Paula Abdul
Known for Acting · 112 credits
- Born
- 1962-06-19 (age 63)
- Place of birth
- San Fernando, California, USA
- Also known as
- Paula Julie Abdul
Biography
Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls, where she was discovered by the Jacksons. After choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson, Abdul became a choreographer at the height of the music video era and soon thereafter she was signed to Virgin Records.
Abdul's debut studio album, Forever Your Girl (1988), became one of the most successful debut albums at that time, selling seven million copies in the United States and setting a record for the most U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles from a debut album: "Straight Up", "Forever Your Girl", "Cold Hearted", and "Opposites Attract". Her second album, Spellbound (1991), scored the number-one singles "Rush Rush" and "The Promise of a New Day". With six number-one singles on Hot 100, Abdul tied Diana Ross for the third-most chart-toppers among female solo artists at the time. As of 2025, Abdul places seventh along with Diana Ross and Lady Gaga for the most number-one singles by female artists in the U.S. to date.
Abdul was one of the original judges on the television series American Idol from 2002 to 2009, and has since appeared as a judge on The X Factor, Live to Dance, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Masked Dancer. She received choreography credits in numerous films, including Can't Buy Me Love (1987), The Running Man (1987), Coming to America (1988), Action Jackson (1988), The Doors (1991), Jerry Maguire (1996), and American Beauty (1999). She received 17 MTV Video Music Award nominations, winning five, as well as receiving the Grammy Award for Best Music Video for "Opposites Attract" in 1991. She received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Choreography twice for her work on The Tracey Ullman Show, and her own performance at the American Music Awards in 1990. Abdul was honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and is the first entertainer to be honored with the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards' Hall of Fame Award.
Abdul was born in San Fernando, California. She is Jewish: her father, Harry Abdul, is of Syrian Jewish heritage and was born in Aleppo, Syria, raised in Brazil and emigrated to the United States. Her mother, Lorraine (Rykiss), was a concert pianist of Jewish heritage, from Minnedosa, Manitoba, Canada. Abdul has an older sister named Wendy. As an avid dancer, Abdul was inspired towards a show business career by Gene Kelly in the film Singin' in the Rain. ...
Source: Article "Paula Abdul" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
Known For
TV Shows (74)
Family Guy
1999
as Paula Abdul (voice)
The Daily Show
1996
as Self
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Cameo (uncredited) / Self (uncredited)
RuPaul's Drag Race
2009
as Self - Guest Judge
Dancing with the Stars
2005
as Self - Guest Judge
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self - Guest
Fresh Off the Boat
2015
as Holly
The View
1997
as Self
American Idol
2002
as Self - Judge
Hell's Kitchen
2005
as Self - Restaurant Patron
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
2003
as Self
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
1996
as Paula Abdul
LIVE with Kelly and Mark
1988
as Self
Spin City
1996
as Paula Abdul
Champs-Elysées
1982
as Self
MTV Video Music Awards
1984
as Self
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
2003
as Self
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
Sacrée soirée
1987
as Self
Drop Dead Diva
2009
as Judge Paula
That's So Raven
2003
as The Host
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
1992
as Self
The Bernie Mac Show
2001
as Paula Abdul
So You Think You Can Dance
2005
as Self - Judge
Cybill
1995
The Tony Danza Show
2004
as Self
All That
1994
as Self
Good Day Live
2001
as Self
Impractical Jokers
2011
as Self
The Reichen Show
2005
as Self - Guest
Lip Sync Battle
2015
as Self
The Wayans Bros.
1995
as Sasha
A Little Late with Lilly Singh
2019
as Self
All of Us
2003
as Self
American Music Awards
1974
as Self - Presenter
The Single Guy
1995
as Paula Abdul
Less than Perfect
2002
as Kathleen
The Jay Leno Show
2009
as Self
American Idol
2018
as Self - Guest Judge
The Tracey Ullman Show
1987
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
2021
as Self - Contestant
Going Live!
