Mo'nique Biography
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Mo'nique
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| Mo'Nique | |
|---|---|
| Born | Monique Imes1 December 11, 1967 Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress, Comedian, TV hostess |
| Years active | since 1999 |
| Spouse(s) | Mark Jackson (1997–2001) Sidney Hicks (since 2006) |
| Official website | |
Mo'Nique (born Monique Imes; December 11, 1967)1 is an American television hostess, comedian, and actress.
Contents |
Early life
Mo'Nique was born in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland.1 She is one of four children born to Alice Imes and Steven Imes Jr. Mo'Nique graduated from Milford Mill High School in Baltimore County.citation needed
Before obtaining success in her chosen career, Mo'Nique worked as a phone sex operator. She was in charge of monitoring the phone call conversations.2
She got her start in comedy at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet when her brother Steve dared her to perform at an open mic night.
Career
Television roles
She is best known for the role of Nicole "Nikki" Parker on the UPN television series The Parkers. The show ran from 1999 to 2004. Mo'Nique was subsequently featured on a number of leading stand-up venues, including stints on Showtime at the Apollo, Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, and Thank God You're Here.
She was also named hostess of Showtime at the Apollo. She is currently the hostess and executive producer of Mo'Nique's Fat Chance, a beauty pageant for plus-sized women, on the Oxygen cable network. She hosted the first season of Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School on VH1, where she crowned Saaphyri as the winner.
Her 2007 documentary I Coulda Been Your Cellmate!, focuses on women who are incarcerated. Mo'Nique touches on the common factors that bring many women into the penal system while interviewing women one-on-one. In the interviews, she does not shy away from the facts of what happened or excuse the actions of the inmates but she attempts to help the women see the worth they still hold. The documentary was in conjunction with the filming of a comedy special at the Ohio Reformatory for Women also known as The Farm. In 2007, she had a guest starring role on the hit television series, Ugly Betty as L'Amanda, Mode's weekend security guard.
Mo'Nique stars in her own late-night talk show called The Mo'Nique Show. Taped in Atlanta, the show premiered October 5, 2009 on BET.3
Film and video career
Mo'Nique has had a number of supporting roles in film. She appears in the 2008 comedy film, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins with Martin Lawrence. She has had roles in Beerfest, 3 Strikes, Two Can Play That Game, Half Past Dead, and Garfield: The Movie, in which she voiced a CGI character but her role was cut from the movie. She also appeared in Soul Plane.
In 2005, Mo'Nique played a significant role in the Tony Scott bounty hunter thriller Domino, co-starring Keira Knightley and Mickey Rourke. In 2006, Mo'Nique was cast as the lead in Phat Girlz, a comedy about an aspiring plus size fashion designer struggling to find love and acceptance. The film was met with lukewarm response from critics and fans. It did earn back its $3 million production cost in its first weekend of release.4
She was featured in soul singer Anthony Hamilton's video "Sista Big Bones", the second single from his Ain't Nobody Worryin' album. She plays the role of a beautiful plus sized woman whom Anthony secretly admires because she has always loved herself.
Mo'Nique hosted the 2003 and 2004 BET Awards and appeared as the host again for the 2007 BET Awards. She received positive responses in July 2004 with her opening performance of Beyoncé's famous "Crazy in Love" dance; as well as in 2007 by performing her "Dé Jà Vu".
Mo'Nique claimed on the January 28, 2008 Oprah Winfrey Show that Martin Lawrence gave her invaluable advice about show business: "He pulled me to the side and he said, 'Listen, don't ever let them tell you what you can't have.' Since that day, I've made some of the best deals I've ever made in my career because it keeps ringing in my head. ... It will stay with me forever."5
In 2009, Mo'Nique appeared in the film Precious directed by Lee Daniels. She won the Jury Prize at Sundance for her acting in the film, and is considered a "front runner" for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2010.67
Theatre
Mo'Nique's first play was Eve Ensler's Obie Award-winning production of The Vagina Monologues, in March 2002. Mo'Nique, along with Ella Joyce (Roc); Wendy Raquel Robinson (The Steve Harvey Show & The Game (U.S. TV series)) and Vanessa Bell Calloway (What's Love Got to Do with It), were the first all black celebrity cast to perform The Vagina Monologues. Executive produced by YYP & Associates, LLC, the show was produced and directed by noted theater producer/director, Yetta Young.
Books and radio
Mo'Nique is the author of the best-selling book Skinny Women Are Evil: Notes of a Big Girl in a Small-Minded World. She also released a 2006 cookbook called Skinny Cooks Can't Be Trusted.
Mo'nique was part of the Washington DC WHUR radio show with George Wilborn.
In 2006 she occasionally substituted for afternoon personality Michael Baisden when his contract with ABC Radio was in the process of getting renewedcitation needed.
