Jennifer Lopez has starred in over forty feature films during a career that spans four decades as an actor and a producer. She is the highest-paid Latina actress in Hollywood, and was one of the highest-paid actresses during the 2000s, making in the region of $20 million USD per film role.Additional references: She is also reportedly the richest actress in Hollywood, with an estimated net worth of $400 million.
Lopez's first high-profile job was as a dancer on the sketch comedy series In Living Color (1991–1993). After deciding to pursue an acting career, she appeared in the television film Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993) before starring in the short-lived television series Second Chances (1993) and its spin-off, Hotel Malibu (1994). For her theatrical film debut in My Family (1995), Lopez was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female. She began booking larger film roles; she played a police officer in Money Train (1995), a teacher in Francis Ford Coppola's comedy-drama Jack (1996), and starred opposite Jack Nicholson as a "calculating Cuban maid" in Blood and Wine (1997). Lopez rose to wider prominence playing singer Selena Quintanilla in the biopic Selena (1997), which is often cited as her breakout role. Selena was a box office success and earned Lopez a Golden Globe Award nomination. Later that year, she starred in the horror film Anaconda, her first major box office success, and had an "exploitative femme fatale role" in Oliver Stone's neo-noir thriller U Turn. She starred as a U.S. Marshal in Steven Soderbergh's crime film Out of Sight (1998), which drew critical praise and is often cited as her best role. Lopez also lent her voice to the animated film Antz (1998).
During the early 2000s, Lopez established herself as one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. She starred in the psychological thriller The Cell (2000), followed by her first romantic comedy, The Wedding Planner (2001), both of which were box office successes. Her next films, Angel Eyes (2001) and Enough (2002), were not commercially or critically successful, though Enough has received retrospective praise and developed a cult following. Afterwards, she became known for starring in romantic comedies, including the commercially successful Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004), and Monster-in-Law (2005). During this period, she also starred alongside then-boyfriend Ben Affleck in Gigli (2003), often considered one of the worst films of all time, and Jersey Girl (2004). Lopez's subsequent films were "disappointing-to-middling successes". She starred in An Unfinished Life (2005), after which she began producing her own projects with El Cantante (2006) and Bordertown (2007).
After a three-year career hiatus, Lopez starred in the romantic comedy The Back-Up Plan (2010), and later returned to prominence as a judge on American Idol (2011–2016), which made her one of the highest-paid American television stars. In 2012, she launched her own talent show, ¡Q'Viva! The Chosen, and appeared in the ensemble comedy film What to Expect When You're Expecting. She continued to produce various television projects through her company Nuyorican Productions, most notably The Fosters (2013–2018). During this period, she appeared in the thriller films Parker (2013), The Boy Next Door and Lila & Eve (both 2015). She also had voice roles in the animated films Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012), Home (2015) and Ice Age: Collision Course (2016). Lopez produced and starred in the NBC police drama series Shades of Blue (2016–2018). Her next film, the comedy-drama Second Act (2018), was successful at the box office. She received critical praise for playing a stripper in the crime drama Hustlers (2019), winning the Spotlight Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and receiving Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for her performance.
Since the early 2020s, Lopez has established herself as one of the "most prominent leading actresses of the streaming era". She has starred in a string of successful streaming films including Marry Me (2022), Shotgun Wedding (2022), The Mother (2023), This Is Me... Now: A Love Story—her first film as a co-writer―and Atlas (both 2024). She also received critical praise for her supporting roles in the sports biopic Unstoppable (2024) and Bill Condon's musical drama, Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025).
Lopez has various projects in development. She is slated to produce a new animated Bob the Builder movie, and will star in two films for Netflix: the romantic comedy Office Romance, and the Robert Zemeckis-directed psychological thriller The Last Mrs. Parrish.
