Jewel

Alaska native Jewel is known more for her role as a singer/songwriter than for any role she's had on screen, but she's nonetheless found plenty of crossover success on TV and in film. In 1995, the acoustic musician released her breakthrough album, Pieces of You, to major commercial success and critical acclaim, and she soon became a major force in popular music, finding her niche at the top of a '90s wave of folk-inspired female artists. She toured in support of her album, as well as with the women's music festival Lilith Fair, before returning to the studio to record her follow-up album Spirit in 1998.Jewel continued to record and perform for a solid fan base after the trend that first ignited her career had passed, but she also branched out into other artistic areas, appearing in the 1999 film Ride With the Devil, and publishing a book of poetry, A Night Without Armor in 1998, as well as an autobiography, Chasing Down the Dawn in 2000. In 2007, Jewel joined the reality series Nashville Star as a judge, offering both praise and criticisms to a group of young country music hopefuls, competing for a recording contract. The next year, she got even more involved in television, joining the cast of Dancing with the Stars. - Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide