Nicole Ari Parker | |
|---|---|
 Parker at Paris Fashion Week, 2023 | |
| Born | (1970-10-07)October 7, 1970 (age 55) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Alma mater | New York University(BFA) |
| Occupations | Actress, model |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe (born October 7, 1970) is an American actress and model. She made her screen debut with a leading role in the critically acclaimed independent filmThe Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995) and went on to appear inBoogie Nights (1997), directed byPaul Thomas Anderson.
Parker has starred in a number of movies, includingBlue Streak (1999),Remember the Titans (2000),Brown Sugar (2002),Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008),Black Dynamite (2009), andAlmost Christmas (2016). On television, Parker played the leading role of attorney Teri Joseph (later Carter) in theShowtime drama seriesSoul Food (2000–04), for which she received fiveNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nominations. She also starred in the short-livedUPN romantic comedySecond Time Around (2004–05) and the ABC dramaTime After Time (2017). In 2017, she joined the cast of Fox's prime-timesoap operaEmpire playing Giselle Barker. In 2021, she began starring as Lisa Todd Wexley in the HBO Max comedy-drama series,And Just Like That....
Parker was born on October 7, 1970, inBaltimore, Maryland.[1] She is the only child of her divorced parents, health care professional Susan Parker and dentist Donald Parker.[2] After briefly attending aMontessori school, Parker enteredRoland Park Country School, where she stayed through high school.[3] At the age of 17, she won Best Actress in the state of Maryland's high school theater competition. She became a member ofThe Washington Ballet Company before earning an acting degree in 1993 fromNew York University'sTisch School of the Arts.[4]
Parker made her screen debut playing secondary role in the 1993 made-for-television movieOther Women's Children starringMelanie Mayron. Two years later she went to star in the critically acclaimed independent comedy-drama film,The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love.[5] Also that year, she starred in theDivas, a made-for-television musical drama film about female singing group.[6] In 1997, she starred in the comedy-drama filmBoogie Nights written and directed byPaul Thomas Anderson. The following year, she appeared in the television filmExiled: A Law & Order Movie. Her other film credits includeThe End of Violence (1997),Spark (1998), the 1999Sundance Film Festival winnerThe Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998),200 Cigarettes (1999),Loving Jezebel (1999),A Map of the World (1999) andBlue Streak (1999).
In 2000, Parker played the leading role in the drama filmDancing in September and starred oppositeDenzel Washington in the biographical filmRemember the Titans, receivingNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture nomination. Also that year, she began starring as Teri Joseph in theShowtime drama series,Soul Food. The series was an adaptation ofGeorge Tillman's 1997 drama film,Soul Food, and the role of Teri playedVanessa Williams. The series ended in 2004.[7] For her performance she received fiveNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nominations. She returned to film, starring in the 2002 romantic comedyBrown Sugar. She later appeared inKing's Ransom (2005),Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008) alongside herBlue Streak co-starMartin Lawrence,Black Dynamite (2009),Imagine That (2009), andPastor Brown (2009).
On television, Parker starred on the short-livedUPN sitcom,Second Time Around from 2004 to 2005. In 2010, she returned to television with starring role in theABC legal drama,The Deep End, the series was cancelled after one season. In 2012. she made herBroadway debut playing the role ofBlanche DuBois inA Streetcar Named Desire.[8] In 2013, Parker was lead actress in theNBC drama pilotSecret Lives of Husbands and Wives, and later had a recurring role onRevolution. In 2014, she starred as a series regular in the first season of theTNT crime dramaMurder in the First, oppositeTaye Diggs andKathleen Robertson.[9] In 2016, she appeared alongsideKimberly Elise andMo'Nique in the comedy-drama filmAlmost Christmas. In 2017, she starred in another short-lived drama series,Time After Time.
In 2017, Parker joined the cast ofFox prime time soap opera,Empire, playing Giselle Barker in a recurring role during thefourth season. She was promoted to a series regular for thefifth season, remaining with the show through the series finale in 2020.[10][11] For the 2020-21 television season, Parker had a recurring role on the NBC series,Chicago P.D, and in late 2021 began starring in theHBO Max comedy-drama series,And Just Like That... playing the role of Lisa Todd Wexley.[12] In 2022, she also appeared in thePeacock miniseriesThe Best Man: The Final Chapters.[13]
Parker is an active member of theDemocratic Party.[14] She eloped with actor Joseph Falasca in March 2001. Their marriage ended in divorce later that year.[15] Parker married herSoul Food co-starBoris Kodjoe inGundelfingen, Germany, on May 21, 2005. She gave birth to their first child, Sophie, on March 5, 2005. Sophie hasspina bifida, which was diagnosed at birth.[16] Parker gave birth to their son Nicolas in October 2006 inAtlanta,Georgia. The family attends the Cascade United Methodist Church when in Atlanta.[17]
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Subway Stories | Sharon | Episode: "Honey-Getter" |
| 1999–2000 | Cosby | Rebecca | Recurring cast: season 4 |
| 2000 | The Wonderful World of Disney | Christine Claiborne | Episode: "The Loretta Claiborne Story" |
| 2000–2004 | Soul Food | Teri Joseph | Main cast Nominated —NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series (2001-2005) Nominated —BET Award for Best Actress (2003) |
| 2002 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Lillie Ivers | Episode: "Primum Non Nocere" |
| 2003 | The System | Linda Evans | Main cast |
| 2004 | All of Us | Traci Garrison | Episode: "Playdate" |
| 2004–2005 | Second Time Around | Ryan Muse | Main cast |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Susan Oppenheim | Main cast |
| 2013 | Revolution | Secretary Justine Allenford | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| 2013–2015 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Herself | Recurring cast: season 1–4 |
| 2014 | Murder in the First | District Attorney Jacqueline Perez | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| 2015 | The Boris & Nicole Show | Herself/co-host | TV series |
| 2015–2016 | Rosewood | Kat Crawford | Recurring cast: season 1[18] |
| 2017 | Time After Time | Vanessa Anders | Main cast |
| 2017–2020 | Empire | Giselle Barker | Recurring cast: season 4, main cast: season 5–6 |
| 2018 | I'm Dying Up Here | Gloria Whitfield | Recurring cast: season 2 |
| The Romanoffs | Cheryl Gowans | Episode: "Bright and High Circle" | |
| 2019 | Lip Sync Battle | Herself | Episode: "Boris Kodjoe vs. Nicole Ari Parker" |
| Younger | Beth | Guest star: season 6 | |
| 2020–2021 | Chicago P.D. | Deputy Superintendent Samantha Miller | Recurring cast:Season 8–9[19] |
| 2021–2025 | And Just Like That... | Lisa Todd Wexley | Recurring cast: season 1, main cast: season 2–3 |
| 2022 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Xiomara Amani | Special guest star; 2 episodes |
| 2026 | Lanterns † | Bernadette Stewart | Post-production |
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