The Biography Channel - Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone Biography

Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone
born: 16-08-1958
birth place: Bay City, Michigan

Ever sensitive to the evolving mood of her audience, Madonna dropped the Material Girl persona, with the birth of her daughter in the late 1990s, and a new meditative, self-aware lyricism emerged in 'Ray of Light'.

Madonna followed up the success of 'Ray of Light' with 'Music', but with her 'American Life' album,, she failed to wow critics and fans alike. The album performed badly in the charts and it was only the world 'Re:Invention' tour in 2004 that helped elevate her profile once more.

Her film career has been patchy, to say the least, with only "Desperately Seeking Susan' and 'Evita' enjoying any acclaim. The less said about 'Swept Away', the better!

Madonna married 'Swept Away' director Guy Ritchie in 2000 and gave birth to a son. In 2006, the couple were embroiled in controversy after they filed adoption papers for a baby boy named David Banda during a trip to an orphanage in Malawi.

After a passport and visa were issued for the child, Banda was flown out of Malawi. The adoption raised public concerns about whether special treatment was given to Madonna considering the fact that Malawian law normally requires one year of residence for potential adoptive parents.

In October 2008 Madonna and Ritchie filed for divorce after nearly eight years of marriage and disputes over a settlement have already begun. The divorce looks set to be one of the highest profile divorce cases ever with an estimated joint fortune of £300m at stake.