American actress Karyn Parsons was born on October 8, 1966 in Hollywood, California. The daughter of an interracial couple, she attended Santa Monica High School, though began her acting career at the age of 13. She has worked on television shows such as The Bronx Zoo, Out All Night, The John Larroquette Show, Melrose Place, and Static Shock. She has appeared in the films The Job, Major Payne, Class Act, and The Ladies Man. She has also worked as a model, and is currently involved with a project titled Sweet Blackberry, a series of animated DVD films. Apart from her acting career, she also enjoys fencing, horseback riding, and dancing.
Hilary Banks is played by Karyon Parsons in the classic NBC television comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Will’s cousin and the eldest daughter of the Banks family, she is an attractive but slightly moronic young woman. She has a pretentious demeanor, often acting like a spoiled child with a shallow outlook on life. She claims to hobnob with celebrities, and is largely obsessed with money and shopping for new clothes. But in spite of her superficial personality, and her tendency to snobbishly look down on Will’s upbringing, the two of them actually get along well enough.
(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.)