Nov 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is hosting a Middle East peace conference in Annapolis on Nov. 27 aimed at launching formal Palestinian statehood negotiations. Here are some facts about Rice:

* Born in 1954 in Birmingham, Alabama, Rice has been a close confidant and adviser to President George W. Bush since before he took office. She served as his foreign policy adviser during the 2000 presidential campaign.

* In January 2001, she became the first woman to be named as the president's national security adviser. She stayed in that job until becoming secretary of state in January 2005, replacing Colin Powell.

* Rice's most notable negotiations so far on Israeli-Palestinian issues were in November 2005, when she helped broker a deal for access to Gaza. It was never fully implemented.

* Rice is an accomplished pianist and studied the instrument in college, but gave up trying to be a concert musician when she realized that while talented, she would never have been great at it. She still plays in a string quartet in her spare time.

* An avid sports fan, Rice has said best job in the United States is commissioner of the National Football League. She was a competitive ice skater from age 12 to 17 and still works out before dawn. (Reporting by Deborah Charles, editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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