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Biography |
Garcelle Beauvais was born November 26, 1966, in St. Marc,
Haiti. Last but certainly not least as the youngest of 7
children -- with 5 sisters and 2 brothers -- Garcelle moved
with her mother and siblings to Massachusetts, after her
parents got divorced.
While her mother attended nursing school in order to support
the family, Garcelle attended boarding school before
relocating to Miami, Florida, with her family at age 16.
17-year-old Garcelle headed to the Big Apple to pursue a
modeling career, after the persuasion of family and friends.
Signed with Ford Models, it didn't take long for the exotic
beauty to land modeling gigs.
From print ads for Avon, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Clairol, and
catalogs for department stores such as Neiman Marcus and
Nordstrom, to the layouts in Essence and Ebony magazines,
and the catwalk for Calvin Klein and Isaac Mizrahi fashion
shows, Garcelle was seen by fans in every medium.
Garcelle caught the acting bug after taking classes in New
York, and headed to Los Angeles to appear in front of a
motion camera, as opposed to those of photographers. At that
point, Garcelle already had acting experience: she had
appeared in The Cosby Show, Miami Vice and Dream On, as well
as the films Manhunter and Coming to America, opposite Eddie
Murphy.
In 1992, Garcelle had a guest-appearance on The Fresh Prince
of Bel-Air (and got cozy with Will Smith onscreen on 1999's
Wild Wild West), and appeared on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and
Family Matters (in several different roles).
But fiction and reality were fused for Garcelle, after she
landed a role on the 1994 sitcom, Models Inc., about a group
of model roommates. Her role as stylish Cynthia Nichols
could be considered fate, as she dreamt about having a
conversation with the show's producer, Aaron Spelling.
Garcelle hand-delivered Spelling a photo and resume, and
landed the role within 2 weeks (after receiving a call 3
days later).
After Models Inc. had walked its last runway and was
canceled, Garcelle went the commercial route with a
television ad for Diet Coke and American Express,
co-starring Jerry Seinfeld. She even starred in an R Kelly
video.
That didn't mean she had to stay in commercials and music
videos for long: Garcelle was cast as Francesca "Fancy"
Monroe on The Jamie Foxx Show, in 1996. As the object of
Jamie Foxx's affection on the WB network, Garcelle took the
time to appear in the television series Opposite Sex in
2000, and co-starred with Jon Voight and Gil Bellows in
TNT's made-for-TV movie, Second String.
Garcelle has also been on the crime scene since 2001, as
Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood, on the
long-running cop drama, NYPD Blue.
Still doing her duties on The Jamie Foxx Show as a hotel
attendant, Garcelle co-starred on the big-screen with
Orlando Jones and Eddie Griffin, in 2001's Double Take --
and we're sure Garcelle made audiences do just that.
Garcelle is now a single mother to her son, Oliver, after
the divorce from her husband of 6 years, Daniel Saunders. |
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