Over the years, it’s not just Florida Man that’s been making headlines from the Sunshine State.
In fact, there are many Florida women who are famous in their own right for making their marks in Hollywood and in music for decades.
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Here’s a list of some famous Florida ladies in entertainment.
MANDY MOORE
Moore grew up just outside of Orlando and rose to fame in 1999 with her first single, “Candy.” She soon branched out into acting with “The Princess Diaries” and “A Walk to Remember”. Most recently, she stars in the television series “This is Us” and released an album in 2020 called “Silver Landings”.
ARIANA GRANDE
Grande was born in Boca Raton and made her first big break when she was 15 years old with the role of Charlotte in the Broadway production of 13. She has gone to star on television, release six studio albums earning 12 Grammy nominations and one win, among many other accomplishments.
GLORIA ESTEFAN
Estefan is a Cuban-American singer that was born in Havana, Cuba and grew up in Miami. She fronted the band Miami Sound Machine, releasing hits like “Conga” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”. She’s also written childrens’ books, made television appearances and debuted the autobiographical musical “On Your Feet!” on Broadway in 2015. Estefan has made dozens of overall albums, including studio solo albums and several in Spanish.
Mindy McCready
McCready was a country music singer boring in Fort Myers. She moved to Nashville and signed her first recording contract when she was 17. Her first album, Ten Thousand Angels went double platinum and included four hit singles. She released several other albums and is also known for releasing the song “Black and Blue”, donating the proceeds to Women Against Domestic Violence.
Camila Cabello
Cabello was born in Cuba and grew up in Miami. After auditioning for the show The X Factor, she formed a girl group with four others to become Fifth Harmony. She later began her solo career and is best known for the songs “Havana” and “Senorita”.
Thelma “Butterfly” McQueen
McQueen was born in Tampa, and later moved to Harlem, New York with her mother. In 1935, she performed in the “Butterfly Ballet” in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, earning the nickname “Butterfly.” She appeared in several Broadway shows before landing her most famous role “Gone With The Wind” as Prissy.
Maya Rudolph
Rudolph was born in Gainesville before moving to California as a child. She began performing as a child. The actress and comedian’s career took off when she joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 2000. She’s also known for her roles in films like “Bridesmaids” and “Grown-Ups”.
DELTA BURKE
Burke was born and raised in Orlando and got her start through beauty pageants as a teenager. She was crowned Miss Florida in her senior year of high school. The actress has appeared in several television series but is most well-known for her role as ‘Suzanne Sugarbaker’ in the sitcom “Designing Women”.
BRITTANY SNOW
Snow is an actress from Tampa who began her career on the soap opera “Guiding Light”, for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress. She also starred in the series “American Dreams”, before going on to films such as “John Tucker Must Die”, “Hairspray” and “Pitch Perfect”.
EVA MENDES
Mendes was born in Miami and later moved to the Los Angeles area with her mother. She appeared in several B movies before being cast in “Training Day” as Denzel Washington’s girlfriend, which led to roles in several other films. She became one of the first minority actors to play the lead in a hit romantic comedy when she starred in the film Hitch. Besides acting, she also designs a line for New York & Company and is the creative director of makeup line CIRCA Beauty.
FAYE DUNAWAY
Dunaway was born in the small town of Bascom, Florida near the Alabama border. She started her career on Broadway, before starring as Bonnie Parker in the film Bonnie and Clyde, for which she got Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. She starred in many well-known films like The Thomas Crown Affair, Network, and Mommie Dearest. She still works today with at least one project listed as in pre-production.
