| Lark Voorhies | |
|---|---|
Voorhies in 2008 |
|
| Born | March 25, 1974 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, spokeswoman, model |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse |
Miguel Coleman (1996-2004) (divorced) Andy Prince (m. 2007-present)(1 child) |
| Partner | Martin Lawrence (1993-1994) (engaged) |
Lark Voorhies (born March 25, 1974) is an American actress who rose to fame playing Lisa Turtle in Saved by the Bell, for which she was nominated for the Young Artist Award four times, winning in 1990 and 1993. She also portrayed the role as a regular on Good Morning, Miss Bliss.
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Voorhies made her acting debut at the age of two. She postponed her acting career until the age of 11. The reason for this was her shyness. Her mother put Voorhies' acting career on hold until she was more comfortable in front of the cameras. Later, at the age of fourteen, Voorhies reappeared on an episode of Small Wonder in 1988. That same year, she landed the recurring role of Lisa Turtle in Good Morning, Miss Bliss and appeared in thirteen episodes from 1988 to 1989. She remained as the same character, as did Zack, Screech, and Mr. Belding, after Disney dropped the series and it was picked-up and re-tooled by NBC and renamed Saved by the Bell. The characters Miss Bliss, Mylo, Mikey, and Nicky were dropped. During its first season on NBC 1989-1990, the characters Kelly Kapowski, A.C. Slater, and Jessie Spano were added. The setting was also changed from John F. Kennedy Junior High in Indianapolis to Bayside High School in Los Angeles.
Voorhies has since appeared in several television sitcoms and soap operas. She played the role of single mom Wendy Reardon on Days of Our Lives from 1993 to 1994. On The Bold and the Beautiful Voorhies played the role of amiable intern fashion-designer, Jasmine Malone beginning in January 1995. She was released from her contract in November 1996 when her role required her to act in sex scenes, which the actress refused to do citing her religious beliefs as a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. She returned in April 2004 when Jasmine Malone returns to L.A when Eric and Stephiane hire her to work as a designer in the basement at Forrester Creations. She decided to renew her contract when the show offered to sign her to a one-year deal and departed the show again in July 2004 when her character Jasmine takes a job at Forrester International in Europe, coutersey of Eric Forrester.
In 1995, Voorhies guest-starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Life Support". During the same year, Voorhies guest-starred in the season 6 episode of Family Matters, entitled "Home Sweet Home," as Eddie's upstairs dream girl. She has continued to act in various roles since then, such as In the House, in which she played the girlfriend-turned-wife of Alfonso Ribeiro’s character, Dr. Max Stanton. Previously, she played Ribeiro's love interest twice on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Besides sitcoms, Voorhies also appeared in movies and direct-to-video films.
Voorhies has not restricted her acting to television sitcoms and movies alone. She has appeared in a number of music videos, including Kenny Lattimore's "Never Too Busy," Boyz II Men's "On Bended Knee," Montell Jordan's "Somethin' for the Honeyz," and Dru Hill's "These Are the Times." Voorhies, as a model, endorsed Head and Shoulders shampoo and "Oxy10."
In 2001 Voorhies played a major role in the film "How High" as Lauren, a Harvard student.
Her latest film project is a movie adaptation of the book The Black Man's Guide to Understanding Black Women, and she is also involved in a movie entitled The Next Hit, which was released in August, 2008.[1]
She has been rumoured to play Whitney Houston in the Grammy Winning Singer's upcoming biopic.[2]
In 1994 Voorhies was in a group originally called the X-Girls (now known as Geneva) with Stacee and Yashi Brown (the daughters of singer and oldest Jackson family member Rebbie Jackson). She is the niece of Jermaine Jackson through extended family.
Voorhies was formerly in an alternative band named Third Degree. She was the founder and lead singer of the group. Due to the band splitting, Voorhies decided to further her music career as a soloist.
