Lisa Bonet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lisa Michelle Bonet (1967-11-16)November 16, 1967 (age 58) California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | Denise Huxtable inThe Cosby Show |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingZoë Kravitz |
| Relatives | Kadhja Bonet (half-sister) |
Lisa Michelle Bonet (/boʊˈneɪ/; November 16, 1967)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for portrayingDenise Huxtable[2] on the sitcomThe Cosby Show (1984–1992), for which she earned widespread acclaim and a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1986; she reprised the role of Denise in the first season of the spinoff seriesA Different World.
She also appeared in thepsychological horror filmAngel Heart (1987), which earned her a nomination for theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Bonet has starred in the actionthriller filmEnemy of the State (1998), thecomedy-drama filmHigh Fidelity (2000), theaction drama filmBiker Boyz (2003) and the thriller filmRoad to Paloma (2013). She has sporadically worked in TV acting, appearing in roles such as Maya Daniels inLife on Mars (2008–2009) and Marisol onRay Donovan (2016).
Lisa Michelle Bonet was born on November 16, 1967, in California,[3][4] to Arlene Joyce Litman, an Ashkenazi Jewish-American schoolteacher, and Allen Bonet, anopera singer of African-American heritage fromTexas.[5][6][7][8][9] She has five half-sisters, including singerKadhja Bonet, and two half-brothers by her father's marriage to Deborah Church. Bonet's parents separated when Bonet was still a baby. Bonet was raised by her single mother in middle-classReseda and never knew her father.[10] Bonet said she never fit in atBirmingham High School, inVan Nuys, California. "I was stuck in the middle," she toldThe Los Angeles Times. "The black kids called me anOreo. The white kids didn’t talk to me."[10]
She said she did not date in high school because she didn't fit in. “My biggest worry in high school was who was going to take me to the prom, since I didn’t have a date," she told theLos Angeles Times. She said the problem disappeared when she landed theCosby job in New York and wouldn’t attend prom.[10]
Bonet graduated Birmingham High School and later studied acting at the Celluloid Actor's Studio in North Hollywood.[10][11]
After being in beauty competitions and appearing in guest spots on television series as a child, Bonet landed the role ofDenise Huxtable onThe Cosby Show, the second-oldest child ofCliff andClair Huxtable (played byBill Cosby andPhylicia Rashad, respectively).[12] Later in the show, she becomes the stepmother to Olivia Kendall (played byRaven-Symoné).
The same year, Bonet, then 19, played 17-year-old Epiphany Proudfoot in the movieAngel Heart oppositeMickey Rourke.[13] In the film, several seconds of an explicit scene she shared with Rourke (filmed when she was 18) were edited to avoid an X rating.[14] ForAngel Heart, Bonet earned a nomination for theSaturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was featured topless inInterview magazine.[15]
Bonet didn't appreciate the way the press covered her or the controversy at the time. "I think the whole scandal is ridiculous," she said. "They (the news media) are trying to steam it up."[10] She said that the brief glimpse of one of her bare breasts is "nothing that hasn't been done before or that hasn't been seen before," including in films likeBlue Velvet, which was rated R even though it contained frontal nudity.[10]
In 1986, Bonet earned a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award forOutstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[16] After announcing her pregnancy during the run ofA Different World, Bonet left the series.[17][18] She returned toThe Cosby Show the following year, but was fired in April 1991 because of "creative differences".[19]
In September 1992, Bonet hostedWhy Bother Voting?, an election special focusing on young voters' concerns and apathy.[20] She had supporting roles in the 1998 filmEnemy of the State and the 2000 filmHigh Fidelity. In 2003 she played Queenie inBiker Boyz, which reunited her with herA Different World co-starKadeem Hardison.[21]
Bonet co-starred in the filmWhitepaddy in 2005. She did not have another film role until 2014'sRoad to Paloma, opposite her future husband Jason Momoa. She did, however, appear in a number of television series, including the American adaptation of the British television seriesLife on Mars.[22][23] She again played a romantic lead opposite Jason Momoa on theSundance TV seriesThe Red Road.[24] “I felt protected and I feel safe when I work with him," Bonet said of working with Momoa.[24]
