Lisa Bonet

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Lisa Bonet
Born
Lisa Michelle Bonet

(1967-11-16) November 16, 1967 (age 53)
OccupationActress
Years active1983–present
Known forDenise HuxtableThe Cosby Show, A Different World
Spouse(s)
(m. 1987; div. 1993)

(m. 2017)
Children3, including Zoë Kravitz

Lilakoi Moon[1] (born Lisa Michelle Bonet; November 16, 1967), known professionally as Lisa Bonet,[2][3][4] is an American actress and activist. As an actress, Bonet is best known for work with American actor and comedian Bill Cosby, starring in two of his productions on NBC, The Cosby Show (1984–1992) and A Different World (1987–1993), as the unorthodox, free-spirited Denise Huxtable.[5] After The Cosby Show ended in 1992, Bonet entered a state of semi-retirement from acting, only sporadically appearing in films and on television such as Maya Daniels in Life on Mars (2008–2009) and Marisol on Ray Donovan (2016). She is also known for her acting roles in Angel Heart (1987), High Fidelity (2000), Biker Boyz (2003), and Road to Paloma (2013).

Early life[]

Moon was born Lisa Michelle Bonet on November 16, 1967, in San Francisco, California,[citation needed] to Arlene Joyce Litman, a music teacher of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage from Pennsylvania,[6] and Allen Bonet, an opera singer of African American heritage from Texas.[7][8][9][2][4] She has five half-sisters and two half-brothers by her father's marriage to Deborah Church. Bonet graduated from Birmingham High School, in Van Nuys, California and later studied acting at the Celluloid Actor's Studio in North Hollywood.[10][11]

Career[]

After being in beauty competitions and appearing in guest spots on television series as a child, Bonet landed the role of Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show, the second oldest child of the parents played by Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad.[12]

In 1987, she briefly left The Cosby Show to star in the spin-off series A Different World, which focused on Denise's life at college. That year, Bonet, then 19, played 17-year-old Epiphany Proudfoot in the movie Angel Heart opposite Mickey Rourke.[13] In the film, several seconds of an explicit scene she shared with Rourke (filmed when she was 18) were edited to ensure an R rating.[14] It was followed by a topless centerspread in Interview magazine.[15]

After announcing her pregnancy during the run of A Different World, Bonet left the series.[16] She returned to The Cosby Show the following year, but was fired in April 1991 because of "creative differences".[17] After The Cosby Show, Bonet appeared in direct-to-video releases and made-for-television movies.

In September 1992, Bonet hosted Why Bother Voting?, an election special focusing on young voters' concerns and apathy. She had supporting roles in the 1998 film Enemy of the State and the 2000 film High Fidelity. In 2003 she played Queenie in Biker Boyz, which reunited her with her A Different World co-star Kadeem Hardison.[18]

Bonet co starred in the film Whitepaddy in 2005. While she did not have another film role until 2014's Road to Paloma, she did make a number of appearances in episodes of television dramas and comedies, starting in 2008 in the American adaptation of the British television series Life on Mars.[19][20] She had a recurring role in the 2014–15 series The Red Road, starring her partner and future husband Jason Momoa.

Personal life[]

On November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, Bonet eloped with American rock singer Lenny Kravitz in Las Vegas. Bonet recalled of their relationship:

It was interesting when we were first finding out about each other, that our backgrounds were so similar. When I first told him my mom was Jewish, and he said "So's my dad," I thought that was both unusual and enchanting. I felt like, "Okay, here's someone who really knows how it is." And I think I trusted him a little more with my feelings and let him inside a little more than I ordinarily would have.[21][22]

Bonet gave birth to their daughter Zoë Isabella Kravitz on December 1, 1988.[23] She and Kravitz divorced in 1993. In 1995, Bonet legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, although she still uses the name Lisa Bonet professionally.[24]

In 2005, Bonet began a relationship with actor Jason Momoa. They married in October 2017.[25] Bonet and Momoa have two children: a daughter born in July 2007,[26] and a son born in December 2008.[27]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Years Title Role
1987 Angel Heart Epiphany Proudfoot
1993 Bank Robber Priscilla
1994 Final Combination Catherine Briggs
1998 Enemy of the State Rachel Banks
2000 High Fidelity Marie De Salle
2003 Biker Boyz Queenie
2005 Whitepaddy Mae Evans
2013 Road to Paloma Magdalena

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1983 St. Elsewhere Carla Episode: "Entrapment"
1984–91 The Cosby Show Denise Huxtable 119 episodes
1985 Tales from the Darkside Justine Episode: "The Satanic Piano"
ABC Afterschool Special Carrie 1 episode
1987–89 A Different World Denise Huxtable 23 episodes
1990 The Earth Day Special Denise Huxtable
1992 Why Bother Voting? Herself Elections special with Bonet as host.
1994 New Eden Lily Television movie
2002 Lathe of Heaven Heather Lelache Television movie
2008–09 Life on Mars Maya Daniels 5 episodes
2013–14 Drunk History Mary Ellen Pleasant and Rosa Parks 2 episodes
2014–15 The Red Road Sky Van Der Veen 7 episodes
2014 New Girl Brenda Brown Episode: "Teachers"
2016 Girls Tandice Moncrief Episodes: "Homeward Bound", "Love Stories"
Ray Donovan Marisol Recurring – Season 4

