Nicole Ari Parker

Nicole Ari ParkerKodjoe , also known as Nikki Kodjoe, is an American actress. Parker is known for her role as Becky Barnett in the 1997 film Boogie Nights and as the attorney Teri Joseph on the Showtime series Soul Food, which ran from 2000 to 2004. Additionally, Nicole costarred on the shortlived UPN romantic comedy Second Time Around that lasted for one season.

Parker was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the only child of her divorced parents, health care professional Susan Parker and dentist Donald Parker. After briefly attending the Montessori School, Parker entered Roland Park Country School where she stayed through high school. At the age of 17, she won Best Actress in the state of Marylands high school competition and then moved to The Washington Ballet Company before applying to the New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts. She graduated with an acting degree in 1993.

Source: Wikipedia