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Gabrielle Union - Biography |
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Gabrielle Monique Union (born
October 29, 1972) is an American actress and former model. Among her
notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film
Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the
blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama
series City of Angels. She starred with LL Cool J and Meagan Good in
Deliver Us from Eva in 2003
Union was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the daughter of Theresa and Sylvester
Union. She was raised as a Roman Catholic At the age of eight, her family
moved to Pleasanton, California, where she grew up and attended Foothill
High School. In high school, Union was an all-star point guard and a year
round athlete participating in soccer, basketball, and track. During this
time, Union dated current Dallas Mavericks star point guard Jason Kidd.
Union attended the University of Nebraska before moving on to Cuesta
College. She eventually transferred to UCLA and earned a degree in
Sociology; while studying there, she interned at the Judith Fontaine
Modeling & Talent Agency to earn extra academic credits. She was asked by
the agency's owner, Judith Fontaine, to sign on with them as a new model.
She needed money to pay off some college loans and debts, so she
eventually agreed to become a fashion model.
Union started her acting career in minor roles. Most were in teen movies
like 10 Things I Hate About You and Love and Basketball. In 1997, Union
appeared in a sixth-season episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the
Klingon N'Garen. She also appeared in Sister, Sister as Vanessa, in Smart
Guy as Denise, and in five episodes of 7th Heaven as Keesha Hamilton. In
2000, Union landed the role of Isis in the cheerleading movie Bring it On
opposite Kirsten Dunst. Bring It On helped push Union into the mainstream
and she began gaining more exposure. This led to Union being cast in the
CBS television drama City of Angels as Dr. Courtney Ellis.
Union was cast in her first leading role in the 2003 film Deliver Us from
Eva with rapper L.L. Cool J. This was her second time working with the
rapper since making a cameo in his video "Paradise" in 2002. The film
received fair reviews from critics and it showed that Union was a leading
lady. But first, Union landed the role of Oscar nominee Will Smith's
girlfriend Syd in the film Bad Boys II, a box office success grossing over
$273 million worldwide. Union then starred with Academy Award winner Jamie
Foxx in the film Breakin' All the Rules in 2004.
Union starred in the short-lived 2005 ABC series Night Stalker. She has
also starred in the independent drama films Neo Ned and Constellation, the
latter of which was released to theaters. She also starred in the 2005
remake of The Honeymooners with comedian Cedric The Entertainer. In 2006,
she starred as Busta Rhymes' love interest in the music video for Rhymes'
"I Love My Chick". Union starred in the 2007 films Daddy's Little Girls by
Tyler Perry (released on Valentine's Day) and the Christmas film The
Perfect Holiday which opened on December 12.
In an interview with Art Nouveau Magazine, Union complained about the lack
of roles for black actresses and actors in Hollywood: "There used to be
[roles] specifically written black, if you knew Denzel was doing a movie
you knew his wife, girl or love interest was going to be black [but]
that’s not necessarily the case anymore. You’re in that room with every
amazingly talented actress of every hue, and it’s a dogfight, it’s hard".
In 2008, Union appeared on Ugly Betty for three episodes (36-38) as Renee,
Wilhelmina Slater's (Vanessa L. Williams) sister and Daniel Meade's (Eric
Mabius) love interest. She also made a cameo appearance in the music video
for Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent".
She joined the cast of the U.S. television series Life on NBC and appeared
in four episodes prior to the cancellation of series in May 2009. She
appears in the ABC series FlashForward alongside John Cho and Joseph
Fiennes which premiered on September 24, 2009.
In 1992, at age 19, Union was attacked, beaten and raped at her part-time
job in a shoestore. Her attacker later turned himself in and was sentenced
to 33 years in prison. She has since become an advocate for victims of
sexual assault. |
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Gabrielle Union - Personal Quotes |
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"I have no problem with that!
I'd rather be that than Quasimodo. Or a method actor" - on her
status as a sex symbol
"Thank God for J-Lo. All of a sudden big asses are de rigueur."
"I'm a Catholic girl from Omaha, and then all of a sudden they
spring this scene on me. Afterwards I had to go to confession. I
said, "Forgive me Father, for I have just bared my ass in front of
the world. How many Hail Marys will it take to absolve me of that!"
- on her strip scene in Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
"After Halle Berry does her films and Latifah does her films, it's
left to all the black, Latino and Asian actresses to fight over a
couple of roles. I opted for some TV. There just not a ton of work
in film."
