Latifah fined for reckless driving

The star has moved successfully into acting

Singer and actress Queen Latifah has pleaded no contest to charges of reckless driving to avoid facing a trial on charges of drink driving.

She was fined $300, sentenced to three years' informal probation and ordered to take part in a 12-hour alcohol education scheme.

Latifah, whose real name is Dana Elaine Owens, was arrested last November in Los Angeles when police said she had made an unsafe lane change.

The 32-year-old star, who has been nominated for a Golden Globe for her role in the film Chicago, did not attend the hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Her solicitor, Blair Berk, entered the plea on her behalf.

Agreement

Latifah failed a sobriety test after being stopped in the north Hollywood area of Los Angeles.

She was charged with two drink driving offences which were dropped as part of her plea agreement.

In 1996 the star was fined after being arrested for speeding in Los Angeles and being found with a loaded gun and marijuana in her car.

Latifah first rose to fame in 1989 with her pro-feminist rap album All Hail The Queen.

She won a Grammy Award in 1995 for her hit song U.N.I.T.Y.

As well as her music success, she branched into acting, appearing in films such as Jungle Fever and The Bone Collector.

She also appeared in the TV series Living Single, and had her own talk show on US TV from 199 to 2001.