• Tempestt Bledsoe was a child model before pursuing an acting career
• She is best known for her role as Vanessa Huxtable in "The Cosby Show"
• She has made appearances in various TV shows and films, and won several awards for her roles
• She is in a long-term relationship with “A Different World” co-star Darryl M. Bell
• Tempestt Bledsoe has an estimated net worth of $13 million



Known for movies

Short Info

Net Worth$13 million
Date Of BirthAugust 1, 1973
FactHas been with her long-time boyfriend, actor Darryl M. Bell, for 16 years (2009).


Introduction

You probably know her as the cute teenage daughter of Cliff and Clair in the famous sitcom “The Cosby Show”. However, do you know that Tempestt Bledsoe was a model before her acting career, and what major did she chose for her education?

Early life and education

Tempestt Bledsoe was born on 1 August 1973, in Chicago, Illinois USA, of African-American descent. Early in her childhood her parents divorced, and she was given into the custody of her mother, Willa Bledsoe. She is the second cousin of Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots football player, Drew Bledsoe.

When she was just four years old she became a child model, and appeared in several commercials for brands such as Kellogg’s and Safeway grocery stores. This helped start her future career in acting in TV series and feature films.

There is no disclosed information about her high school, but Bledsoe studied finance at New York University, and graduated in 1994, then just a few months later moved to Los Angeles, California US.

Career

Bledsoe made her television debut when she was 11, after being cast as Vanessa Huxtable in Bill Cosby’s “The Cosby Show”, the main couple’s fourth child who is troubled by typical teenage girl problems, such as dating and make-up.

She won the role after auditioning in 1984, two years before the show’s premiere, when she was only nine years old! In 1985, she earned her first award nomination for Young Artist Awards, and remained a regular in the show for eight years. She also portrayed Vanessa Huxtable in a 1989 episode of “A Different World”, a spin-off from “The Cosby Show”.

In 1986, she portrayed Grace Williams in an episode of season 15 of the ABC show “Afterschool Special Program”. Two years later, she made support appearances in the TV movie “Dance ‘Til Dawn”, and in the TV series “Monsters”.

That same year she won the Kids Choice Awards for Favorite Actress. She landed the starring role of Danni Fairview in the television movie “Dream Date”, a romantic comedy about a teenage girl and her overprotective father. In 1989 she won the Young Artist Award in the category Best Young Actor/Actress in a Television Comedy, Drama Series.

During the middle of the 1990s, she was the host of Columbia TriStar Television’s daytime talk show “The Tempestt Bledsoe Show”. She landed a guest role in TV series “Jenny” in which she portrayed Kaylene, and the next year appeared in three episodes of the ABC mystery series “The Practice”, as the character Roberta Bayor.

In 1999 she appeared in the episode “And the Band Plays On” of the TV series “The Parkers”.

In the early 2000s, Bledsoe was in several TV movies, including “The Expendables” and “Fire and Ice”, and portrayed the guest character Chloe in the TV series “Rock Me, Baby”. In 2006 she had a support role in the final season of the drama romance series “South of Nowhere”, and the same year she was nominated for TV Land Awards for Favorite Singing Siblings. Two years later in 2008, she was cast as Abbey and Claudia in the third season of “The Replacements”, the animated series that aired on the Disney Channel.

Tempestt Bledsoe

After which she made an appearance in VH1’s reality show “Celebrity Fit Club”, and in 2010 became the host of Style Network’s makeover television show “Clean House”, replacing the previous host Niecy Nash. That same year she co-starred in the crime drama film, “N-Secure”, in which she portrayed the role of Jill. She again won the TV Land Awards for Favorite Singing Siblings in 2011.

In 2012, Bledsoe provided the voice of the character Sheriff Hooper in the Laika LLC. animated film “ParaNorman”, in which she was credited alongside Anna Kendrick and Kodi Smit-McPhee.

That same year she landed the co-starring role of Marny in the sitcom “Guys with Kids”, but the show was canceled after the second season.

Bledsoe reprised her portrayal of Vanessa Huxtable in 214, when she appeared in the episode of the TV series “Instant Mom”. In 2018, she acted in the drama musical “Jingle Belle”, and the next year had a guest role in the first season of TV series “Family Reunion”.0

Personal Life

As of April 2020, Bledsoe is in a long term relationship with Darryl M. Bell, her “A Different World” co-star – the couple met on the set and started dating in 1993.

