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Sarah Jessica Parker Turns 50: 50 Reasons to Celebrate That Have Nothing to do With 'Sex and the City'

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Person of the Week: Sarah Jessica Parker

Courtesy Vogue

ByGood Morning America

March 25, 2015, 3:34 PM

 -- Sarah Jessica Parker's name is synonymous with "Sex and the City" -- the Emmy-winning show that intrinsically linked the actress to her adopted hometown of New York City forever.

However, Parker, who turns 50 today, is so much more than just Carrie Bradshaw.

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Here are 50 reasons to celebrate SJP's milestone birthday that have absolutely nothing to do with her HBO series.

1. Her early work included roles in "Square Pegs," "Footloose" and even a few episodes of "3-2-1 Contact."

2. Oh, and she starred in "Annie" on Broadway.

3. She won hearts in "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

4. She's Midwestern, and grew up just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

5. She still has hometown pride and is a known fan of Graeters ice cream -- a local favorite.

6. Humility comes naturally to her. Parker grew up on welfare, she once told the New York Times, and now she teaches her children the importance of giving back.

7. One of her first high-profile relationships was with Robert Downey Jr., who has nothing but nice things to say about her.

8. She also dated John F. Kennedy Jr.

9. Who else could've played the sexy witch in "Hocus Pocus"?

10. ... Or the other woman going up against Bette Midler in "First Wives Club"?

11. She wore more than a dozen outfits when she hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 2000.

12. Remember her line with the Gap?

13. ... And when she followed that up with a line at Steve & Barry's?

14. She can go by her initials, SJP.

15. Her marriage to Matthew Broderick.

16. She's honest about Broderick: "Yes, he's a pain and he's indecisive and he's quiet—and I'm difficult with all my complications. We fight, and we bother each other sometimes," she told Oprah Winfrey. "But he's one of a kind."

17. Her son, James Wilkie.

18. After James Wilkie was born, his proud new parents posed with him outside the hospital, a la Princess Diana.

19. Her attitude on post-pregnancy weight loss: "This idea of congratulating actresses on getting back in shape, when they have yoga teachers and nannies and nutritionists to help them ... It makes women feel that is the standard by which they should judge themselves after having a baby," she once told The Age "And not only is that unfair, I would say it is really irresponsible."

20. Her love for New York City is obvious.

21. ... And she's not afraid to walk the streets like any other Manhattanite. "I can still get lost in a crowd," she told The Age.

22. She took a serious turn in "The Family Stone."

23. ... And a year later, yukked it up with Matthew McConaughey in "Failure to Launch."

23. She can cook. (Her specialties include roast chicken and pasta, she told Oprah.)

24. She wants to have a rich off-set life too. "I want to read books and have conversations with my friends about plays we've seen," she told Oprah. "I want to mess up a million recipes at home, like I used to."

25. Her heroes include her mother and her sister, she told Winfrey.

26. She appreciates a good discount, and told Winfrey that she gets Manolo Blahniks 30 percent off.

27. There are certain words she can't say. In her interview with Winfrey, she said the c-word and the p-word are tough for her.

28. Her twins, Tabitha and Loretta.

29. ... Instead of making a big to-do over the announcement of their births, Broderick and Parker just quietly released a family photo.

30. Parker encourages her twins to be themselves. "Tabitha prefers a Mediterranean diet and eats pounds of olives," she told People in 2011. "And now Loretta's like, "I yike oyives too!"

31. She bonds with each of her kids individually, as well as a group. In 2011, she took her son to China, she told People.

32. She sang "Let's Have a Kiki" on "Glee."

33. She showed off her home for Vogue magazine.

34. ... And revealed in that video that she has a collection of glowing globes.

35. She listens to everything from Parliament to Trombone Shorty, she told Vogue.

36. She's very into Instagram.

37. Last summer, she acted as a bridesmaid for her former assistant and documented it all on Instagram.

38. When asked by Vogue if she preferred heels or flats, the actress responded by staring and cocking her head. (Heels, obviously!)

39. She has her own shoe line!

40. One of her most iconic ensembles was her plaid Alexander McQueen gown from the Met Gala.

41. She told Vogue that her favorite way to decompress was "with a book."

42. She stood up to a bully on Twitter, writing, "Your anonymity doesn't diminish your outrageous and vulgar tweet. And your deletion only reveals your cowardice."

43. Parker's kids aren't necessarily only playing with modern-day technology. In 2011, she told People she splurged on "vintage Fisher-Prince toys... for the little ones."

44. She owns a Ford Country Squire.

45. Parker loves a good diner. In an episode of "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee," she ordered a patty melt on rye bread with a pickle and washed it all down with a chocolate egg cream.

46. Jerry Seinfeld taught her to tip more, in the aforementioned video.

47. ... And she taught Seinfeld how to do Cat's Cradle with string.

48. She told Net-A-Porter's The Edit that she won't travel with a bodyguard.

49. She recently designed a bag with Fendi.

50. She marked her birthday by posting an image that "charmed me so."

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