Kenya Moore

Kenya Moore
Born Kenya Summer Moore
(1971-01-24) January 24, 1971
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Nationality American
Education Wayne State University
Occupation
  • Actress
  • model
  • producer
  • author
  • television personality
  • entrepreneur
Years active 1992–present
Title
Term February 19, 1993 – February 11, 1994
Predecessor Shannon Marketic
Successor Lu Parker

Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971),[1] is an American actress, model, producer, author, television personality, and entrepreneur. She currently stars in the Bravo TV series The Real Housewives of Atlanta and was a member of the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 7 (2015). Moore rose to prominence in 1993 after winning the Miss USA contest which led her to compete in that year's Miss Universe pageant ultimately landing her among the top six. She subsequently appeared in films including Waiting To Exhale (1995) and Deliver Us From Eva (2003), and in multiple television series including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Parent 'Hood, and Girlfriends. Moore has produced several film projects, had a book published, and starred in her own exercise video.

Early life, modeling and pageants

Moore was born in Detroit, Michigan,[1][2] the daughter of teenagers Patricia Moore and Ronald Grant, and was raised by her paternal grandmother and aunt after her mother abandoned her at birth. The reality TV show star revealed that her mother never named her. "Since birth, my mother made the decision at age 16 to pretend she never had me. She has never spoken to me,” Kenya wrote. “Even if present in the same room with other people and family, she pretends that I simply don’t exist. She pretends I’m invisible" Kenya revealed on her Bravo blog.[3] She graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1989[4] and attended Wayne State University, where she majored in psychology and minored in communication,[5] She began modeling at the age of 14 and in the course of her modeling career was the January 1992 cover girl for Chicago-based Johnson Publishing Company's Ebony Man's (EM) magazine.[6] She also became a model for the Ebony Fashion Fair cosmetic line. At 22, Kenya Moore won Miss Michigan USA (1993) and then became the second African American woman to win Miss USA. She then represented the United States in the Miss Universe 1993 pageant and placed sixth.[7]

Post-pageant career

Moore appeared in television programs including: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Meet The Browns, Homeboys in Outer Space, Sparks, Smart Guy, Video Soul Living Single, Damon, In the House, The Jamie Foxx Show, The Parent 'Hood, The Steve Harvey Show, Martin, Nubian Goddess, Men, Women & Dogs, The Parkers, Under One Roof, and Girlfriends. She has also appeared on the covers of Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony, and Essence magazines and can be seen in the music videos for Jermaine Dupri's "Money Ain't a Thang" (1998), Nas's "Street Dreams" (1996), Shai's "I Don't Wanna Be Alone" (1996),[8] and Tupac's "Temptations".[9] Additionally, Moore has appeared in several films: Waiting to Exhale (1995), Senseless (1998), Trois (2000), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Brothers in Arms (2005), Cloud 9 (2006), I Know Who Killed Me (2007), and Trapped: Haitian Nights (2010). Her advice book "Game, Get Some!" was published in November 2007.[5] Since then she has also been producing and directing, and launched her own company, Moore Vision Media in 2008.[10] Moore Vision Media produced the erotic thriller “The Confidant”. In May 2012, Moore joined the season five cast of Bravo's The Real Housewives of Atlanta.[11] In 2013, she released a workout DVD titled Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp.[12] In 2015 Moore was cast on The Celebrity Apprentice 7.[13]

Production

Moore is credited as producer/director of the film Trapped: Haitian Nights.[14] After the project lost its director, Moore took over the production and completed the film. When the film failed to find distribution, Moore founded Moore Vision Media, an independent movie production and home-video distribution company.[10] The company's first production was The Confidant, released by Universal Vivendi on August 24, 2010.[15]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1995 Waiting To Exhale Denise [16]
1998 Senseless Lorraine [17]
2000 Trois Jasmine Davis [18]
2001 No Turning Back Lia
2003 Deliver Us From Eva Renee Johnson [19]
Hot Parts Passion
2004 Nas: Video Anthology Vol. 1 Herself
2005 Resurrection: The J.R. Richard Story Leticia
Brothers in Arms Mara
2006 Cloud 9 Champagne
2007 I Know Who Killed Me Jazmin [20]
2010 Trapped: Haitian Nights Nadine
The Confidant Eden Patterson [21]
2013 Dolls of Voodoo Nadine
2016 Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Monique
Television
Year Show Role Notes
1994 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Dana Mothers Day
1996 Martin Lena Bozack You're All I Need
Homeboys in Outer Space Nefertiti Super Bad Foxy Lady Killer or Ty and Morris Get the Shaft
1997 Sparks Ms. Collins I, Spy
Smart Guy Vivian Kennedy Brother, Brother
Living Single Lisa DeLongPre One Degree of Separation
Nubian Goddess Herself Host
1998 Damon Julia Burton The Designer
The Steve Harvey Show Miss Gerard Educating Piggy
1999 The Jamie Foxx Show Heidi Change of Heart
The Parent 'Hood Celeste Wedding Bells Blues,

A Sister Scorned

In The House Valerie Bridgeforth How Nana Got Her Groove Back,

Not as Good as It Gets

2001 Men, Women, & Dogs Carmen Sick as a Dog
2004 Girlfriends Kara Maybe Baby,

New York Bound

2012–present The Real Housewives of Atlanta Herself Main Cast
2013 Walk This Way n/a Abstinence
2015 The Celebrity Apprentice 7 Herself 7th Place
2015 The Millionaire Matchmaker Herself

References

  1. 1 2 McCann, Bob (2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 236. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ "The Celebrity Apprentice - Kenya Moore". NBC.Com. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Kenya Moore Talks About Mother: 'She's Never Spoken to Me'". Black America Web. 10 December 2013.
  4. ↑ "Detroit Free Press - Home". Detroit Free Press.
  5. 1 2 Hoffman, Melody K. (March 10, 2008). "Actress Kenya Moore Coaches Men On What Women Really Want In Book "Game, Get Some!"". JET. 113 (9): 46. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Miss USA KENYA MOORE Tells Why She Feels 'Beauty Is Within'". JET. 83 (21): 20–23. March 22, 1993. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Watch Kenya Moore Win Miss USA 1993!". BravoTV.Com. February 5, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  8. ↑ 2Pac - Temptations [Music Video]. 13 September 2013 – via YouTube.
  9. ↑ Nas - Street Dreams. 27 March 2011 – via YouTube.
  10. 1 2 Moore Vision Media – http://www.moorevisionmedia.com/
  11. ↑ Season 5 Overview. The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Bravo. NBCUniversal
  12. ↑ Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp (Color, NTSC, Widescreen). March 5, 2013. ASIN B00BEZEFM4.
  13. ↑ Scott, Tracy. "NeNe Leakes: Porsha Williams was provoked". S2SMagazine.com. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  14. ↑ Kenya Moore. eurweb.com (September 24, 2008)
  15. ↑ "The Confidant (2010)". BlockBuster.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2010.
  16. ↑ "5 Things to Know About Real Housewife of Atlanta, Kenya Moore!". Wetpaint. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  17. ↑ "The 50 Hottest Bad Actresses Of All Time". Complex. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Trois". Yahoo. Retrieved March 4, 2014.
  19. ↑ Chris Witherspoon. "'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star Kenya Moore developing show similar to Tyra Banks' 'Top Model'". The Grio. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
  20. ↑ "And Sheree Whitfield's Replacement On Real Housewives Of Atlanta Is…". Perez Hilton. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  21. ↑ "Rapper David Banner Starring In Upcoming Thriller". Icelebz. Retrieved April 23, 2009.

External links

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