"Halle's success has come more from blockbusters. But, yes, she is a
source of inspiration. When she makes money, black actors make
money."- On Halle Berry's success
"I didn't want to act. I thought it was a cheesy profession--but
when I was a junior, I got an internship at a modeling agency. When
my internship ended, they said, 'We'd be interested in representing
you.' I was like, 'If you think someone will pay me to be cheesy,
sure, whatever!' "
"I have the Samuel Jackson mentality, of working as much as
possible. I think about Halle [Berry] and [Queen] Latifah, and they
are the only two black actresses that work consistently. It scares
me."
"I like directors who have worked as actors. They know the
experience."
"I still hear things like 'Gabrielle, you gave the best read! If we
decide to go black, you're at the top of the list.' I've actually
been told, 'Gabrielle, you're absolutely perfect for the role, but
the role is a girl who's most popular in school.' I've been to the
point where I brought in my yearbook. 'See how popular I was? It
really can happen.' "
"I want to be Miss USA or Miss America. I would bring the trophy
back to Nebraska. My interests are agriculture and corn. Hey, I'm
just riding this train as long as I can. As long as I'm having fun,
I'll do it. When it stops being fun, I'll try something else. Maybe
I'll open up a chain of Popeye's Chicken."- On what she'll do next
"It is all that an actress can hope for. The experience was very
organic. I was able to be creative. In comedies, you go for the
joke, and embellish. Action films are about action. They're not
about performances."
"The black community in Hollywood is very small and close-knit.
Everyone has a common goal: to make a two-hour movie in 30 days. We
watch each others' scenes. There is a natural chemistry. You can't
have a crazy diva walking around saying, "As long as I'm lit well .
. ." Or, "I only care if I do well." |
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Gabrielle Union - Filmography |
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The Van Zandt Shakedown (2010)
Body Politic (2010) (TV) .... Jessica Sharp
"FlashForward" .... Zoey Andata (4 episodes, 2009)
- A561984 (2009) TV episode .... Zoey Andata
- The Gift (2009) TV episode .... Zoey Andata
- Black Swan (2009) TV episode .... Zoey Andata
- 137 Sekunden (2009) TV episode .... Zoey Andata
"Life" .... Jane Seever (4 episodes, 2009)
- One (2009) TV episode .... Jane Seever
- Initiative 38 (2009) TV episode .... Jane Seever
- 5 Quarts (2009) TV episode .... Jane Seever
- 3 Women (2009) TV episode .... Jane Seever
Cadillac Records (2008) .... Geneva Wade
"Ugly Betty" .... Renee Slater (3 episodes, 2008)
- Burning Questions (2008) TV episode .... Renee Slater
- Twenty-Four Candles (2008) TV episode .... Renee Slater
- A Thousand Words by Friday (2008) TV episode .... Renee Slater
Meet Dave (2008) .... No. 3 - Cultural Officer
The Perfect Holiday (2007) .... Nancy
The Box (2007/II) .... Det. Cris Romano
Daddy's Little Girls (2007) .... Julia
... aka Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (USA: complete title)
Football Wives (2007) (TV) .... Chardonnay Lane
The Box (2007/II) .... Det. Cris Romano
Perfect Christmas (2007) .... Nancy
Daddy's Little Girls (2007) .... Julia
... aka Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls (USA: complete title)
Running with Scissors (2006) .... Dorothy
"Night Stalker" .... Perri Reed (10 episodes, 2005-2006)
- What's the Frequency, Kolchak? (2006) TV Episode .... Perri Reed
- Timeless (2006) TV Episode .... Perri Reed
- Into Night (2006) TV Episode .... Perri Reed
- The Sea (2006) TV Episode .... Perri Reed
- The Source (2005) TV Episode .... Perri Reed
(5 more)
"Family Guy" .... Shauna Parks (1 episode, 2005)
... aka Padre de familia (USA: Spanish title)
- Peter's Got Woods (2005) TV Episode (voice) .... Shauna Parks
Say Uncle (2005) .... Elise Carter
The Honeymooners (2005) .... Alice Kramden
Neo Ned (2005) .... Rachael
Constellation (2005) .... Carmel Boxer
Something the Lord Made (2004) (TV) .... Clara Thomas
Breakin' All the Rules (2004) .... Nicky Callas
"The West Wing" .... Meeshel Anders (1 episode, 2004)
- The Benign Prerogative (2004) TV Episode .... Meeshel Anders
Ride or Die (2003) .... Masked Woman
... aka Hustle and Heat (Canada: English title: DVD title) (USA: DVD
title)
... aka Ride or Die (UK: video title)
Bad Boys II (2003) .... Syd
... aka Good Cops: Bad Boys II (Malaysia: English title)
Cradle 2 the Grave (2003) .... Daria
Deliver Us from Eva (2003) .... Evangeline 'Eva' Dandrige
"The Proud Family" .... Iesha / ... (1 episode, 2003)
- Hooray for Iesha (2003) TV Episode (voice) .... Sunny
Stevens/Iesha
Abandon (2002) .... Amanda Luttrell
Welcome to Collinwood (2002) .... Michelle
... aka Safecrackers oder Diebe haben's schwer (Germany)
Two Can Play That Game (2001) .... Conny Spalding
"Friends" .... Kristin Lang (1 episode, 2001)
- The One with the Cheap Wedding Dress (2001) TV Episode ....