Voorhies is currently preparing to release her new single, entitled "Backyard" under her own management/production company by January 2010. The album title is currently unknown.
Voorhies is mentioned in Asher Roth's single "Lark on My Go-Kart".
Voorhies played Wanya's girlfriend in the music video "On Bended Knee".
Voorhies is mentioned in Ludacris' song "Coming 2 America" off his "Word of Mouf" album.
Voorhies played Lattimore's love interest on his debut video "Never Too Busy" from his 1996 self titled debut album.
Voorhies owns Lark Voorhies Productions and Voorhies Management, Inc, which she co-founded with her brother and some of her business partners.
On May 30, 2006, Voorhies filed a lawsuit against The National Enquirer for libel over an article that included claims she had a drug problem.[3]
Voorhies has had several romances with several Hollywood actors and co-stars, including Saved by the Bell co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar, whom she dated for three years. Voorhies had a brief romance with and was engaged to American comedy actor Martin Lawrence in 1993. On March 9, 1996, she married actor/producer Miguel Coleman. The marriage lasted from 1996 to 2004, at which point the couple divorced.[4] On May 8, 2007 she married Andy Prince; they have one child.[5]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
| 1997 | Def Jam's How to Be a Player | Lisa | |
| 2000 | Longshot | Woman at Bar | Alternative title: Jack of All Trades |
| 2001 | How High | Lauren | |
| 2002 | Civil Brand | Lil' Momma | |
| 2008 | The Next Hit | Ana Smith | |
| 2009 | Mimi's Place | Sydney | Short film |
| 2010 | Redemption | Sister Mary | pre-production |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1988–1989 | Good Morning, Miss Bliss | Lisa Turtle | 13 episodes |
| 1988, 1989 | Small Wonder | Brandie Ross Binky |
Episode: When You Hear the Beep Episode: The Tattletale |
| 1989 | The Robert Guillaume Show | Danica | Episode: Educating Ann |
| 1989–1993 | Saved by the Bell | Lisa Turtle | 86 episodes |
| 1992 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Cindy | Episode: Mama's Baby, Carlton's Maybe |
| Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style | Lisa Turtle | TV-Movie | |
| 1993 | Martin | Nicole | Episode: The Break Up (2) Episode: The Break Up (3) |
| Getting By | Tasha | Episode: Men Don't Dance Episode: Turnabout Dance |
|
| 1993–1994 | Days of our Lives | Wendy Reardon | |
| 1994 | Saved by the Bell: The College Years | Lisa Turtle | Episode: Wedding Plans |
| Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas | Lisa Turtle | TV-Movie | |
| Me and the Boys | Denise | Episode: Talent Show | |
| Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Lisa Turtle | Episode: Goodbye Bayside (2) | |
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Breena Black | Episode: What About Your Friends |
| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Leanne | Episode: Life Support | |
| Family Matters | Dream Girl | Episode: Home Sweet Home | |
| 1995–1996; 2004 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Jasmine Malone | Originated the role from January 1995 to November 1996. Reprised the role in April 2004. Again departed the role in June 2004 and last appeared on-screen in Mid-July 2004. |
| 1997 | Malcolm & Eddie | Lydia | Episode: Club Story |
| The Last Don | Tiffany | Miniseries | |
| 1997–1999 | In the House | Mercedes Langford | 18 episodes |
| 1998 | The Love Boat: The Next Wave | Johari Mayfield | Episode: I Can't Get No Satisfaction |
| 1999 | Mutiny | TV-Movie | |
| The Parkers | Chandra | Episode: Grape Nuts Episode: Scammed Straight |
|
| 2000 | Grown Ups | Stacy | Episode: J's Pet Peeve |
| 2001 | Fire & Ice | Holly Aimes | TV-Movie |
| 2002 | Widows | Miniseries | |
| 2008 | Robot Chicken | Lisa Turtle/Betty Childs/Borg Queen | Voice Role Episode: Boo Cocky |