Keshia Knight Pulliam

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In this article, the surname is Knight Pulliam, not Pulliam.
Keshia Knight Pulliam
Keshia Knight Pulliam.jpg
Knight Pulliam at the Wizard World Comic Con in 2015
Born (1979-04-09) April 9, 1979 (age 42)
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
EducationSpelman College
OccupationActress
Years active1982–present
Known forRudy Huxtable in The Cosby Show
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 2016; div. 2018)​
Children1
Websitekeshiaknightpulliam.me

Keshia Knight Pulliam (born April 9, 1979)[1] is an American actress. She is known for her childhood role as Rudy Huxtable, the youngest daughter of Cliff and Clair Huxtable from the ages of 5 to 13, on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–1992) and as an adult as Miranda Lucas-Payne on the TBS comedy-drama Tyler Perry's House of Payne (2007–present).

Career[]

In 1986, Knight Pulliam became one of the youngest actresses to be nominated for an Emmy Award,[2] receiving a nomination at age 6 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in A Comedy Series. She made her professional debut at 9 months old, in a national print advertisement for Johnson & Johnson baby products.[3] At age 3, she was on Sesame Street.[2] She continued working, appearing in television commercials and TV shows, and making her feature film debut[2] in The Last Dragon (1985).[3] She also appeared in the movies Polly and its sequel Polly: Comin' Home! with her Cosby Show co-star Phylicia Rashad. She is ranked at No. 27 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars".[4]

Knight Pulliam won a celebrity version of Fear Factor in September 2002. She also won a celebrity version of The Weakest Link, and participated in Celebrity Mole: Yucatan. In 2004, she appeared in Chingy's music video for "One Call Away". In 2005, she played Darnelle in Beauty Shop with Queen Latifah. Knight Pulliam performed in Donald Gray's play The Man of Her Dreams in the fall of 2006 in St. Louis.[5] In 2008, she joined the cast of Tyler Perry's House of Payne as Miranda, the new wife of Calvin Payne. The role earned her the 2009 and 2010 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2009, she played Candace "Candy" Washington-Collins in the film Madea Goes to Jail.[6] Knight Pulliam appeared in Tank's 2010 music video for his cover of "I Can't Make You Love Me", playing his love interest.

In 2011, commenting on the fact that only white actors had won Golden Globe Awards that year, she said: "I think that there is definitely work to be done. It can always be more diverse. We live in a very multicultural and global society. More needs to be done to increase the representation of all people and really show the world for what it is. It’s not just one color."[7]

In 2013, she was a contestant on the ABC celebrity diving show Splash. She was first to be eliminated. In 2015, Knight Pulliam was a contestant on the NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice Season 7 and was the first contestant eliminated after being the losing project manager for her team. In 2018, Knight Pulliam was a HouseGuest on the first season of the CBS series Celebrity Big Brother, where she was the second person evicted out of the house, on Day 13.[8]

Personal life[]

Keshia Knight Pulliam was born in Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of Denise and James Knight Pulliam, Sr., a manager.[1] She has three brothers, James Knight Pulliam II, Mshon Knight Pulliam, and Juwan Pulliam.[2] Knight Pulliam attended Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, New Jersey.

When The Cosby Show ended its run in 1992, her family moved to Virginia, where Knight Pulliam attended the Potomac School in McLean and Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia, from which she graduated in 1997.[citation needed] She received a bachelor of arts degree in sociology from Spelman College in 2001.[3] She is a member of the Eta Kappa chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[3]

On New Year's Eve 2015, Knight Pulliam became engaged to retired National Football League player Edgerton Hartwell.[9][10] They were married the next day, January 1, 2016, in Knight Pulliam's Atlanta home.[11] Hartwell filed for divorce on July 25, 2016.[12] On January 23, 2017, Knight Pulliam gave birth to a daughter, named Ella Grace Hartwell.[13][14] The divorce was finalized in April 2018, with Knight Pulliam receiving primary custody of Ella while Hartwell was ordered to pay child support of about $3,000 a month.[15]