Kristin Lang
The Brothers (2001/I) .... Denise Johnson
Close to Home (2001) (TV)
"City of Angels" .... Dr. Courtney Ellis (11 episodes, 2000)
- SWAT's Happening (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Courtney Ellis
- Smoochas Gracias (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Courtney Ellis
- Saving Faces (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Courtney Ellis
- The Lone Free Ranger (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Courtney Ellis
- Nathan's Hot Dog (2000) TV Episode .... Dr. Courtney Ellis
(6 more)
Bring It On (2000) .... Isis
"Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane" .... Lana (1 episode, 2000)
... aka Zoe (Australia) (USA: new title)
... aka Zoe... (USA: promotional abbreviation)
- Too Much Pressure (2000) TV Episode .... Lana
"The Others" .... Lindsay (1 episode, 2000)
- Theta (2000) TV Episode .... Lindsay
Love & Basketball (2000) .... Shawnee
... aka Love and Basketball (USA: closing credits title)
"ER" .... Tamara Davis (1 episode, 2000)
- Family Matters (2000) TV Episode .... Tamara Davis
H-E Double Hockey Sticks (1999) .... Gabrielle
"Grown Ups" .... Marcus's Date (1 episode, 1999)
- Pilot (1999) TV Episode .... Marcus's Date
"Clueless" .... Lydia (1 episode, 1999)
- Prom Misses, Prom Misses (1999) TV Episode .... Lydia
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) .... Chastity
She's All That (1999) .... Katie
"7th Heaven" .... Keesha Hamilton (5 episodes, 1996-1999)
... aka 7th Heaven: Beginnings (USA: rerun title)
... aka Seventh Heaven
- The Tribes That Bind (1999) TV Episode .... Keesha Hamilton
- It Takes a Village (1998) TV Episode .... Keesha Hamilton
- Happy's Valentine (1997) TV Episode .... Keesha Hamilton
- America's Most Wanted (1997) TV Episode .... Keesha Hamilton
- The Color of God (1996) TV Episode .... Keesha Hamilton
"The Steve Harvey Show" .... Naomi Parson (1 episode, 1998)
- The He-Man, Player-Hater's Club (1998) TV Episode .... Naomi
Parson
"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" .... N'Garen (1 episode, 1997)
... aka DS9 (USA: promotional abbreviation)
... aka Deep Space Nine (USA: short title)
... aka Star Trek: DS9 (USA: short title)
- Sons and Daughters (1997) TV Episode .... N'Garen
"City Guys" .... Katisha Grant (1 episode, 1997)
- The Date (1997) TV Episode .... Katisha Grant
"Sister, Sister" .... Shawn / ... (2 episodes, 1997)
- Show Me the Money (1997) TV Episode .... Shawn
- Guardian Angel (1997) TV Episode .... Vanessa
"Hitz" .... Soul (1 episode, 1997)
- The Godfather: Not the Movie (1997) TV Episode .... Soul
"Dave's World" .... Carly (1 episode, 1997)
- Oh Dad, Poor Dad (1997) TV Episode .... Carly
"Smart Guy" .... Lydia (1 episode, 1997)
- Don't Do That Thing You Do (1997) TV Episode .... Lydia
"Goode Behavior" .... Tracy Monaghan (3 episodes, 1996)
- Goode Grades (1996) TV Episode .... Tracy Monaghan
- Goode Golly, Miss Molly (1996) TV Episode .... Tracy Monaghan
- Goode and Scared (1996) TV Episode .... Tracy Monaghan
"Saved by the Bell: The New Class" .... Jennifer (1 episode, 1996)
- The Tall and the Short of It (1996) TV Episode .... Jennifer
"Malibu Shores" .... Shannon Everette (1 episode, 1996)
- The Competitive Edge (1996) TV Episode .... Shannon Everette
"Moesha" .... Ashli (1 episode, 1996)
- Friends (1996) TV Episode .... Ashli |
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Gabrielle Union - Related Links |
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Wikipedia: Gabrielle Union
YouTube: Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union
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