Nicole Ari Parker

Nicole Ari Parker-Kodjoe (born October 7, 1970), also known as Nikki Kodjoe, is an American actress. Parker is known for her role as Becky Barnett in the 1997 film Boogie Nights and as the attorney Teri Joseph on the Showtime series Soul Food, which ran from 2000 to 2004. Additionally, Nicole co-starred on the short-lived UPN romantic comedy Second Time Around that lasted for one season.

Early years

Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the only child of her divorced parents, health care professional Susan Parker and dentist Donald Parker. After briefly attending the Montessori School, Parker entered Roland Park Country School where she stayed through high school. At the age of 17, she won Best Actress in the state of Maryland's high school competition and then moved to The Washington Ballet Company before applying to the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated with an acting degree in 1993.

Career

Early in her career she appeared in several critically acclaimed independent films including The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love, Boogie Nights, 200 Cigarettes, and the 1999 Sundance Film Festival winner The Adventures of Sebastian Cole. She starred with her husband, model and actor Boris Kodjoe, in UPN's situation comedy Second Time Around.