Tina Knowles facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tina Knowles
Knowles in 2010
Born	Celestine Ann Beyoncé (1954-01-04) January 4, 1954 (age 71) Galveston, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Tina Knowles-Lawson
Years active	1985–present
Label(s)	House of Deréon
Spouse(s)	Mathew Knowles ​ ​ (m. 1980; div. 2011)​ Richard Lawson ​ ​ (m. 2015; div. 2024)​
Children	Beyoncé Knowles Solange Knowles
Relatives	Blue Ivy Carter (granddaughter) Angela Beyincé (niece)

Celestine Ann "Tina" Beyoncé Knowles (born January 4, 1954) is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, author, and helper of others. She is famous for starting her own clothing brands, House of Deréon and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles. Tina is the mother of famous singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles. She was married to their father, Mathew Knowles, who used to manage the music group Destiny's Child. In 2001, Tina Knowles was honored for her important work in the fashion world at the Accessories Council Excellence Awards.

Tina Knowles's Early Life and Family

Celestine Ann Beyoncé was born in Galveston, Texas. She was the youngest of seven children. Her mother, Agnéz Beyincé, was a seamstress, someone who sews clothes. Her father, Lumis Albert Beyincé, worked at the docks. Because of a small mistake on her birth certificate, her last name is spelled a little differently from the rest of her family. Tina comes from a background called Louisiana Creole. She grew up Catholic and went to Catholic school. Her family's roots are from Boutte, Louisiana. She is even related to some historical figures like Acadian leader Joseph Broussard. When she was in high school, Tina was part of a singing group called the Veltones. They were inspired by the famous group The Supremes.

On January 5, 1980, Tina married Mathew Knowles. He was a salesman who later left his job to manage the music group Destiny's Child. They divorced in November 2011. Tina and Mathew have two daughters: Beyoncé (born in 1981) and Solange (born in 1986).

In the summer of 2013, Tina started dating actor Richard Lawson. They had been friends for over 30 years before they started dating. They first met through Tina's friendship with Richard's late sister. They got married in Newport Beach, California, on April 12, 2015. Tina filed for divorce from Richard in July 2023, and their divorce was finalized in 2024.

Through her marriage to Richard Lawson, Tina became a stepmother to his daughter Bianca Lawson and his son Ricky. Tina also often calls Kelly Rowland, a member of Destiny's Child, her daughter. Tina helped raise Kelly from the age of 11 when Kelly came to live with the Knowles family. In a letter published in Time magazine in 2015, Tina wrote, "I gave birth to two of you, but I have four incredible daughters." She was talking about Beyoncé, Solange, Kelly, and her niece Angie Beyincé.

Tina Knowles has four grandchildren, including Blue Ivy Carter. Besides her grandchildren from Beyoncé and Solange, she also considers herself a grandmother to Kelly's two children. In late 2024, Tina Knowles was successfully treated for breast cancer.

Tina Knowles's Career in Fashion and Entertainment

As a fashion designer, Tina Knowles has been featured in many famous magazines. These include Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Harper’s Bazaar. She has also designed costumes for several movies. Some of these films include Dreamgirls, Pink Panther, and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Tina started her career at 19. She moved to California to work as a makeup artist. However, she returned home when her parents became ill. Tina then worked as a dance choreographer and later as a beautician. In 1990, she opened Headliners, a hair salon in Houston, Texas. This salon became one of the most famous hair businesses in Houston. Tina became well-known as the costume designer for Destiny's Child. In the early days of the group, she made their outfits for performances and events. She did this "out of necessity" because they didn't have much money. She also styled their hair, and they practiced their dance routines at her salon.

In 2002, Tina published a book called Destiny's Style. In the book, she talked about how fashion helped Destiny's Child become successful. In 2004, Tina launched her clothing line, House of Deréon, with Beyoncé. She named it after her mother, Agnes Deréon. In 2010, Tina appeared on The View with Beyoncé to promote her clothing line, "Miss Tina by Tina Knowles." She expanded the line to Walmart after it was sold on the Home Shopping Network. Tina said she designed clothes to "hide flaws and create a slimming silhouette." She added that her pieces are made to make women look "leaner and taller."