1987
as Self
On Air with Ryan Seacrest
2004
as Self
The Movies That Made Us
2019
as Self
TRL
1998
The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
1999
as Self
Entertainment Tonight
1981
as Self
Made for Love
2021
as Anydoors
The Nineties
2017
as Self (archive footage)
Canada's Drag Race
2020
as Self - Guest Judge
Muppets Tonight
1996
as Self
Today
1952
as Self
The Muppets Mayhem
2023
as Paula Abdul
The X Factor
2011
as Self - Judge
This Is Pop
2021
as Self (archive footage)
The Arsenio Hall Show
2013
as Self
JANET JACKSON.
2022
as Self
Paris in Love
2021
as Self
Movies (38)
Robots
2005
as Watch (voice)
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers
2022
as 3-D Reporter / Paula Abdul
Brüno
2009
as Self - American Idol Judge
Can't Buy Me Love
1987
as Dancer (uncredited)
Private School
1983
as Cheerleader (uncredited)
L.A. Story
1991
as Roller Skater in Front of Tail O' the Pup (uncredited)
Waking Sleeping Beauty
2009
as Self (archive footage)
Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS and You
1992
as Self
The Master of Disguise
2002
as Choreographer (uncredited)
Howard
2018
as Self (archive footage)
Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens
2007
as Self (archive footage)
Romy and Michele: In the Beginning
2005
as Paula Abdul
Best Wishes, Warmest Regards: A Schitt's Creek Farewell
2020
as Self
Sinatra: 80 Years My Way
1995
as Self - Performer
Family Guy Presents: Stewie Kills Lois and Lois Kills Stewie
2009
as Paula Abdul (voice)
Impractical Jokers: The Movie
2020
as Paula Abdul
A Sister's Secret
2018
as Detective Tucker
Mr. Rock n Roll: The Alan Freed Story
1999
as Denise Walton
Junior High School
1978
as Sherry
American Idol: The Best of Seasons 1-4
2005
as Self - Judge (archive footage)
For Our Children
1993
as Self
A Smoky Mountain Christmas
1986
as Choreographer (uncredited)
VH1 Divas 2009
2009
as Self - Host
Life Is Not a Fairytale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
2006
as Self
American Idol: The Worst of Seasons 1-4
2005
as Self - Judge
Janet Jackson: Japanese Singles Collection - Greatest Hits
2022
The Waiting Game
2001
as Amy Fuentes
American Idol: The Search For A Superstar
2002
as Judge
Sesame Street: Zoe's Dance Moves
2003
as Self
Touched By Evil
1997
as Ellen Collier
Raging Midlife
2025
as Mary Todd
Singin' in the Rain: Raining on a New Generation
2012
as Self
2022 American Rescue Dog Show
2022
as Self - Judge
Power Girls
2002
as Self (archive footage)
Barbie Dance Club
1989
as Self
Paula Abdul: Under My Spell Live
1992
as Self
Paula Abdul Cardio Dance
2000
as Self
Paula Abdul's Get Up & Dance
1994
as Self
About Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American singer, dancer, choreographer, actress, and television personality. She began her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers at the age of 18 and later became the head choreographer for the Laker Girls, where she was discovered by the Jacksons. After choreographing music videos for Janet Jackson, Abdul became a choreographer at the height of the music video era and soon thereafter she was signed to Virgin Records. Abdul's debut studio album, Forever Your Girl (1988), became one of t… With 112 credits spanning from 1952 to 2025, Paula Abdul has appeared in 38 films and 74 TV shows.
Fans searching for Paula Abdul movies, Paula Abdul filmography, or the latest projects starring Paula Abdul can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Paula Abdul Movies
- Robots (2005) — as Watch (voice)
- Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022) — as 3-D Reporter / Paula Abdul
- Brüno (2009) — as Self - American Idol Judge
- Can't Buy Me Love (1987) — as Dancer (uncredited)
- Private School (1983) — as Cheerleader (uncredited)
Where to Watch Paula Abdul Films
Most Paula Abdul movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Paula Abdul, check our movies catalogue and browse page.