Nia Long
Nia Long (born October 30, 1970) is an American actress and occasional music video director. She is best known for her roles in the television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Third Watch, and the films Soul Food, Love Jones, The Best Man, Big Momma's House, and Are We There Yet? Long was born in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Her family is of Afro-Trinidadian descent. Her name, Nia, is one of the seven days of Kwanzaa, which means purpose in Swahili. Long's parents divorced when she was two years old, and she and her mother moved to Iowa City, Iowa. They subsequently moved to a South Los Angeles neighborhood when Long was seven. Long's father currently resides in Trenton, New Jersey. Long's half-sister is comedienne Sommore, one of the stars of The Queens of Comedy. She attended the Roman Catholic school St. Mary's Academy and studied ballet, tap, jazz, gymnastics, guitar, and acting. She graduated from WestchesterHigh School in 1989. Long's acting coach was Betty Bridges, better known as the mother of Diff'rent Strokes star Todd Bridges. Her earliest role was in the Disney television movie, The B.R.A.T Patrol alongside Sean Astin, Tim Thomerson and Brian Keith. Her first notable role on television was a three-year contract role as Kathryn "Kat" Speakes on the soap opera Guiding Light. Long portrayed Kat from 1991 to 1994, then f rom 1994 - 1995, she played Will Smith's girlfriend and fiancée Beulah "Lisa" Wilkes on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. In 2003, she joined the cast of the drama Third Watch, where she played NYPD Officer Sasha Monroe, continuing until the series finale in 2005. In 2005 and 2006, Long appeared on Everwood, and appeared on Boston Legal during its 2006-2007 season. Long also starred in Big Shots from 2007-2008 alongside Michael Vartan and Dylan McDermott. She also made a guest appearance on the successful sitcom Living Single during its first season. Long appeared in supporting roles in a number of movies including, Boyz n the Hood, Friday, and Made in America. She played a leading role, or a member of the primary ensemble, in several films, including Soul Food, Love Jones, Boiler Room, Big Momma's House, Are We There Yet?, and The Best Man. Ice Cube has starred with her in four films, while (fellow Westchester High alum) Regina King has starred with her in two. Long was voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the World in 2000 by People. She won a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2004 for her performance on Third Watch. In addition to her film credits, she directed Yolanda Adams's music video for "This Too Shall Pass" and co-directed and appeared in Ashanti's music video, "Baby". She also appears in the video for Kanye West's, "Touch The Sky". Long and her former long-time boyfriend and fellow actor Massai Z. Dorsey have a son, Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, born on November 26, 2000.
Boyz n the Hood
as BrandiBoyz n the Hood is the popular and successful film and social criticism from John Singleton...
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Life in a Year
as CatherineA 17 year old finds out that his girlfriend is dying, so he sets out to give her an entire life,...
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Boiler Room
as Abbie HalpertA college dropout gets a job as a broker for a suburban investment firm and is on the fast track...
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Friday
as DebbieCraig and Smokey are two guys in Los Angeles hanging out on their porch on a Friday afternoon,...
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When a street-smart FBI agent is sent to Georgia to protect a beautiful single mother and her...
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Stigmata
as Donna ChadwayA young woman with no strong religious beliefs, Frankie Paige begins having strange and violent...
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Missing
as Grace AllenWhen her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s search...
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47 Meters Down: Uncaged
as JenniferFour teenage girls go on a diving adventure to explore a submerged Mayan city. Once inside,...
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Big Momma's House 2
as SherriFBI agent Malcolm Turner goes back undercover as Big Momma, a slick-talking, slam-dunking...
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Fatal Affair
as EllieEllie tries to mend her marriage with her husband Marcus after a brief encounter with an old...
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Look Both Ways
as Lucy GallowayOn the eve of her college graduation, Natalie's life diverges into two parallel realities: one...
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The Banker
as Eunice GarrettIn the 1960s, two entrepreneurs hatch an ingenious business plan to fight for housing...
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Alfie
as LonetteIn Manhattan, the British limousine driver Alfie is surrounded by beautiful women, having one...
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Are We Done Yet?
as Suzanne PersonsNewlyweds Nick and Suzanne decide to move to the suburbs to provide a better life for their two...
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Are We There Yet?
as Suzanne KingstonThe fledgling romance between Nick, a playboy bachelor, and Suzanne, a divorced mother of two,...
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Made in America
as Zora MathewsA young black woman discovers that her father was a sperm donor, and if that wasn't bad enough,...
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A new couple and their families reckon with modern love amid culture clashes, societal...
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Premonition
as AnnieA depressed housewife who learns her husband was killed in a car accident the day previously,...
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The Single Moms Club
as May MillerA group of single moms are brought together in the aftermath of an incident at their children's...
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Keanu
as HannahFriends hatch a plot to retrieve a stolen cat by posing as drug dealers for a street gang.
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In Too Deep
as MyraDrug lord Dwayne Gittens rules Cincinnati with an iron fist. No wonder he's known as "God" on...
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If These Walls Could Talk 2
as KarenThe stories of three lesbian couples -- who live in the same house at different periods of time...
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Roxanne Roxanne
as Ms. PeggyThe most feared battle emcee in the early 1980s in Queens, New York, was a fierce teenager from...
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Good Hair
as HerselfAn exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty...
