Bianca Lawson
| Bianca Lawson | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Bianca Jasmine Lawson March 20, 1979 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Parents | Richard Lawson and Denise Gordy |
Bianca Jasmine Lawson (born March 20, 1979) is an American film and television actress. She is perhaps best known for regular roles in the television series Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Goode Behavior and Pretty Little Liars. She has also had recurring roles in the series Sister, Sister, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dawson's Creek, The Secret Life of the American Teenager and The Vampire Diaries.
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[edit] Early life
Lawson was born in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of Denise (née Gordy) and actor Richard Lawson. Lawson is also the great niece of Motown founder Berry Gordy.[1] She attended the Stella Adler Studio of Acting and graduated from Marymount High School, a Catholic school in Los Angeles. She then went on to study film and psychology at University of Southern California.[2]
[edit] Career
Lawson started acting at the age of nine. She has appeared in commercials for Barbie and Revlon and in several television series. In 1993, Lawson was one of the original cast members of Saved by the Bell: The New Class, she also appeared in multiple episodes of The WB sitcoms Sister, Sister, The Parent 'Hood and The Steve Harvey Show. In the late summer of 1996, Lawson co-starred in the UPN sitcom, Goode Behavior, which lasted one season.
On Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Lawson appeared in a three-episode stint where she portrayed Kendra Young, another Vampire Slayer who is activated as a result of the temporary death of title character, Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
She has also appeared on The WB's Dawson's Creek, where she portrayed Nikki Green, the daughter of the high school's new principal and competitor of the show's title character Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek).
Some of Lawson's film credits include Primary Colors (1998), Save the Last Dance (2001), Bones (2001) and Breakin' All the Rules (2004).
In December 2009, Lawson was cast as Maya St. Germain in the ABC Family series Pretty Little Liars based on the book series by Sara Shepard.[3]
[edit] Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1998 | Twice the Fear | Girlfriend | Direct-to-video film |
| Primary Colors | Loretta | Theatrical film | |
| 1999 | The Pavilion | Mary | Direct-to-video film |
| 2000 | Big Monster on Campus | Darien Stompanato | Direct-to-video film |
| 2001 | Bones | Cynthia | Theatrical film |
| Save the Last Dance | Nikki | Theatrical film | |
| 2003 | Jeepers Creepers II | (uncredited) | Theatrical film |
| 2004 | Breakin' All the Rules | Helen Sharp | Theatrical film |
| Dead & Breakfast | Kate | Independent film | |
| 2005 | Flip the Script | Angela | Direct-to-video film |
| 2006 | National Lampoon's Pledge This! | Monique | Direct-to-video film |
| Broken | Mia | Independent film | |
| 2007 | Supergator | Carla Masters | Direct-to-video film |
| 2009 | Killing of Wendy | Brooke | Independent film |
| Sorority Wars | Cameo | Uncredited | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1993–1995 | Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Megan Jones | Regular role, 39 episodes |
| 1994 | What'z Up? | Herself | Co-host |
| My So-Called Life | Bathroom Girl number 3 | 1 episode: "Pilot" | |
| Sister, Sister | Rhonda Coley | Recurring role, 7 episodes | |
| 1995 | In the House | Rachel | 1 episode: "The Final Cut" |
| Me and the Boys | Girl | 1 episode: "The Age of Reason" | |
| Saved by the Bell: The New Class | Megan Jones | Archive footage: Schreech's Dream | |
| 1996 | Goode Behavior | Bianca Goode | Regular role |
| 1997–1998 | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Kendra Young | 3 episodes |
| 1997 | The Parent 'Hood | Jasmine | 2 episodes: "Bad Rap", "Zaria Peterson's Day Off" |
| 1997, 1999 | Smart Guy | Tracy/Shirley | 2 episodes: "It Takes Two", "Baby, It's You and You and You" |
| 1998 | The Steve Harvey Show | Rosalind | 3 episodes |
| The Temptations | Diana Ross | TV miniseries | |
| Silk Stalkings | Unknown | 1 episode: "Rage" | |
| 1999–2000 | Dawson's Creek | Nikki Green | 4 episodes |
| 2001 | For the People | Asia Portman | 1 episode: "Textbook Perfect" |
| The Feast of All Saints | Anna Bella Monroe | TV miniseries | |
| Strong Medicine | Esperenza Maldonaldo | 1 episode: "Control Group" | |
| The Late Late Show With Craig Kilbourn | Herself | Guest | |
| 2002 | Haunted | Brandi Combs | 1 episode: "Blind Witness" |
| 2003 | Loose Lips | Herself | TV series documentary |
| 2004 | Fearless | Harmony Kaye | TV pilot |
| The Big House | Angela | 1 episode: "Almost Touched by an Angel" | |
| The Division | Marilynn Reiser | 1 episode: "Play Ball" | |
| 2006 | Living in TV Land | Herself | 1 episode: "Sherman Hemsley" |
| 2008 | The Cleaner | Jeannie | 2 episodes: "The Eleventh Hour", "Meet the Joneses" |
| 2009–2011 | The Vampire Diaries | Emily Bennett | 5 episodes |
| 2009 | The Secret Life of the American Teenager | Shawna | Recurring role, 6 episodes |
| Bones | Albie | 1 episode: "Fire in the Ice" | |
| 2010–present | Pretty Little Liars | Maya St. Germain | Regular role, season 1 episodes: 1-13; Season 2 episodes: 11—present |
| 2010 | Nikita | Emily | Guest star, episode: "The Guardian" |
| 2011 | American Horror Story | Abby | Guest star, episode: "Pilot" |
[edit] References
- ^ Bianca Lawson Biography (1979-), Film Reference
- ^ Bianca Lawson's bio at ABC Family.com
- ^ "ABC Family Announces Additional Casting for its Upcoming Pilots "Melissa & Joey," "Untitled Michael Jacobs Project" and "Pretty Little Liars."". ABC Family Press Release. December 7, 2009. http://www.abcfamilymedianet.com/docs/2009/12/ABCFam_120709.pdf. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
[edit] External links
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