Nicole Ari Parker
Nicole Ari Parker
- Born: October 7, 1970 (age 52)
- Occupation: Actress
- Known for: Soul Food, Brown Sugar, The Cosby Show, Empire
- Spouse: Boris Kodjoe (m. 2005)
- Children: Sophie Tei Naaki Lee Kodjoe, Nicolas Neruda Kodjoe
Nicole Ari Parker is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Teri Joseph in the Fox comedy-drama series Empire, Giselle Howard in the BET comedy-drama series The Cosby Show, and Becky Barnett in the Showtime drama series Soul Food.
Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Donald Parker, a dentist, and Susan Parker, a homemaker. She attended Roland Park Country School and graduated from Brown University in 1993 with a degree in theater arts.
Parker began her acting career in the early 1990s, appearing in small roles in films such as The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Boyz n the Hood (1991). She gained wider recognition for her role as Becky Barnett in the Showtime drama series Soul Food, which aired from 2000 to 2004.
After Soul Food ended, Parker continued to appear in films and television shows. She had starring roles in the films Brown Sugar (2002), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), and Black Dynamite (2009). She also had recurring roles in the television series House of Lies (2012-2016) and Empire (2015-2020).
In 2005, Parker married actor Boris Kodjoe. They have two children together, Sophie Tei Naaki Lee Kodjoe and Nicolas Neruda Kodjoe.
Parker is a vocal advocate for social justice and equality. She has spoken out against racism, sexism, and homophobia. She is also a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2018, Parker was named one of the most influential African-Americans in the United States by The Root.
