Mary J. Blige
Acting • Born 1971-01-11
Biography
Mary Jane Blige (/blaɪʒ/; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and philanthropist. She started her career as a backing singer on Uptown Records in 1989. She has released 13 studio albums, eight of which have achieved multi-platinum worldwide sales. Blige has sold over 80 million records, has won nine Grammy Awards, four American Music Awards, twelve Billboard Music Awards and has also received three Golden Globe Award nominations, including one for her supporting role in the film Mudbound (2017) and another for its second original song "Mighty River" for Mudbound; she also received a nomination for the Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress and Best Original Song, becoming the first person nominated for acting and songwriting in the same year. In 1992, Blige released her first album, What's the 411?. Her 1994 album My Life is among Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[4] and Time magazine's All-Time 100 Albums. She received a Legends Award at the World Music Awards in 2006, and the Voice of Music Award from ASCAP in 2007. As of 2018, Blige has sold 80 million records worldwide. Billboard ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years. In 2017, Billboard magazine named her 2006 song "Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop song of all time, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and over 75 weeks on the chart. In 2011, VH1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. ln 2012, VH1 ranked Blige at number 9 in "The 100 Greatest Women in Music" list.
Filmography
133 credits
Teenage Paparazzo
Movie • 2010
Self (uncredited)
Rob Peace
Movie • 2024
Jackie Peace
I Can Do Bad All By Myself
Movie • 2009
Tanya
Prison Song
Movie • 2001
Mom
Elton John: One Night Only, The Greatest Hits
Movie • 2000
Self - Guest Appearance
Behind the Shield: The Power and Politics of the NFL
Movie • 2022
Self (archive footage)
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Movie • 2021
Self
Carole King and her Songs at the BBC
Movie • 2023
Self (archive footage)
You're Watching Video Music Box
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
JAY-Z: Fade to Black
Movie • 2004
Self
Rock of Ages
Movie • 2012
Justice
Beats Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
Movie • 2011
Self
George Michael - Twenty Five
Movie • 2006
Self
VH1 Divas Live 2: An Honors Concert for VH1's Save the Music
Movie • 1999
Self - Performer
Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story
Movie • 2017
Self
Hope for Haiti Now
Movie • 2010
Self
Soul Divas
Movie • 2007
Self
George Michael: Freedom Uncut
Movie • 2022
Self
Betty and Coretta
Movie • 2013
Dr. Betty Shabazz
Genius. A Night for Ray Charles
Movie • 2004
Self
Black Nativity
Movie • 2013
Platinum Fro
Michael Bublé’s 3rd Annual Christmas Special
Movie • 2013
Self
Be Inspired: The Life of Heavy D
Movie • 2012
Self
Happy to Be Nappy and Other Stories of Me
Movie • 2004
Self (voice)
Gangstresses
Movie • 2000
Mary J. Blige
Michael Jackson: Number Ones
Movie • 2003
Self (archive footage)
Queens of Soul at the BBC
Movie • 2015
Self (archive footage)
Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’
Movie • 2012
Self
Sting: Inside - The Songs of Sacred Love
Movie • 2003
Self - Special Guest Vocalist
2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Movie • 2022
Self
Thriller 40
Movie • 2023
Self
The Wiz Live!
Movie • 2015
Evillene
THE SHOW: California Love
Movie • 2022
Self
TMZ Presents: The Downfall of Diddy
Movie • 2024
Self (archive footage)
VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul
Movie • 2011
Self
VH1 Divas Live: The One and Only Aretha Franklin
Movie • 2001
Self
Mary J. Blige: Live at Made in America
Movie • 2015
Self
Mary J. Blige: VH1 Storytellers
Movie • 2008
Self
An Intimate Evening with Mary J. Blige - Live from the House of Blues
Movie • 2005
Self
Songs & Visions
Movie • 1997
Self
Mudbound
Movie • 2017
Florence Jackson
Taylor Swift: The 1989 World Tour - Live
Movie • 2015
Self - Musical Guest
George Michael: Freedom
Movie • 2017
Self
Grammy's Greatest Stories: A 60th Anniversary Special
Movie • 2017
Self
Sherlock Gnomes
Movie • 2018
Irene (voice)
Eric Clapton & Friends in Concert
Movie • 1999
Self - Guest star
All Access: Front Row. Backstage. Live!
