Jacqueline Fernandez was born on August 11, 1985, in Manama, Bahrain. Raised in a multi-ethnic family, her father is a Sri Lankan Burgher, and her mother is of Malaysian and Canadian descent. After completing her early education in Bahrain at Sacred Heart School, she pursued a degree in Mass Communication at the University of Sydney, Australia.

Following her graduation, she worked as a television reporter in Sri Lanka. Her career took a turn when she was crowned Miss Universe Sri Lanka in 2006. This victory paved the way for her entry into the modeling industry.

In 2009, while on a modeling assignment in India, Jacqueline Fernandez auditioned for Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy drama Aladin. This marked her acting debut and won her the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female. Her breakthrough role came with the psychological thriller Murder 2 (2011), her first commercial success.

She then starred in several commercially successful films, including the ensemble-comedy Housefull 2 (2012) and the action thriller Race 2 (2013), which garnered her an IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. She continued to star in top-grossing action films like Kick (2014) and Vikrant Rona (2022), and comedies like Housefull 3 (2016) and Judwaa 2 (2017).

Jacqueline Fernandez is also known for her fitness enthusiasm. She practices yoga, Pilates, and weight training to maintain her toned physique. She also enjoys dancing and incorporates it into her workout routine. Fernandez prefers to keep a minute check on her food rather than gymming.

Jacqueline Fernandez has been linked to conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Despite warnings from her co-stars, she reportedly dated him for seven months. However, she has maintained that she is single.

Beyond her acting career, Jacqueline Fernandez is active in humanitarian work. She is an active supporter of the famous NGO, PETA, and turned vegetarian after joining it. She runs an NGO in Sri Lanka for uplifting the downtrodden in the country. She also owns a restaurant called Kaema Sutra, and an island in Sri Lanka.

Jacqueline Fernandez has received several awards for her performances. She won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female for her role in Aladin. She was also nominated for the IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Housefull 2. In addition to her film awards, she has been awarded the International Humanitarian Award for her work in India and worldwide.