In 2008, Radio One inked a deal for her to get her own radio show, Mo'Nique In the Afternoon (or The Mo'Nique Show) which premiered on several Radio One-owned Urban Adult Contemporary-formatted R&B/soul radio stations in July 2008. The show lasted until March 18, 2009 when Mo'Nique decided leave to "further her career in television, film, and comedy."8
Personal life
Mo'Nique was briefly engaged to accountant Marvin Dawson.9
Mo'Nique is twice divorced has twin sons Jonathan and David, and another son, Shalon. She and her husband, Sidney Hicks, have what she calls an open marriage, as she mentioned in a profile in The New York Times:
"We have an agreement that we'll always be honest, and if sex happens with another person, that's not a deal breaker for us, that's not something where we'll have to say, 'Oh God, we've got to go to divorce court because you cheated on me.' Because we don't cheat".10
She later clarified her comments on The Oprah Winfrey Show that aired January 28, 2008. She told Winfrey that in her prior marriages, she was constantly searching for "that extra oomph ".11 Mo'Nique explained, "When I said I had an open marriage, people automatically jumped to sex. They automatically went there. But I've been best friends with my husband since we were 14 years old. When we say open, we're very honest. There are no secrets. Oftentimes you have people that are married, but they're strangers, and we refuse to be those people".12
She concluded, "I've had to sneak and I've had to lie, and I don't want to do that any more. But my husband is so awesome and so fine and so—oh, girl....No other man can compare".12
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-2000 | Moesha | Nicole "Nikki" Parker | TV, 3 episodes |
| 1999-2004 | The Parkers | Nicole "Nikki" Parker | TV, 111 episodes |
| 2000 | 3 Strikes | Dahlia | |
| 2001 | The Hughleys | Nicole "Nikki" Parker | TV, 1 episode |
| Baby Boy | Patrice | ||
| Two Can Play That Game | Diedre | ||
| 2002 | Half Past Dead | Twitch's Girl | |
| 2003 | Good Fences | Ruth Crisp | Television Movie |
| 2004 | The Bernie Mac Show | Lynette | TV, 1 episode |
| Soul Plane | Jamiqua | ||
| Hair Show | Peaches | ||
| Garfield: The Movie | Rat | Role was deleted in final cut of the film | |
| 2005 | Shadowboxer | Precious | |
| Domino | Lateesha Rodriguez | ||
| 2006 | Farce of the Penguins | Vicky | Voice |
| Phat Girlz | Jazmin Biltmore | ||
| Beerfest | Cherry | ||
| Nip/Tuck | Evetta Washington | TV, 1 episode | |
| 2007 | Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School | Host | TV, 13 episodes |
| The Boondocks | Jamiqua (Voice) | TV, 1 episode | |
| Ugly Betty | L'Amanda | TV, 1 episode | |
| 2008 | Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins | Betty | |
| Steppin: The Movie | Aunt Carla | ||
| 2009 | Precious | Mary | |
| The Mo'Nique Show (TV Series) | Herself |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Result | Category | Series or film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | NAACP Image Awards | Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers |
| 2002 | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Two Can Play That Game | |
| Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers | ||
| 2003 | Nominated | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers | |
| 2004 | Nominated | Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special | Good Fences | |
| Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers | ||
| 2005 | Won | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers | |
| 2004 | BET Comedy Awards | Nominated | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office Movie | Soul Plane |
| Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | The Parkers | ||
| 2005 | Nominated | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Theatrical Film | Hair Show | |
| 2004 | Black Reel Awards | Won | Television: Best Supporting Actress | Good Fences |
| 2009 | Sundance Film Festival | Won | Special Jury Prize | Precious |
References
- ^ a b c "Mo'Nique: Biography – Actor, Executive Producer, Voice – Variety Profiles". http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/50715/Monique+Imes.html?dataSet=1. Retrieved February 22, 2009.
- ^ The Oprah Winfrey Show, Interview with the cast of Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Original air date January 28, 2008.
- ^ BET Coming Soon Monique Show Official Page
- ^ "Bottom 100". IMDb.com. http://www.imdb.com/chart/bottom.
- ^ "Martin Lawrence's Advice to Mo'Nique". Oprah.com. http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200801/20080128/slide_20080128_350_207.jhtml. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
- ^ "2009 Supporting Actress". The Film Experience. http://www.thefilmexperience.net/Awards/2009/suppactress.html.
- ^ "OSCAR PREDICTION CHARTS". InContention.com. February 23, 2009. http://incontention.com/?page_id=4595.
- ^ "Syndicated Personality Mo'Nique to End Mo'Nique Show". Radio Online. http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=n19041. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
- ^ 11Nov2 JET magazine interview
- ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2007-08-05). "Luckily, There's Plenty of Her for Everybody". New York Times. pp. 2. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9407E3D6103EF936A3575BC0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2.
- ^ Sheri Salata (Producer). (28 Jan 2008). The Oprah Winfrey Show. Chicago: Harpo Productions, Inc.
- ^ a b "Oprah.com, Mo'Nique on her open marriage.". http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200801/20080128/slide_20080128_350_206.jhtml. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
External links
- Official Website Intro & *Official Website Main Page
- The Mo'Nique Show official site
- Mo'Nique at the Internet Movie Database
- Mo'Nique at TV.com
- Mo'Nique at MySpace
- Mo'Nique Interview on Self Confidence with Al Sharpton on AskDoctorv.com
- Feature in The Onion
- Booted from flight, comedian accuses - "Airline's actions won't fly with Mo" (Daily News, July 2006)
- Interviews with reality stars on Vh1, MTV, and SciFi