In 1990, the first episode of the comedy series "The Prince of Beverly Hills" with Will Smith in the title role was shown in the United States. The show talks about the youth of the famous actor and his life until gaining popularity.
For an American actress with the pseudonym Nia Long, participating in the filming of this series (in different years, Long played two roles: the character Claudia Prescott in the first season and Lisa Wilkis in 15 episodes of the fifth season) was one of the first acting works for which she was nominated for an award .
However, the list of roles of the actress does not end there. On her account, several dozen works in films and series.
Biography and photos of Nia Long. early years
The future actress, whose full name (given to her at birth) is Nitara Katarina Long, was born on October 30, 1970 in New York. Her parents, Talita and Daughtry, are school teachers.
Nia Long also has a half older sister who has also dedicated her life to the film industry.
When Long was two years old, her parents divorced, and the girl stayed with her mother. They moved several times: first they lived in Iowa, then in Los Angeles. Later, Nia Long's mother planned to have her wedding, but when the event was finally canceled, she decided to stay in Los Angeles with her daughter.
It is known that the father of the actress lives in New Jersey.
In school, Nia Long, in addition to compulsory classes, also attended additional lessons in ballet, gymnastics, guitar and acting.
Acting career and personal life
Miss Long's career as an actress began when she was in high school. Her first roles were an unnamed girl in the sitcom "227" and Darla Perkins in the Disney series-anthology "The Amazing World of Color."
In 1990, a year after graduating from school, Nia Long starred in the film "Buried Alive," in which she performed one of the episodic roles. Then she took part in the filming of such films as “The Boys Next Door”, “Made in America”, “Friday” and others.
The actress received her first major role in 1997. This character became Nina Mosley in the movie "Jones Fishing". After that, Nia Long also starred in the main roles in the films Boiler Room, Food for the Soul, and Big Mom’s House.
In 2006, the actress appeared in the video of the American rapper Kanye West for the song Touch the Sky.
As for his personal life, it is known that in 2010 Nia Long began dating basketball player Ud Udoka. On November 7, 2011, their son was born, who was given the name Kez Sunday Udoka. In 2015, the couple became engaged.
The actress also has another son named Massay Zhivago Dorsi, born November 26, 2000. His father, Nia Long's previous partner, Massay Dorsey.
Filmography of the actress
“Friday” is a comedy directed by Felix Gary Gray, which premiered in 1995. The plot covers one day in the life of Craig Jones and Smokey - two friends from Los Angeles.
This Friday they will have to meet many unexpected guests: a petty thief, a neighbor constantly hanging around, a pastor, a package delivery person and other personalities.
In this film, Nia Long played the role of Debbie - a young attractive neighbor of the main characters, to whom Craig Jones was sympathetic, despite the fact that he has a girlfriend.
In the 2000 crime comedy The Big Mom’s House, Long is played by Sherry Pierce, a former robber girl. In the story, Malcolm Turner, an FBI agent, arrives in a small town in which a criminal who escaped from prison should be. To arrest the robber, Turner has to pretend to be a woman nicknamed "Big Mommy."
The actress also took part in the filming of the sequel to this picture, dubbed "The House of Big Mommy-2."
Love Jones is a romantic drama directed by Theodore Witcher. The main characters: Darius Lovhall and Nina Mosley. He is a poet and musician performing in a nightclub. She is a talented photographer, due to sad circumstances, recently lost her job.
Their meeting takes place in the nightclub where Darius works. Nina is interested in him, and he writes a short poem for her. A further plot tells about the development of their romantic relationship. The erotic scene with Nia Long in the movie “Jones Love” has become one of the most memorable love scenes in American cinema.
Awards and prizes
The actress has four awards. She received two of them in 2000 for her role in the movie Best Man. Nia Long was awarded the NAACP Image Award for winning the Outstanding Actress in the Feature Film nomination, as well as the Black Reel Awards for winning the Best Actress nomination.
In 2004 and 2005, Long again won the NAACP Image Awards, winning the Outstanding Actress in a TV Drama nomination for her role in the TV series The Third Shift.