Tatyana Ali got her break on the series
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as Ashley Banks. She portrayed the daughter of Philip Banks (James Avery), the sister of Hilary, Carlton, and Nicky, and Will Smith's younger cousin. Throughout the series, her father tried to meddle in her life so she didn't became anything like regular teenagers. However, she became fascinated with Will's exciting and liberated lifestyle, which eventually turned her into a rebel. After all the mischief, she was able to gain a sense of maturity and decided to attend a performing arts school by the end of the series. In the coming months, the 28-year-old actress will be featured in several drama films and will be reprising her role in a comedy sequel.
On September 5, the former
Prince of Bel-Air actress will be returning to the big screen with
Nora's Hair Salon II, a follow-up on the 2004 independent comedy film written by Chanel Capra and Jean-Claude La Marre. Once again, she'll be playing Lilliana, along with La Marre, Bobby Brown and Stacey Dash.
Moreover, Tatyana Ali will be featured in
Hotel California, a film about loyalty, betrayal and revenge. She stars as Jessie in a story about a man who returns with an explosive encounter with his former partners in a rundown hotel to reclaim what is rightfully his. The movie stars Raymond J. Barry (
Born on the Fourth of July) and Erik Palladino (
ER).
Following
Prince of Bel-Air, Tatyana Ali briefly focused her attention to her singing career. Marking her musical debut was the album
Kiss the Sky, which was released in 1998. Though her album spawned several hit singles and even became gold in early 1999, she became more active in the field of acting, and pursued TV and movie projects. Some of her credits included
Kiss the Girls,
The List, and
Glory Road. Most recently, she appeared in the short films
Wilted, How To Have A Girl, The Malibu Myth and
First Sight, which were showcased on the reality show
On the Lot.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of AskMen.com)