They are often seen attending VIP and red carpets events together. They both appeared in the “House-husbands of Hollywood” reality TV show that aired in 2009. The couple doesn’t have any children, and haven’t disclosed any news about a possible marriage.

She is a good friend of her “The Cosby Show” co-star Pam Potillo.

Bledsoe is a vegetarian and a big activist when it comes to animal rights. She is also publicly advising people to protect their skin, so they can be safer from skin cancer.

Despite the rumors due to her skin being blotchy and discolored, Bledsoe doesn’t bleach or lighten her skin in any way. She is reported to have a skin condition known as vitiligo, that causes the loss of pigment on certain patches of skin.

In 2017, Bledsoe and her “The Cosby Show” colleagues have been in the center of controversy surrounding the allegations of sexual assault against the show’s star and creator, Bill Cosby. Though most of her co-stars have publicly supported Cosby, stating that they think the allegations are false, Bledsoe has remained quiet, refusing to publicly comment on the situation. In September 2018, 81-year-old Cosby was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison.

Net worth

Acting isn’t Bledsoe’s only source of income; she is also the owner of a chain restaurant in Washington D.C. This is the reason she has a net worth that is estimated at around $13 million.

Physical characteristics

Bledsoe is a tall, African-American woman, with a height of 5ft 8ins (1.72m) and weight of around 132lbs (60kgs). Her hair is curly and black, and her eyes are dark brown.

General Info

Full NameTempestt Bledsoe
Net Worth$13 million
Date Of BirthAugust 1, 1973
Height1.72 m
ProfessionVoice Actor
EducationNew York University Stern School of Business, New York University
NationalityAmerican

Family

ParentsWilla Bledsoe
PartnerDarryl M. Bell, Darryl M. Bell

Accomplishments

AwardsTV Land Impact Award
NominationsTV Land Favorite Singing Siblings Award
MoviesParaNorman, N-Secure, Husband for Hire, Fire and Ice, The Expendables, Santa and Pete, Dance 'til Dawn, Fingers Walking
TV ShowsGuys with Kids, Clean House, Celebrity Fit Club, Househusbands of Hollywood, The Cosby Show, One to Grow On, 100 Greatest Kid Stars

Social profile links

Facts

#Fact
1Has been with her long-time boyfriend, actor Darryl M. Bell, for 16 years (2009).
2Has been best friends with Pam Potillo since the days when they were both in The Cosby Show (1984).
3Is a vegetarian.
4Ranked #51 in VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid Stars"
5Graduated from New York University with a degree in finance

Pictures

Movies

Actress

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Instant Mom2014TV SeriesVanessa Huxtable
Guys with Kids2012-2013TV SeriesMarny
ParaNorman2012Sheriff Hooper (voice)
N-Secure2010Jill
The Wishing Well2009TV MovieEnid
The Replacements2008-2009TV SeriesAbbey Claudia Abbey-clone
Raising the Bar2008TV SeriesCamilla Hansen
Husband for Hire2008TV MovieNina
South of Nowhere2006TV SeriesCecily
Strong Medicine2005TV Series
Rock Me, Baby2004TV SeriesChloe
BachelorMan2003Janey
Fire & Ice2001TV MoviePam Moore
The Expendables2000TV MovieTanika
Santa and Pete1999TV MovieMaria Dangola
The Parkers1999TV SeriesNeena Davis
Johnny B Good1998
The Practice1998TV SeriesRoberta Baylor
Jenny1997TV SeriesKaylene
The Cosby Show1984-1992TV SeriesVanessa Huxtable
Dream Date1989TV MovieDanni Fairview
A Different World1989TV SeriesVanessa Huxtable
Monsters1988TV SeriesDottie
Dance 'Til Dawn1988TV MovieMargaret
ABC Afterschool Specials1986TV SeriesGrace Williams

