)

Side Streets (1997) as "Marisol Hidalgo"

Kids (1995) as "Ruby"

Between films, Rosario Dawson juggles a relationship with Dawson's Creek star Joshua Jackson and a growing proficiency at guitar, which has been aided by lessons from one-time co-star Eddie Murphy.

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