» Born in Mysore (now in Karnataka) on 24 February 1948 as daughter of Jayaram and Vedavathy.
» Hails from a Tamil Iyengar family.
» Her father Jayaram, a lawyer by profession, passed away when she was just two years old.
» Jayalalitha and her brother Jayakumar had to shift to Bangalore along with their mother.
» She is unmarried.
» Completed schooling from Bishop Cotton Girls' High School, Chennai, and Sacred Heart Matriculation School, also popularly known as Presentation Church Park Convent, in Chennai.
» Received scholarship for higher studies from the Government of India after completing her matriculation in 1964.
» A trained Bharatanatyam dancer.
» Proficient in English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam.
Acting career
Started working in films at the age of 15 when she was still in school.
1961 – Her first film, 'Epistle', which was in English, released.
1964 – Debut in Kannada film through 'Chinnada Gombe' as the lead actress
1965 – debut in Tamil film through 'Vennira Aadai'
1966 – Debut in the Telugu film through 'Manushulu Mamathalu'.
1973 – Received three Filmfare Awards for Best Actress
The 1960s and 1970s saw a number of successful films pairing her and M.G. Ramachandran.
Political career
1982 – Became a member of the AIADMK, a party founded by M.G. Ramachandran.
1983 – Became the Propaganda Secretary of the AIADMK in January
Candidate in the by-election from the Tiruchendur Assembly Constituency.
1984 – Elected for the first time as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Led the party in Lok Sabha and assembly polls as MGR moved to the US for medical treatment.
1987 – MGR expired, AIADMK split into two.
1989 – Elected as a member of Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from the Bodinayakkanur constituency.
The two factions of the party reunited under the leadership of Jayalalithaa.
Directed the Congress(I) and AIADMK alliance to a historic victory in the general elections to the Lok Sabha in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu.
1991 – Landslide victory for party and allies in state polls; won 225 out of the total 234 seats.
Became the youngest ever and the second woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu. (Held the position till 12 May 1996).
Swept the general elections with AIADMK and partner Congress winning 40 Lok Sabha seats.
1998 – AIADMK and its alliance secured 30 out of 40 seats.
2001 – AIADMK-led coalition won 195/234 seats in state elections. 132 for AIADMK.
On 14 May, she became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the second time and held the post till 21 September 2001.
In February 2002, she was elected from the constituency of Andipatti.
Remained the CM of Tamil Nadu from 2 March 2002 to 12 May 2006.
2006 – The AIADMK alliance won 69 seats in the 2006 Legislative Assembly elections and Jayalalitha served as the Leader of Opposition.
2011 – AIADMK and its allies bounced back, winning 203/234 seats in state polls.
Became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for the fourth time.
September 2014 – Stepped down as CM when a trial court in Karnataka held her guilty in disproportionate assets and corruption case.
May 11, 2015 – Karnataka High Court acquitted her in the Disproportionate Assets case.
May 23, 2015 – Sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for a record-equalling fifth time
April 25, 2016 – Filed her nomination papers in R. K. Nagar ahead of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections.
May 23, 2016 - Took oath as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for a record sixth time.
September 22, 2016 – Admitted to Apollo Hospitals, Chennai.
