Garcelle Beauvais Nilon Bio

 

Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon

Not the most famous fashion model the world has seen but as an actresses her career has been more than successful and now with her August 2007 photo shoot in Hugh Hefner’s Playboy magazine a whole new world of exposure could soon open for this Haitian born model.

Garcelle Beavais-Nilon was born on November 26th 1966 in St Marc, Haiti. Her parents, Maria Claire and Axel parted after the birth of Garcelle, their sixth child. Taking her six children, Garcelle’s mother moved to Massachusetts and attended nursing school. At this time Garcelle was sent to boarding school and at sixteen her mother once again moved the family to Miami, Florida. While in Miami Garcelle went to Miami Norland Senior High.

After graduating from high school at the age of seventeen, Garcelle took herself off to New York with the intention of making it as a fashion model. While in New York she signed with the Ford Model agency.  She soon found herself on modeling assignments for several large cosmetic companies such as Clairol, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Avon.

Garcelle was in demand for model shoots for up market stores such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom’s and later appeared in magazines, Essence and Ebony. Her modeling career saw her walking the catwalk at fashion shows for Calvin Klein and Isaac Mizrahi.

As well as pursuing a modeling career, Garcelle has also made it in the world of acting. She got a break on Aaron Spelling's TV show, "Models Inc." in 1994 after which she joined L.A.'s comedy troupe, ‘The Groundlings’ which is well known for spawning the careers of Conan O Brien, Kathy Griffin and Will Ferrell. 

Probably her best known television role to date is as the District Attorney, Valerie Heywood, in the television series NYPD Blue which also has seen the ascension of several other actor’s careers such as Dennis Franz, David Caruso, now of CSI: Miami, Nicholas Tururro and Amy Brenneman, star of ‘Judging Amy.’

Garcelle’s other acting credits include the role of Francesca Monroe, in ‘The Jamie Foxx Show’ and on four separate occasions she has made guest appearances on the TV show "Family Matters" in 1989, each time playing a different character.

Married for the first time for six years to producer Daniel Saunders, Garcelle has one son, Oliver, born in 1991. The couple divorced and since 2001 she has been married to talent agent,  Mike Nilon. The couple announced the expected arrival of twin boys in the autumn of 2007.

Before the arrival of her twins Garcelle is due to appear in the upcoming movie "I Know Who Killed Me," also starring Lindsay Lohan and Neal McDonough.

Among her close friends she counts another former model turned actress, Angie Harmon of ‘Law and Order’ fame.

ABB

 




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