Nia Long: 18 Must-See Pictures Of The Actress

Nia Long is a 46-year-old actress who’s been captivating audiences for over three decades. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, but she spent most of her childhood in Iowa City, Iowa and South Los Angeles, California. Nia made her on-screen debut in 1986, playing Girl in the “Slam Dunked” episode of 227.

Blessed with immense talent and stunning looks, it wasn’t long until Nia started landing big-time parts. Some of her most notable roles have been as Brandi in Boyz n the Hood (1991), Zora Mathews in Made in America (1993), Debbie in Friday (1995), Lisa Wilkes/Claudia Prescott in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air (1991, 1994-1995), Bird in Soul Food (1997), Donna Chadway in Stigmata (1999), Abbie Halpert in Boiler Room (2000), Sasha Monroe in Third Watch (2003-2005), Annie in Premonition (2007), and Giuliana Green in Empire (2017).

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And of course, Nia Long has also had major roles in films that spawned sequels. Nia portrayed Jordan Armstrong in The Best Man (1999) and The Best Man Holiday (2013), Sherri in Big Momma’s House (2000) and Big Momma’s House 2 (2006), and Suzanne in Are We There Yet? (2005) and Are We Done Yet? (2007).

Up next for Nia is Dear White People, and she will play Neika Hobbs in the TV series based on the 2014 film of the same name. The 10-episode first season will be released on Netflix on April 28, 2017, and to get ready for the controversial show, check out Nia’s hottest photos in the gallery above.