Career

After being in beauty pageants and appearing in guest spots on television series as a child, Bonet landed the role of Denise Huxtable on The Cosby Show alongside Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad. In 1987, she briefly left The Cosby Show to star in the spin off series, A Different World, which focused on Denise Huxtable's life at college. That year, Bonet, then 19, appeared in the role of seventeen-year-old Epiphany Proudfoot in the movie Angel Heart opposite Mickey Rourke, directed by Alan Parker.[12]

In the film, several seconds of an explicit scene she shared with Rourke (filmed when she was 18) were edited to ensure an R rating.[13] It was followed by a topless centerspread in Interview magazine.[14] After announcing her pregnancy during the run of A Different World, Bonet left the series.[15] The following year, she returned to The Cosby Show, but was fired in April 1991 because of "creative differences".[16]

After The Cosby Show, Bonet began to accept jobs on straight-to-video releases and made-for-television movies. In September 1992, she hosted Why Bother Voting?, an elections special focusing on the concerns and apathy of young voters. In 1998 she had a supporting role in Enemy of the State with Will Smith. In 2000, she appeared in the movie High Fidelity. In 2003, she played the role of Queenie in Biker Boyz, which reunited her with former co-star Kadeem Hardison of A Different World.[17]

Bonet also co-starred in the film Whitepaddy in 2006, alongside Sherilyn Fenn, Hill Harper, Debra Wilson, Karen Black, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Two years later, she appeared in the United States adaptation of the British television series, Life on Mars.[18][19]

Personal life

On November 16, 1987, her 20th birthday, Bonet eloped with American rock singer Lenny Kravitz in Las Vegas. Bonet recalled of their relationship:

It was interesting when we were first finding out about each other, that our backgrounds were so similar. When I first told him my mom was Jewish, and he said 'So's my dad,' I thought that was both unusual and enchanting. I felt like, 'Okay, here's someone who really knows how it is.' And I think I trusted him a little more with my feelings and let him inside a little more than I ordinarily would have.[20][21]

Bonet gave birth to their daughter Zoë Isabella on December 1, 1988.[22] She and Kravitz separated in 1993. In 1995, Bonet legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, although she still uses the name Lisa Bonet professionally.[1]

In 2005, she began a relationship with actor Jason Momoa. Although it was widely believed that Momoa and Bonet married on November 15, 2007, the couple did not actually make it official until October 2017.[23] On July 23, 2007, Bonet gave birth to her second child, Lola Iolani Momoa, her first with Momoa. On December 15, 2008, the couple had a son named Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa.[24]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

[ Source: Wikipedia ]