Teri Joseph
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| Teri Joseph | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Soul Food (film) |
| Last appearance | "Don't Think This Hasn't Been Fabulous" (TV series, Season 5, Episode 14) |
| Created by | George Tillman, Jr. |
| Portrayed by | Vanessa L. Williams Nicole Ari Parker |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Occupation | Attorney: Associate, Green Norris, Chicago Partner, Moore & Freeman, Chicago Managing Partner, Burke Willis, Chicago Staff Attorney, ACLU, Los Angeles |
| Spouse(s) | Russell Banks (divorced) Miles (divorced) Damon Carter |
| Relatives | Maxine Chadway (sister) Tracy Van Adams (sister) Ahmad Chadway (nephew) Mandel Carter (adopted son) Josephine Joseph (mother) |
Teri Joseph is a fictional character from the Showtime television series Soul Food. The character first appeared in the 1997 film Soul Food, and was portrayed by Vanessa L. Williams.1 In the television series, the role was assumed by Nicole Ari Parker.
Note 1: Vanessa L. Williams is not to be confused with Vanessa A. Williams, who portrayed Maxine in the Soul Food TV series.
[edit] Character Background
A lifelong resident of Chicago, Teri is the oldest of three daughters born to Jeremiah and Josephine Joseph. In high school, she briefly dated high school football player Kenny Chadway (Jeffrey D. Sams, Rockmond Dunbar). Soon, Kenny cheated on Teri with her sister Maxine (Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa A. Williams), leading to years of friction between the two women. However, Kenny and Maxine were eventually married and became the parents of five children.
Teri graduated from Northwestern University School of Law and became an attorney with the Chicago law firm of Green Norris and Associates. She married rising NFL star Russell Banks (Michael Jai White), but the union ended in divorce, with the well-to-do Teri paying alimony to Russell (which he voluntarily repaid years later). She later married fellow attorney Miles Davis (Michael Beach, Isaiah Washington). A highly-driven career woman, Teri could not understand when Miles left his job to pursue a career as a professional musician. Miles had a one-night stand with Teri's estranged cousin Faith Hunter (Gina Ravera, Lisa Branch), but Teri caught the couple in the act, leading to her second divorce.
Shortly after the death of her mother, Teri began a relationship with Damon Carter (Boris Kodjoe), a college-educated delivery man who was several years younger than her. Although the couple was clearly in love with each other, the relationship was often a rocky one. The pair endured two major break-ups, including a cancelled engagement.
Teri also dated other men. She dated Brian her best friend, which eventually ended. She dated a man named Charles, but was very uncomfortable with the relationship that he had with his ex-wife. He and his wife remained close friends which Teri thought was very weird.
Teri also went through panic attacks. They were very severe and when Teri went to see mental health professionals they told her that it was due to her stress level. When Teri didn't make partner at Green Noris the first time she was up to run that made her work harder to show why she should. (Which she did eventually make partner.) She worked late nights and did the whole nine-yards. She later got through the attacks, and took prescribed medications to prevent them in the future.
Ultimately, Teri and Damon were married, and adopted their foster child Mandel (Tyson Fennell). Teri resigned from her position as managing partner at Burke Willis (which had acquired Green Norris), and the family moved to Los Angeles, where she began working as a senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union.
