Thursday, Apr. 01, 2010
Gabourey Sidibe
Age: 26
Occupation: Actress
Previous TIME 100 Appearances: 0
The Brooklyn-born, Harlem-raised college student's first major audition landed her the lead in the film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. Playing the character of Precious, a young woman bent but not broken by abuse, landed her an Oscar nomination alongside Hollywood veterans Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep. The film won two Academy Awards and put Sidibe squarely in the spotlight. Now that she's excelled at an inspirational role, she wants to try her hand at comedy.