Film Year Title Role Notes 1993 Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 Rosie Romero Also known as Lost in the Wild 1995 My Family Young Maria Also known as Mi Familia My Family:
Money Train Grace Santiago Money Train:
1996 Jack Miss Marquez Jack:
1997 Blood and Wine Gabriella Blood and Wine:
Selena Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Selena:
Anaconda Terri Flores Anaconda:
U Turn Grace McKenna U Turn:
1998 Out of Sight Karen Sisco Out of Sight:
Antz Azteca Voice role Antz:
2000 The Cell Catherine Deane The Cell:
2001 The Wedding Planner Mary Fiore The Wedding Planner:
Angel Eyes Sharon Pogue Angel Eyes:
2002 Enough Slim Hiller Enough:
Maid in Manhattan Marisa Ventura Maid in Manhattan:
2003 Gigli Ricki Gigli:
2004 Jersey Girl Gertrude Steiney Jersey Girl:
Shall We Dance? Paulina Shall We Dance?:
2005 Monster-in-Law Charlotte Cantilini Monster-in-Law:
An Unfinished Life Jean Gilkyson An Unfinished Life
2006 El Cantante Puchi Also producer El Cantante:
2007 Bordertown Lauren Adrian Bordertown:
Manufacturing Dissent Herself Documentary Manufacturing Dissent:
Feel the Noise Cameo; also producer Feel the Noise:
2010 The Back-up Plan Zoe The Back-up Plan:
2012 Sellebrity Herself Documentary What to Expect When You're Expecting Holly What to Expect When You're Expecting:
Ice Age: Continental Drift Shira Voice role Ice Age: Continental Drift:
2013 Parker Leslie Rodgers Parker:
2014 Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again Herself Documentary; also executive producer 2015 The Boy Next Door Claire Peterson Also producer The Boy Next Door:
Lila & Eve Eve Rafael Lila & Eve:
Home Lucy Tucci Voice role Home:
The Latin Explosion: A New America Herself Documentary 2016 Ice Age: Collision Course Shira Voice role Ice Age: Collision Course:
2017 Welcome to My Life Herself Documentary 2018 Second Act Maya DaVilla / Maria Vargas Also producer 2019 Hustlers Ramona Vega Wonder Boy Herself Documentary 2022 Marry Me Katalina "Kat" Valdez Also producer Jennifer Lopez: Halftime Herself Documentary Shotgun Wedding Darcy Also producer 2023 The Mother The Mother 2024 This Is Me... Now: A Love Story The Artist Also co-writer and executive producer The Greatest Love Story Never Told Herself Documentary Atlas Atlas Shepherd Also producer Unstoppable Judy Robles 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman Ingrid Luna / Aurora / The Spider Woman Also executive producer Anaconda Herself Uncredited cameo 2026 Office Romance Jackie Cruz Also producer 2027 scope="row" Shira Voice role scope="row" Daphne Parrish Post-production; also producer
Television Year Title Role Notes 1991–1993 In Living Color Fly Girl 62 episodes 1993–1994 Second Chances Melinda Lopez 4 episodes Second Chances:
1994 Hotel Malibu Melinda Lopez 6 episodesHotel Malibu:
South Central Lucille 4 episodes 2000–2019 Saturday Night Live Herself (host/musical guest) 2004–2018 Will & Grace HerselfWill & Grace:
2006 South Beach 8 episodes; executive producer onlySouth Beach:
2007 DanceLife 8 episodes; executive producer and co-creator only Jennifer Lopez Presents: Como Ama una Mujer 5 episodes; executive producer and creator only 2010 How I Met Your Mother Episode: "Of Course" 2011–2012; 2014–2016; 2021 American Idol Herself (judge) 170 episodes 2011–2014 South Beach Tow 87 episodes; executive producer only 2012 Q'Viva! The Chosen Herself 12 episodes; also executive producer 2013–2018 The Fosters 104 episodes; executive producer only 2015; 2025 43rd Annual American Music Awards Herself (host) Television special 2016–2018 Shades of Blue 36 episodes; also executive producer 2017–2020 World of Dance Herself (judge) Also executive producer 2017 One Voice Somos Live: A Concert for Disaster Relief Herself Television special 2019–2024 Good Trouble Executive producer only 2020 One World: Together at Home Herself Television special Dear Class of 2020 Web television special 2022 RuPaul's Drag Race Guest appearance
Video games Year Title Voice role 2012 Ice Age: Continental Drift – Arctic Games Shira
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