Lisa Bonet Biography

Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet; November 16, 1967), known professionally as Lisa Bonet, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable Kendall on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff A Different World. She was married to musician Lenny Kravitz from 1987 to 1993.

Early life

Bonet was born in San Francisco, California. Her African-American father, Allen Bonet, is an opera singer and was born in Texas; her Jewish mother, Arlene (née Litman), was a teacher. She has several younger half-siblings.

Bonet attended Reseda High School in Reseda, California, and Celluloid Actor's Studio in North Hollywood where she majored in acting.

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 Rash?d. 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 accepted the role of Epiphany Proudfoot in the movie Angel Heart opposite Mickey Rourke, directed by Alan Parker. In the film, she appeared in an explicit sex scene with Rourke from which several seconds were edited to ensure an R-rating. After announcing her pregnancy during the run of A Different World, Bonet left the series. The following year, she returned to The Cosby Show, but was fired in 1991 for "creative differences".

After The Cosby Show, Bonet began to accept jobs on straight-to-video releases and made-for-TV movies. 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.

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

Personal life

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

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She gave birth to daughter Zoë Isabella on December 1, 1988.

In 1992, Bonet legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, although she still uses the name Lisa Bonet professionally. In 2005, she met actor Jason Momoa, who is noted for his roles in the television shows Baywatch, Stargate Atlantis, the HBO series Game of Thrones and the 2011 Conan the Barbarian remake; and started a relationship. On July 23, 2007, Bonet gave birth to her second child Lola Iolani Momoa, the first of two children with Momoa. On December 15, 2008, they had a son named Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa.

Filmography

Film

Years	Title	Role
1987	Angel Heart	Epiphany Proudfoot
1993	Bank Robber	Priscilla
1994	Final Combination	Catherine Briggs
1998	Enemy of the State	Rachel Banks
2000	High Fidelity	Marie De Salle
2003	Biker Boyz	Queenie
2005	Whitepaddy	Mae Evans
2013	Road to Paloma	Magdalena

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	St. Elsewhere	Carla	Episode: "Entrapment"
1984"1991	The Cosby Show	Denise Huxtable	103 episodes
1985	Tales from the Darkside	Justine	Episode: "The Satanic Piano"
	ABC Afterschool Special	Carrie	1 episode
1987"1988	A Different World	Denise Huxtable	22 episodes
1994	New Eden	Lily	Television movie
2002	Lathe of Heaven	Heather Lelache	Television movie
2008-2009	Life on Mars	Maya Daniels	5 episodes
2013	Drunk History	Mary Ellen Pleasant	1 episode

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Result	Category	Film or series
1985	Young Artist Award	Nominated	Best Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy Series	The Cosby Show
1986			Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series	The Cosby Show
1988			Best Young Actress Starring in a New Television Comedy Series	The Cosby Show
		Won	Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Pictures	Angel Heart
1989		Nominated	Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special	The Cosby Show (shared with Tempestt Bledsoe, Sabrina Le Beauf, Geoffrey Owens, Keshia Knight Pulliam, Deon Richmond, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner)
1988	Emmy Award		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	The Cosby Show
1988	Saturn Award		Best Supporting Actress	Angel Heart
2001	Black Reel Awards		Theatrical " Best Supporting Actress	High Fidelity
2006	TV Land Awards		Favorite Singing Siblings	The Cosby Show (shared with Tempestt Bledsoe, Sabrina Le Beauf, Keshia Knight Pulliam, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner)