Marc Anthony - The Iconic American Singer and Actor

Marc Anthony was born in New York City to Puerto Rican parents. His father, Felipe Muñiz, was a hospital cafeteria worker and musician, while his mother, Guillermina Quiñones, was a housewife. Anthony's parents named him after Mexican singer Marco Antonio Muñiz. He grew up in East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, and is the youngest of eight children. Raised Roman Catholic, Anthony displayed musical talent at a young age, learning to sing in both Spanish and English under the guidance of his father.

His musical education began at home, where he listened to a variety of musical genres and performers, including rock, rhythm and blues, and salsa legends. At age 14, he set a Greek national record in the 50-meter freestyle swimming competition. In November 1972, he moved to the United States to attend the University of Minnesota, majoring in psychology. While studying, he played in a local rock band and continued to develop his musical skills.

Singing Career

Anthony began his career as a session vocalist for freestyle music and underground New York house music acts. After changing his name to avoid confusion with his namesake, he worked as a songwriter and backing vocalist for pop acts Menudo and the Latin Rascals. His first album was a freestyle music record, Rebel, which debuted in 1988 on Bluedog Records. That same year, he wrote and produced "Boy I've Been Told" for fellow freestyle artist Sa-Fire.

In 1992, Anthony released his Spanish-language debut, Otra Nota, which included a cover of Bread's "Make It with You." Subsequent tours throughout the Americas established him as one of the newest stars in salsa. By the early 1990s, Anthony had sold more salsa records than any other performer, solidifying his position among the most important new salsa artists to emerge in the 1990s.

In 1994, he was featured on La India's album Dicen Que Soy, on the song "Vivir Lo Nuestro." His 1995 follow-up, Todo a su tiempo, won Anthony a Billboard Award for Hot Tropical Artist of the Year. The album was also nominated for a Grammy, featuring hits like "Te Conozco Bien" and "Hasta Ayer."

Anthony's next Spanish-language album, Contra La Corriente, was followed by the television special Marc Anthony: The Concert from Madison Square Garden, broadcast on HBO on Valentine's Day in 2000. The special was nominated for the Music Special of the Year by TV Guide. The album's song "Y Hubo Alguien" became Anthony's first number-one single on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks and the first by a salsa musician. The album became the first salsa album to enter the English-language Billboard 200 chart.

Sony Records

In 1999, riding the crossover wave of Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias in the Anglophone market, Anthony released an English-language, self-titled album with the US Top 5 single "I Need to Know," and the Spanish version, "Dímelo." His song "You Sang To Me" was featured in Runaway Bride. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard album chart, and six weeks later went platinum; it eventually was certified triple platinum. The song "I Need To Know" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

In 2001, he debuted another salsa album, Libre, which was certified gold with songs like "Celos" and "Este Loco Que Te Mira." The album spent 14 weeks at the number-one spot on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. The year after that, he made another English-language album, Mended.

In June 2004, Anthony released a Latin pop album, Amar Sin Mentiras. The following month, he reintroduced its songs with a danceable salsa rhythm in another album, Valió la Pena. The song "Escapémonos" was a duet with Jennifer Lopez. In the 2005 Latin Grammy Awards, his Amar Sin Mentiras won Best Latin Pop Album of the Year, and his Valió la Pena won Best Tropical Album of the Year. Lopez and Anthony performed "Escapémonos" at the 2005 Grammy Awards.

On July 11, 2006, Anthony released Sigo Siendo Yo, a Spanish greatest-hits album. In May 2010 , he released Iconos, a tribute to classic Latin songs by artists such as José Luis Perales, Juan Gabriel, and José José. In 2012, he released a new song called "Cautivo De Este Amor." In the same year, Anthony was inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame.

In December 2012, it was announced that Anthony was recording a salsa album alongside longtime producer Sergio George. Vivir Mi Vida, a Spanish adaptation of Khaled's song "C'est la vie," was released as the lead single on April 25, 2013. In July 2013, Anthony released 3.0, a salsa album that included his hit song "Vivir Mi Vida." The album has since been certified Platinum, and Anthony announced his Vivir Mi Vida World Tour, traveling across 15 countries on three continents. Following this, he announced a second world tour for his album 3.0, called the Cambio de Piel Tour.

After the Cambio de Piel Tour, Marc Anthony kicked off UNIDO2, his international tour with Carlos Vives. He remains in high demand for touring, with the Vivir Mi Vida World Tour being one of PollStar's top-selling tours of 2013, extended to May 2014 due to popular demand. He received a Premio Juventud for Super Tour of the Year, and his Gigant3S tour with Marco Antonio Solis and Chayanne topped the Billboard Hot Latin Tours charts in 2012.

Acting Career

Marc Anthony has also ventured into acting, playing supporting roles in films such as Hackers (1995), Big Night (1996), and The Substitute (1996). He appeared in Paul Simon's stage musical The Capeman in 1998, and had a role in Martin Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead (1999). In 2001, he starred alongside Salma Hayek in In the Time of the Butterflies. His notable role in Man on Fire (2004) featured him opposite Denzel Washington as a wealthy businessman. In 2007, he starred in El Cantante, a biographical drama about salsa legend Héctor Lavoe, with his then-wife Jennifer Lopez narrating and portraying Lavoe's wife. The film received mixed reviews but showcased Anthony's musical talents.

In 2010, he guest-starred in the TNT medical drama HawthoRNe and served as the executive music producer for the show. He collaborated with Lopez and director Jamie King on the Latin talent series Q'Viva! The Chosen in 2011, which followed them as they searched for new talent across 21 countries. In 2012, he served as a guest mentor on Season 2 of The X Factor and played the father of Sonny in the movie musical In the Heights.

Awards and Honors

Marc Anthony has sold over 12 million albums worldwide, receiving numerous gold and platinum certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He has been recognized by New York magazine as one of the Ten Most Influential New Yorkers and was inducted into the Billboard Hall of Fame in 2012. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute in September 2009.

He has won a total of 29 Premio Lo Nuestro Latin Music awards, the most for any male artist, and has been honored with the ASCAP Founders Award. His accolades include twelve Billboard Latin Music Awards, three Billboard Awards, and a special recognition from the Univisión television network.

Anthony received his first Grammy in 1998 for Best Latin Tropical Performance for Contra La Corriente, followed by the first-ever Latin Grammy Song of the Year award for "Dímelo" (I Need to Know) in 2000. His eponymous English-language album debut went triple-platinum in the US, helping to usher in the Latin pop explosion of 1999–2000. In 2005, he received double best-album Grammys for Amar Sin Mentiras and Valió la Pena.

Marc Anthony has had 25 Billboard chart hits, with songs like "Vivir Mi Vida" and "Flor Pálida" receiving hundreds of millions of views on YouTube. In 2013, "Vivir Mi Vida" spent 18 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on Billboard, making it the longest-running #1 single of all time, and it received the Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year. He was honored as the Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy on November 16, 2016, for his musical contributions and philanthropic work.

In 2023, Rolling Stone ranked Anthony at number 167 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.

Other Ventures

Philanthropy

Marc Anthony co-founded the Maestro Cares Foundation in January 2012, which focuses on improving the lives of children in Latin America and the United States. The foundation opened an orphanage in La Romana, Dominican Republic, in 2014 and a youth home and school in Barranquilla, Colombia, in 2015. In 2017, he collaborated with his ex-wife Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez to host One Voice: Somos Live!, a telethon aimed at supporting Puerto Rico's recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria.

Entrepreneurship

In 2009, Anthony became a minority owner of the Miami Dolphins. He returned to television in 2011 on the TNT series HawthoRNe, toured the U.S., and launched a line of clothing and luxury accessories for Kohl's. Together with Jamie King and Jennifer Lopez, he produced the 2012 TV series ¡Q' Viva! The Chosen, which aired simultaneously on Spanish and English television in the U.S. and Latin America. In April 2015, he announced the formation of the entertainment company Magnus Media, which has since signed a first-look deal with ViacomCBS International Studios.

Personal Life

Marc Anthony is a supporter of the Democratic Party and performed "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the 2012 Democratic National Convention. He co-hosted a concert in support of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. A practicing Roman Catholic, Anthony has faced some controversy regarding his heritage, as some viewers mistakenly believed he was Mexican. He clarified in an interview that he was born and raised in New York.

Relationships and Family

Anthony has seven children. He had a daughter named Arianna Muñiz with then-girlfriend Debbie Rosado in 1994, and they later adopted a son, Chase Muñiz. He was engaged to Dominican-American actress Claudette Lali from 1996 to 1998. Anthony married former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in 2000, with whom he has two sons, Cristian and Ryan. He married Jennifer Lopez in 2004, and they had twins in 2008 before separating in 2011 and finalizing their divorce in 2014.

In 2014, Anthony married model Shannon De Lima, but they separated in 2016 and finalized their divorce in 2017. As of February 2022, he was in a relationship with Miss Universe Paraguay Nadia Ferreira, and they got engaged in May 2022. They married on January 28, 2023, and announced they were expecting a child on Valentine's Day 2023. In June 2023, they welcomed their first child together.

Discography

Marc Anthony's discography includes several successful albums, such as Otra Nota (1993), Todo a Su Tiempo (1993), Contra la Corriente (1997), Marc Anthony (1999), Libre (2001), Mended (2002), Amar Sin Mentiras (2004), Valió la Pena (2004), El Cantante (2007), Iconos (2010), 3.0 (2013), Opus (2019), and Pa'llá Voy (2022). His tours, including the Juntos en concierto series, have featured collaborations with other prominent Latin artists, solidifying his status as a leading figure in Latin music.

Listen to Marc Anthony's Albums in Lossless Audio via Streaming: HERE