Nia Long

Nitara Carlynn Long (born October 30, 1970) is an African American actress. I was born in Brooklyn, New York. My first notable role was a three-year stint as Kathryn "Kat" Speakes on the soap opera Guiding Light (1991-1994). During that time, I appeared in movies such as Boyz N the Hood and Made in America. From 1994 to 1995, I played Will Smith's love interest on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.Since then, I have appeared in leading roles in films such as Soul Food, Boiler Room, and Big Momma's House. In 2003, I joined the cast of the drama Third Watch. She won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2004 for my role on the show. After making my debut in John Singleton´s groundbreaking "Boyz In The Hood", I made a critical breakthrough as a female lead in the sexy romantic comedy "Love Jones", which tied for the Audience Award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. I went on to star in the comedy "Hav Plenty" and with Vanessa Williams and Vivica A Fox in "Soul Food". I was most recently seen in the Jamie Foxx comedy "Inconvenienced". God has blessed me.