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Love Jones
as Nina MosleyDarius Lovehall is a young black poet in Chicago who starts dating Nina Moseley, a beautiful and...
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The Best Man Holiday
as Jordan ArmstrongWhen college friends reunite after 15 years over the Christmas holidays, they discover just how...
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The Best Man
as Jordan ArmstrongAfter writing a soon-to-be bestselling novel, writer and committed bachelor Harper attempts to...
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The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
as LeslieA close-knit group of gay friends share the emotional roller coster of life, relationships, the...
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Held Up
as RaeWhat should have been a romantic getaway turns into one hilarious debacle after another when...
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Soul Food
as Robin (Bird)Traditional Sunday dinners at Mama Joe's (Irma P. Hall) turn sour when sisters Teri (Vanessa L....
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Michael
as Katherine JacksonAn in-depth portrayal of Michael Jackson, a complicated man, who became the King of Pop. The...
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Lemon
as CleoA man watches his life unravel after he is left by his blind girlfriend.
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Baadasssss!
as SandraDirector Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic...
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Butter
as Carmen JonesCorrupt record company executives kill a singing sensation with a drug overdose rather than...
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Buried Alive
as FingersA young woman goes to teach at the Ravenscroft Institute, a spooky old girls' school overrun by...
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Beaches
as Hillary WhitneyFollows the serendipitous meeting of two young girls on the Venice Boardwalk, who, though worlds...
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Gospel Hill
as Mrs. PalmerGospel Hill tells the intersecting story of two men in the fictional South Carolina town of...
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Friendly Fire: Making of an Urban Legend
as SelfCast and crew offer up a nice overview piece, discussing the picture's authenticity, real life...
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Sightings: Heartland Ghost
as LouThe crew of a reality-TV show about the paranormal visits a small Kansas town to investigate a...
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Hav Plenty
as TrudyLee Plenty is an almost broke would-be novelist and Havilland Savage is a rich and very...
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The B.R.A.T. Patrol
as Darla PerkinsA group of military brats uncovers a plot to steal base equipment.
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The Secret Laughter of Women
as Nimi Da SilvaOscar-winner Colin Firth stars in this heart-warming cross-cultural romantic comedy set in the...
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Mooz-lum
as SafiyahThanks to a strict Muslim upbringing that largely shielded him from the outside world, Tariq's...
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The Enduring Significance of 'Boyz n the Hood'
as SelfA wonderful retrospective supplement that features much of the primary cast cast as well as...
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The Kelly Clarkson Show
as uncreditedKelly Clarkson presents the biggest newsmakers and names in film, television and music; as well...
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The Daily Show
as SelfThe World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.
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The Goldbergs
as Lucy SomersBefore there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a...
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NCIS: Los Angeles
as Shay MosleyThe exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the...
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Late Night with Conan O'Brien
as Self - GuestLate Night with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that...
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Third Watch
as uncreditedThe exploits of a group of men and women who serve the City of New York as police officers,...
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Third Watch
as Sasha MonroeThe exploits of a group of men and women who serve the City of New York as police officers,...
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The Cleveland Show
as Roberta Tubbs (voice)The bizarre adventures of Cleveland Brown and his family.
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Boston Legal
as Vanessa WalkerAlan Shore and Denny Crane lead a brigade of high-priced civil litigators in an upscale Boston...
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The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
as Lisa WilkesWill, a street-smart teenager, moves from the tough streets of West Philly to posh Bel-Air to...
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Celebrity Ghost Stories
as SelfCompelling, surprising and downright spooky — celebrities share their real-life personal...
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The Wendy Williams Show
as uncreditedRadio personality Wendy Williams is the host to her own live syndicated talk show. Wendy injects...
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Everwood
as CassieAfter the death of his wife, world-class neurosurgeon Dr. Andrew Brown leaves Manhattan and...
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Judging Amy
as Andrea SolomonJudging Amy is an American television drama that was telecast from September 19, 1999, through...
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House of Lies
as TamaraCharming, fast talking Marty Kaan and his crack team of management consultants know how to play...
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ER
as Christy WilsonER explores the inner workings of an urban teaching hospital and the critical issues faced by...
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Dear White People
as Neika HobbsAt a predominantly white Ivy League college, a diverse group of students navigate various forms...
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Moesha
as uncreditedMoesha was an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May...
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Living Single
as uncreditedLiving Single is an American television sitcom that aired for five seasons on the Fox network...
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#blackAF
as LavetteA father takes an irreverent and honest approach to parenting and relationships.
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Big Shots
as Katie GrahamFour friends are at the top of their game...until the women in their lives enter the room. Lines...
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The Best Man: The Final Chapters
as Jordan ArmstrongCatch up with Harper, Robyn, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Candace, and Murch as their...
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America Beyond the Color Line
as SelfHenry Louis Gates Jr., Harvard's chair of Afro-American Studies, travels the length and breadth...
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106 & Park
as uncredited106 & Park is an American Hip Hop and R&B music video show set up in a countdown format, that...
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The Divide
as Billie PageThe Divide is a 2014 legal drama that aired on WE tv. The first season consisted of eight...
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Uncle Buck
as Cindy RussellBased on the hit movie of the same name, Uncle Buck is a fun-loving but irresponsible guy who...
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