American actress Lisa Nicole Carson was born on July 12, 1969 in New York City. She spent her adolescence in Gainesville, Florida, but was forced to return to New York after the divorce of her parents. Already a keen performer during her teens, she decided to pursue an acting career. After appearing in several productions of the famed Negro Ensemble Company, she ventured to television, first appearing as a guest on Law & Order. She also appeared in several other television shows—The Cosby Hour, The Apollo Comedy Hour, ABC Afterschool Specials—before moving on to films. She made her film debut in 1993, when she topbilled the drama Let’s Get Bizzee, and moved on to other releases such as Devil in a Blue Dress, White Lies and Love Jones.
Carson holds the distinction for having held supporting roles in two television shows simultaneously. In 1996, she joined the cast of the medical drama ER, where she played the role of Carla Reese, the former girlfriend of surgeon Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle). The next year, she joined the cast of the hit series Ally McBeal, where she played defense attorney Renee Raddick. These roles earned her numerous nominations: four for Image Awards and three for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. She eventually won in 1999, when the cast of Ally McBeal received the Best Comedy Ensemble Performance award.
Carson, however, became notorious for her attitude. She was fired from both roles, reportedly because of her behavior and mood swings. No roles have been credited to her since 2002—her last known role was in the series finale of Ally McBeal, where she was a guest. It has since been reported that she was admitted to a mental health facility due to a drug-related incident, and was later revealed to have been suffering from schizophrenia. She has since disappeared from public eye, and is being taken care of by her family. in 2010 however, it was reported that she attended the red carpet premiere of the movie Tron Legacy, located in New York.