Music video director[]

Year Song Artist
1990 "It Never Rains (In Southern California)" Tony! Toni! Toné!
1991 "Stand by My Woman" Lenny Kravitz
1999 "Revelation Sunshine" Cree Summer
2019 "Freedom (TROY NōKA Remix)" Dorothy, Angel Haze

Awards and nominations[]

Year Award Result Category Film or series
1985 Young Artist Award Nominated Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series The Cosby Show
1986 Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series The Cosby Show
1988 Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Comedy Series The Cosby Show
Won Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Pictures Angel Heart
1989 Nominated Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special The Cosby Show (shared with Tempestt Bledsoe, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Deon Richmond, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner)
1988 Emmy Award Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series The Cosby Show
1988 Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress Angel Heart
2001 Black Reel Awards Theatrical – Best Supporting Actress High Fidelity
2006 TV Land Awards Favorite Singing Siblings The Cosby Show (shared with Tempestt Bledsoe, Sabrina Le Beauf, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner)


References[]

  1. ^ Carbone, Nick (September 16, 2011). "Top 10 Most Ridiculous Celebrity Name Changes - TIME". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b McCann, Bob (2007). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland and Company. p. 49. ISBN 978-0-7864-3790-0. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  3. ^ "Lisa Bonet Marries Musician Lenny 'Romeo' Kravitz, Son of 'The Jeffersons' TV Star". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. December 7, 1987. p. 6. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lisa Bonet | Biography and Filmography | 1967". Hollywood.com, LLC. February 8, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  5. ^ "Bonet's in 'A Different World'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
  6. ^ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KQWH-5CC : 17 December 2019), Arline Litman in household of Eli Litman, Ward 4, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh City, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69-80, sheet 9B, line 62, family 216, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 3653.
  7. ^ "Lisa Bonet on family, husband Jason Momoa & working with Bill Cosby". Porter Edit / NET-A-PORTER.COM. March 9, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018. Bonet was born in the heart of the hippie movement, in November 1967 in San Francisco, to a white Jewish schoolteacher mother and a black opera-singing father.
  8. ^ D'Souza, Joy (May 16, 2017). "Zoe Kravitz Reveals How She Learned To Love Her Mixed Background". HuffPost Canada. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  9. ^ Barnes, Henry (August 20, 2015). "Zoë Kravitz: 'Why do stories happen to white people and everyone else is a punchline?'". The Guardian. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  10. ^ "Lisa Bonet Biography". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on January 13, 2009. Retrieved January 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Valle, Victor (February 26, 1987). "Bonet's 'Angel' Heartache". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Lisa Bonet". Biography In Context. June 8, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  13. ^ coopa.net. "Angel Heart - Alan Parker - Director, Writer, Producer - Official Website". alanparker.com.
  14. ^ "Appeals Board Upholds 'Angel Heart' X Rating". The New York Times. February 21, 1987. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  15. ^ Norment, Lynn (December 1987). "Lisa Bonet: The Growing Pains of a Rising Star". Ebony. Ebony Media Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  16. ^ Hunt, Darnell. "A Different World". museum.tv. Archived from the original on February 10, 2006. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  17. ^ Allis, Tim (May 4, 1992). "Leaving the Nest". People. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  18. ^ Westbrook, Caroline (September 14, 2003). "Lisa Bonet". SomethingJewish. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
  19. ^ Ausiello, Michael (August 1, 2008). "Exclusive: Lisa Bonet Sentenced to 'Life on Mars'". Entertainment Weekly. New York City: Meredith Corporation. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  20. ^ "'Life on Mars' Star Lisa Bonet Pregnant". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  21. ^ Cooper, Carol (February 1990). "Let Love Rule". Essence. Essence Ventures. p. 104. ProQuest 223114238.
  22. ^ Bloom, Nate (January 12, 2009). "Interfaith Celebrities: Young, Gifted, Black and Jewish". InterfaithFamily. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  23. ^ "Zoe Kravitz. Alternate Name: Zoe Isabella Kravitz" at All Movie Guide via The New York Times
  24. ^ Westbrook, Caroline (September 14, 2003). "Lisa Bonet". Somethingjewish.co.uk. Archived from the original on February 14, 2004. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
  25. ^ "Jason Momoa, Lisa Bonet Officially Marry in Secret Wedding". Us Weekly. New York City: American Media Inc. November 2, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  26. ^ "Update: A daughter for Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa". People. August 20, 2007.
  27. ^ "Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa Welcome Son Nakoa-Wolf". People. New York City: Meredith Corporation. January 7, 2009. Retrieved October 26, 2019.

Further reading[]

External links[]

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