In 2013, Tina appeared in Beyoncé's film Life Is But a Dream. She was also the director of wardrobe for the film. In 2016, she made a short appearance in Beyoncé: Lemonade. She was seen in the video for the song "All Night" with her then-husband Richard Lawson on their wedding day. In 2019, she appeared briefly in the background of Beyoncé's concert film Homecoming. This film was about Beyoncé's performance at the 2018 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

In July 2020, Tina Knowles made a short appearance in Beyoncé's Disney+ film Black Is King. This film used music from The Lion King: The Gift album. Tina appeared in the videos for the songs "Mood 4 Eva" and "Brown Skin Girl." Before the film came out, she shared that she had lent her daughter some art pieces for the project. Because of this, she is credited as an art curator for the film. That same month, Tina appeared on The TODAY Show to talk about her Instagram show, "Talks with Mama Tina." This show discusses important social issues like voting rights and race relations.

On May 23, 2021, Tina Knowles presented an award at the Billboard Music Awards. In August 2021, it was announced that Tina would be producing a show for Discovery, Inc. and the Oprah Winfrey Network. This show, called Profiled: The Black Man, aimed to show the challenges Black men face and celebrate their successes. It aired in early 2022.

In December 2021, Tina announced that her show "Talks with Mama Tina" would start airing on Facebook. It would include interviews with celebrities like Ciara and Zendaya. The first episode came out on December 22. Beyoncé and her children performed the show's theme song. The song was nominated for an award at the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards.

In April 2022, Tina Knowles made her acting debut on The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. That same month, she had a role in the Lifetime thriller movie Wrath: A Seven Deadly Sins Story. In February 2024, Tina Knowles became the vice chairperson of Cécred. This is an American hair care brand founded by Beyoncé.

In October 2024, Tina Knowles announced her memoir, Matriarch. A memoir is a book about a person's life. It was published in April 2025. Oprah Winfrey chose it for her book club.

Helping Others: Tina Knowles's Philanthropy

Knowles and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter at the opening of the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center in March 2010

Helping Communities

In 2002, Tina Knowles, Beyoncé, and Kelly Rowland opened the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth. This was a community center in Downtown Houston.

After seeing the damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Tina helped start the Survivor Foundation. She worked with Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé, Solange, and Kelly Rowland. This foundation helped provide homes for people who lost theirs because of the hurricane.

In 2010, Tina and Beyoncé started the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center. This center offers a seven-month training course in cosmetology (hair and beauty care).

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tina worked with Beyoncé's charity, BeyGood. They started the #IDidMyPart campaign. Tina suggested this idea because many African Americans in Houston were getting sick. Tina has spoken on TV shows to help people learn more about COVID-19.

Supporting Civil Rights

For many years, Tina Knowles has supported movements that promote civil rights. She also speaks out against gender inequality in the United States, especially for African Americans and the LGBT community. Tina supports groups like Black Lives Matter and Mothers of the Movement. She has also spoken out against police brutality and violence against women.

In 2020, Tina was part of a movement that wanted a new law passed to help with health care, money, and voting access during the COVID-19 crisis. Tina wrote a public letter to important leaders in the U.S. Senate. She asked them to pass the bill. Her daughters, along with famous actresses like Viola Davis and Whoopi Goldberg, supported her.

WACO Theater Center

In 2017, Tina Knowles and her then-husband Richard founded the Where Art Can Occur (WACO) Theater Center. This is a non-profit organization in Los Angeles. It helps artists and people in general. Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Solange are on the Advisory Board for the WACO Theater Center.

Awards and Recognition

In 2001, Tina Knowles received an award at the ACE Awards. These awards honor people who help the accessories industry in a positive way.

In 2020, she was honored with the Inspiring Leadership Award at the Essence Festival.

Tina Knowles's Appearances

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Tina Knowles para niños

• House of Deréon
• Cécred
• List of women company founders