Movie • 2001
Self
Body Cam
Movie • 2020
Renee Lomito-Smith
Quincy
Movie • 2018
Self
And You Don't Stop: 30 Years of Hip-Hop
Movie • 2004
Self
The Making of the Wiz Live!
Movie • 2015
Self
Respect
Movie • 2021
Dinah Washington
Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade
Movie • 2013
Self
Classic Albums: Jay-Z - Reasonable Doubt
Movie • 2007
Self
DMX: Angel
Movie • 2001
Guardian Angel
The Violent Heart
Movie • 2020
Nina
Trolls World Tour
Movie • 2020
Queen Essence (voice)
Pink Skies Ahead
Movie • 2020
Doctor Monroe
We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial
Movie • 2009
Self
Michael Jackson: The One
Movie • 2004
Self
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
Movie • 2021
Self (archive footage)
Mary J. Blige's My Life
Movie • 2021
Self
The Box
Movie • 2018
Evil Commander
Jay-Z: MTV Unplugged
Movie • 2001
Self
2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Movie • 2024
Self
Wham!: Last Christmas Unwrapped
Movie • 2024
Self
Mary J. Blige: For My Fans
Movie • 2025
Self
MTV 20: Jams
Movie • 2001
Mary J. Blige - Live in Los Angeles
Movie • 2004
Scream Ressurection
Movie • 2019
Sherry Elliot
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
TV • 2003
Self
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
TV • 2003
Self
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
TV • 2003
Self - Guest
Ghost Whisperer
TV • 2005
Jackie Boyd
Top of the Pops
TV • 1964
Self
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
TV • 2001
Self - Guest
Today
TV • 1952
Self
The Jamie Foxx Show
TV • 1996
Ola Mae
The Tyra Banks Show
TV • 2005
Self
The View
TV • 1997
Self
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
TV • 1992
Self
All That
TV • 1994
Self
Moesha
TV • 1996
Mary J. Blige
New York Undercover
TV • 1994
American Idol
TV • 2002
Self - Guest
30 Rock
TV • 2006
Mary J. Blige
MTV Unplugged
TV • 1989
Self
In Living Color
TV • 1990
The Jay Leno Show
TV • 2009
Self
Out All Night
TV • 1992
Self
Alan Carr: Chatty Man
TV • 2009
Self
The Marriage Ref
TV • 2010
Self - Panelist
The Daily Show
TV • 1996
Self
The Grammys
TV • 1959
Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Justin Lee Collins: Good Times
TV • 2010
Self
One Life to Live
TV • 1968
Saturday Night Live
TV • 1975
Self - Musical Guest
American Music Awards
TV • 1974
Self - Musical Guest
Empire
TV • 2015
Angie
Tamron Hall
TV • 2019
Self - Guest
Miley's New Year's Eve Party
TV • 2004
Self - Musical Guest
Intimate Portrait
TV • 1993
Self
Lip Sync Battle
TV • 2015
Self
The Chris Rock Show
TV • 1997
Self
The View
TV • 1997
Self - Guest
Lost Ollie
TV • 2022
Rosy (voice)
MTV Video Music Awards
TV • 1984
Self
How to Get Away with Murder
TV • 2014
Rolanda
Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music
TV • 2005
Self
America's Next Top Model
TV • 2003
Self - Guest
Yo! MTV Raps
TV • 1988
Self
The Wine Down with Mary J. Blige
TV • 2023
Self - Host
Sherri
TV • 2022
Self - Guest
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
TV • 2009
Self - Guest
The Umbrella Academy
TV • 2019
Cha-Cha
The Crew Has It
TV • 2022
The Shop
TV • 2018
Self
Scream: The TV Series
TV • 2015
Sherry Elliot
black-ish
TV • 2014
Mirabelle
Classic Albums
TV • 1997
Self
Power Book II: Ghost
TV • 2020
Monet Stewart Tejada
Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter
TV • 2015
Self
Strong Medicine
TV • 2000
Simone Fellows
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
TV • 2009
Self
Impact x Nightline
TV • 2022
Fat Joe Talks
TV • 2024
Self - Guest
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
TV • 2014
Self
Entourage
TV • 2004
Mary J. Blige
In Vogue: The 90s
TV • 2024
Self
Sean Combs: The Reckoning
TV • 2025
Self (archive footage)
People's Choice Awards
TV • 1975
Self - Performer
VH1 Storytellers
TV • 2005