Nicole Ari Parker
Born	October 7, 1970 (1970-10-07) (age 39) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Other name(s)	Nikki Kodjoe
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1995—present
Spouse(s)	Boris Kodjoe (2005-present)

Nicole Ari Parker Kodjoe (born October 7, 1970), also known as Nikki Kodjoe, is an American actress and a former model. She is known for playing Terri Joseph in the Showtime television series Soul Food, which was based on the 1997 film of the same name.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 Filmography 5 Television 6 Awards and nominations 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Early life

Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the only child of her divorced parents, health care professional Susan Parker and dentist Donald Parker.^[1]At the age of 17, she won best actress in the state of Maryland's high school competition and then moved to the Washington Ballet Company before applying to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated with an acting degree in 1993.^[2]

[edit] Career

Early in her career Parker appeared in several critically-acclaimed independent films including The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Boogie Nights, 200 Cigarettes, and the 1999 Sundance Film Festival winner The Adventures of Sebastian Cole. She starred with her husband, model and actor Boris Kodjoe, in UPN's situation comedy Second Time Around.

After a string of odd jobs (including scooping ice cream), bit-roles and low wage work in the theater circuit, Parker was offered her breakthrough role on Soul Food. In Soul Food, she showcased her singing voice in several episodes. Parker also had a guest appearance on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, playing a singer. She played the role of Stephanie in the movie Divas, alongside Khalil Kain. She also had a lead role in the 1998 film Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.

She worked alongside Martin Lawrence in two of his films: Blue Streak and Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. In December 2008, Parker played the role of Angie Dean-Johnson in the TV series, The Johnsons.

[edit] Personal life

Parker eloped with actor Joseph Falasca in March 2001. Their marriage lasted only eight months; they divorced later that year. She married her Soul Food co-star Boris Kodjoe on May 21, 2005 in Gundelfingen, Germany. She gave birth to their first child, a girl, Sophie Tei-Naaki Lee Kodjoe, on March 5, 2005. Sophie has spina bifida, which was diagnosed at birth.^[3] Parker gave birth to the couple's second child, Nicolas Neruda Kodjoe, a boy, on October 31, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. The family resides in Atlanta.

[edit] Filmography

• The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
• Boogie Nights (1997)
• The End of Violence (1997)
• Exiled: A Law & Order Movie (1998)
• The Adventures of Sebastian Cole (1998)
• Spark (1998)
• Mute Love (1999)
• 200 Cigarettes (1999)
• Blue Streak (1999)
• Dancing in September (2000)
• Remember the Titans (2000)
• Loving Jezebel (2000)
• Brown Sugar (2002)
• King's Ransom (2005)
• Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008)
• Imagine That (2009)
• Pastor Brown (2009)

[edit] Television

• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (1 episode, guest appearance, 2002)
• Soul Food (2000–2004)
• Second Time Around (2004–2005)

[edit] Awards and nominations

• Image Awards
  • 2005, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Soul Food: The Series (Nominated)
  • 2004, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Soul Food: The Series (Nominated)
  • 2003, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Soul Food: The Series (Nominated)
  • 2003, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Brown Sugar (Nominated)
  • 2002, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Soul Food: The Series (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Soul Food: The Series (Nominated)
  • 2001, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Remember the Titans (Nominated)

• Screen Actors Guild
  • 1998, Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture: Boogie Nights (Nominated)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Nicole Ari Parker at the Internet Movie Database