In December 2020, she became engaged to actor Brad James. Knight Pulliam began dating James in 2019 after they met on the set of the TV movie Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta.[16]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1985 The Last Dragon Sophia / Natasha Green
1987 The Little Molly
2004 Motives Letrice Video
2005 Beauty Shop Darnelle
2005 The Gospel Maya Walker
2008 Cuttin Da Mustard Wendy
2008 Death Toll Mirie
2009 Madea Goes to Jail Candace Washington

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1982 or 1983 Sesame Street Herself
1984–92 The Cosby Show Rudy Huxtable Main role; 177 episodes
1985 Back to Next Saturday Rudy Huxtable Movie
1987 The Little Match Girl Molly Movie
1987–88 A Different World Rudy Huxtable 3 episodes
1989 Polly Polly Movie
1989 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Karen Movie
1990 Polly: Comin' Home! Polly Movie
1990 The Earth Day Special Rudy Huxtable
1997 Cosby Guitarist Episode: "The Return of Charlites"
2001 The Weakest Link Herself Special Child TV Stars Edition
2002 Fear Factor Herself Reality series; one episode; winner
2002 What About Your Friends: Weekend Getaway Temple Movie
2004 Celebrity Mole 2: Yucatán Herself Reality series; eliminated in Episode 4
2004 Christmas at Water's Edge Leila Turner Movie
2007–12; 2020–present Tyler Perry's House of Payne Miranda Lucas Payne Main role; over 95 episodes
2010 Psych Stranjay Episode: "The Polarizing Express"
2012 Mr. Box Office Vanessa Owens Episode: "Pilot"
2013 Splash Herself Reality series; eliminated in Episode 1
2013 Guys with Kids Bridget Episode: "Divorce Party"
2013 The Love Letter Parker Movie
2015 The Celebrity Apprentice Season 7 Herself Reality series; eliminated in Episode 1
2015 Will to Love Rachel Paris Movie
2016 Here We Go Again Pregnant lady
2018 Celebrity Big Brother Herself HouseGuest; 10th Place
2018 Jingle Belle Tori Lifetime Movie
2019 Radio Christmas Kara Porter Lifetime Movie
2019 Pride and Prejudice: Atlanta Caroline Movie
2020 Tempted by Danger Angela Brooks Lifetime Movie

Awards and nominations[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Keshia Knight Pulliam Biography (1979-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Keshia Knight Pulliam". TVGuide.com. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "About Keshia". Keshia Knight Pulliam (official site). Archived from the original on May 8, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  4. ^ Vh1 2/13/2014. "VH1's 100 Greatest Kid Stars Of All Time". VH1 News. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  5. ^ "Real Talk with Jeanne Roberts EP 107 Segment 1, Keshia Knight Pulliam". YouTube. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Keshia Knight Pulliam: The Madea Goes to Jail Interview with Kam Williams Kam Williams.com
  7. ^ Shaw, A.R. (February 16, 2011). "The Evolution of Keshia Knight Pulliam". Rollingout.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2011. Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  8. ^ Maher, Natalie (February 13, 2018). "Get to Know the 'Celebrity Big Brother' Cast: Mark McGrath, Omarosa & More". www.billboard.com. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Puente, Maria (January 1, 2016). "Ex-'Cosby' kid Keshia Knight Pulliam is engaged". USA Today. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  10. ^ Lesley Messer (January 1, 2016). "Keshia Knight Pulliam Is Engaged". ABC News. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  11. ^ Joi-Marie McKenzie (January 22, 2016). "Keisha Knight Pulliam Reveals She Wed Ed Hartwell on New Years". ABC News. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  12. ^ Martin, Annie. "Keshia Knight Pulliam headed for divorce after pregnancy news: The actress and Ed Hartwell married in January after four months of dating". United Press International. July 26, 2016.
  13. ^ "Keshia Knight Pulliam Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby Girl". US Weekly. January 23, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  14. ^ "Keshia Knight Pulliam Welcomes Daughter Ella Grace". People. January 23, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
  15. ^ Ho, Rodney (April 24, 2018). "Keshia Knight Pulliam Finalizes Divorce with Ed Hartwell, Gets Primary Custody". WSB Radio. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  16. ^ Strohm, Emily. "The Cosby Show's Keshia Knight Pulliam Engaged to Actor Brad James". People. Meredith Corporation. Retrieved December 17, 2020.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""