Since then, Bonet has made guest appearances on TV shows includingGirls andRay Donovan.[25][26]
On November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, Boneteloped with American rock singerLenny Kravitz inLas Vegas. Bonet recalled of their relationship:
It was interesting when we were first finding out about each other, that our backgrounds were so similar. When I first told him my mom was Jewish, and he said "So's my dad," I thought that was unusual and enchanting. I felt like, "Okay, here's someone who really knows how it is." And I think I trusted him a little more with my feelings and let him inside a little more than I ordinarily would have.[27][28]
Bonet gave birth to their daughter, actressZoë Isabella Kravitz, on December 1, 1988.[29] She and Kravitz divorced in 1993. That same year, she legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, although she still uses the name Lisa Bonet professionally.[30][31]
Since meeting on the set ofA Different World in its first season in 1987, Bonet has been close friends with actressMarisa Tomei, who is a godmother to all three of Bonet's children.[32]
In 2005, Bonet began a relationship with actorJason Momoa. They married in October 2017.[33] Bonet and Momoa have two children: a daughter born in July 2007,[34] and a son born in December 2008.[35] In January 2022, Momoa and Bonet announced their separation.[36] On January 8, 2024, Bonet filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[37][38] In her divorce filing, Bonet revealed that she and Momoa had actually separated on October 7, 2020.[37] Court documents which were obtained byPeople confirmed that the divorce was granted one day later.[39] A Los Angeles county judge declared them divorced on July 9, 2024. Neither Bonet nor Momoa asked for financial support, and they agreed on how to split their assets.[40] The court granted them joint custody of their children.[40]
| Years | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Angel Heart | Epiphany Proudfoot |
| 1993 | Bank Robber | Priscilla |
| 1994 | Final Combination | Catherine Briggs |
| 1998 | Enemy of the State | Rachel Banks |
| 2000 | High Fidelity | Marie De Salle |
| 2003 | Biker Boyz | "Queenie" |
| 2005 | Whitepaddy | Mae Evans |
| 2013 | Road to Paloma | Magdalena |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | St. Elsewhere | Carla | Episode: "Entrapment" |
| 1984–1991 | The Cosby Show | Denise Huxtable | Main cast |
| 1985 | Tales from the Darkside | Justine | Episode: "The Satanic Piano" |
| ABC Afterschool Special | Carrie | 1 episode | |
| 1986 | Sesame Street | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| 1987–1989 | A Different World | Denise Huxtable | Main cast (Season 1); Guest (Season 3) |
| 1990 | The Earth Day Special | Denise Huxtable | |
| 1992 | Why Bother Voting? | Herself | Elections special with Bonet as host |
| 1994 | New Eden | Lily | Television movie |
| 2002 | Lathe of Heaven | Heather Lelache | Television movie |
| 2008–2009 | Life on Mars | Maya Daniels | 5 episodes |
| 2013–2014 | Drunk History | Mary Ellen Pleasant /Rosa Parks | 2 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | The Red Road | Sky Van Der Veen | 7 episodes |
| 2014 | New Girl | Brenda Brown | Episode: "Teachers" |
| 2016 | Girls | Tandice Moncrief | Episodes: "Homeward Bound", "Love Stories" |
| Ray Donovan | Marisol | Recurring – Season 4 |
| Year | Song | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" | Tony! Toni! Toné! | Director |
| 1991 | "Stand by My Woman" | Lenny Kravitz | Director |
| 1999 | "Revelation Sunshine" | Cree Summer | Director |
| 2019 | "Freedom (TROY NōKA Remix)" | Dorothy,Angel Haze | Director |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series | The Cosby Show | Nominated |
| 1986 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | The Cosby Show | Nominated |
| 1988 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series | The Cosby Show | Nominated |
| Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Picture | Angel Heart | Won | ||
| 1988 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Angel Heart | Nominated |
| 1986 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | The Cosby Show | Nominated |
| 1989 | Young Artist Awards | Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special | The Cosby Show(shared with cast) | Nominated |
| 2001 | Black Reel Awards | Theatrical – Best Supporting Actress | High Fidelity | Nominated |
| 2006 | TV Land Award | Favorite Singing Siblings | The Cosby Show(shared with cast) | Nominated |
Bonet was born in the heart of the hippie movement, in November 1967 in San Francisco, to a white Jewish schoolteacher mother and a black opera-singing father.