Soundtrack

TitleYearStatusCharacter
The Cosby Show1986TV Series performer - 1 episode

Self

TitleYearStatusCharacter
11th Annual Visual Effects Society Awards2013TV SpecialHerself
The 39th Annual People's Choice Awards2013TV SpecialHerself
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon2013TV SeriesHerself - Guest
The Talk2012TV SeriesHerself - Guest
Vietnam in HD2011TV Series documentaryElizabeth Allen
Clean House2010-2011TV SeriesHerself - Host
The Mo'Nique Show2011TV SeriesHerself
The 9th Annual TV Land Awards2011TV SpecialHerself
Celebrity Ghost Stories2010TV Series documentaryHerself
Househusbands of Hollywood2009TV SeriesHerself
The Oprah Winfrey Show2008TV SeriesHerself
Fear Factor2006TV SeriesHerself - Contestant
Celebrity Fit Club2006TV SeriesHerself
The View2006TV SeriesHerself
The Greatest2005TV Series documentaryHerself
Pet Star2003TV Series documentaryHerself - Judge / Herself - Celebrity Judge #2
The Cosby Show: A Look Back2002TV Movie documentaryHerself; Vanessa Huxtable
NBC 75th Anniversary Special2002TV SpecialHerself
Maury1995TV SeriesHerself - Guest
Late Night with Conan O'Brien1995TV SeriesHerself
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air1995TV SeriesHerself
The Tempestt Bledsoe Show1994TV SeriesHost
ABC Afterschool Specials1992-1994TV SeriesHerself
The Last Laugh: Memories of the Cosby Show1992TV Special documentaryHerself; Vanessa Huxtable
NBA All-Star Stay in School Jam1992TV MovieHerself
The Geraldo Rivera Show1990TV SeriesHerself
The Earth Day Special1990TV SpecialVanessa Huxtable
The Cosby Outtakes Show1990TV MovieHerself; Vanessa Huxtable
22nd NAACP Image Awards1990TV SpecialHerself
The More You Know1989TV SeriesHerself
Bill Cosby Salutes Alvin Ailey1989TV MovieHerself
The Arsenio Hall Show1989TV SeriesHerself
Walt Disney World 4th of July Spectacular1988TV SpecialHerself (1988)
The New Hollywood Squares1986-1988TV SeriesHerself
Ebony/Jet Showcase1988TV SeriesHerself
Square One Television1987TV SeriesHerself
Late Night with David Letterman1987TV SeriesHerself
The 38th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1986TV SpecialHerself
NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration1986TV Special documentaryHerself
The 11th Annual People's Choice Awards1985TV SpecialHerself - Accepting Award for Favourite New Television Comedy Program
Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa1985TV SpecialHerself
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade1985TV SpecialHerself
The 37th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards1985TV SpecialHerself
Motown Returns to the Apollo1985TV SpecialHerself
Night of 100 Stars II1985TV MovieHerself
The 42nd Annual Golden Globe Awards1985TV SpecialHerself - Audience Member
Fast Copy1985TV MovieHerself
One to Grow On1985TV Series shortHerself

Archive Footage

TitleYearStatusCharacter
Pioneers of Television2014TV Mini-Series documentaryVanessa Huxtable - Cosby Show
Freakonomics2010DocumentaryHerself
The Cosby Show: 25th Anniversary Special2009TV Movie documentaryVanessa Huxtable
La tele de tu vida2007TV SeriesVanessa Huxtable
I Was a Network Star2006TV Movie documentaryHerself
101 Biggest Celebrity Oops2004TV Special documentaryHerself - #66: Terrible Talk Shows
E! True Hollywood Story2001TV Series documentaryHerself
The Cosby Show1987TV SeriesVanessa Huxtable

Awards

Won Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2011Impact AwardTV Land AwardsThe Cosby Show (1984)
1989Young Artist AwardYoung Artist AwardsBest Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or SpecialThe Cosby Show (1984)

Nominated Awards

YearAwardCeremonyNominationMovie
2013Black ReelBlack Reel AwardsBest Voice PerformanceParaNorman (2012)
2006TV Land AwardTV Land AwardsFavorite Singing SiblingsThe Cosby Show (1984)
1990Young Artist AwardYoung Artist AwardsBest Young Actress Supporting Role in a Television SeriesThe Cosby Show (1984)
1988Blimp AwardKids' Choice Awards, USAFavorite TV ActressThe Cosby Show (1984)
1987Young Artist AwardYoung Artist AwardsExceptional Performance by a Young Actress, Starring in a Television, Comedy or Drama SeriesThe Cosby Show (1984)
1985Young Artist AwardYoung Artist AwardsBest Young Supporting Actress in a Television Comedy SeriesThe Cosby Show (1984)

Source: IMDb, Wikipedia

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