Joy Bryant

Joy Bryant (born October 18, 1974) is an American actress, businesswoman and fashion model.

Bryant was born on October 18, 1974, in the Bronx, New York to Joyce Bryant.

She was raised by her grandmother, who helped support her on welfare.

She started dancing at age three.

Bryant would later reveal that she was conceived from a sexual assault against her mother, who was fifteen years old at the time of her birth, by an older adult male.

Bryant stated: "[My mother] gave birth to me, not in love but in shame, after hiding her pregnancy from my grandmother for six months."

She described herself as a "nerd" growing up: "I read encyclopedias all day and watched TV. My grandmother, who raised me, emphasized the importance of education. For me it was about being self-sufficient and using my brain."

While living in the Bronx, she graduated from CJHS 145x and was a member of the Fieldston Enrichment Program, an elite high school preparatory program.

Bryant is a graduate of Westminster School, a boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.

After graduating from Westminster, Bryant was a gifted student and earned a scholarship to Yale University, where she studied for two years before dropping out to pursue a modeling career.

Bryant's grandmother died during her freshman year at Yale, which made her lose interest in studying, saying "I lost my biggest cheerleader, my rock. Being 'smart' didn’t matter to me anymore."

While enrolled as a student at Yale, Bryant was discovered by a modeling scout from Next Model Management and was selected to appear in Seventeen magazine's "Back to School" issue soon after.

She began working as a fashion model in Paris.

She appeared in advertisements for Gap, Victoria's Secret, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Rocawear.

Early in her career, Bryant played a small role in Ill Al Skratch's music video for the song "I'll Take Her" (1994).

She has appeared in numerous films and television since beginning her acting career in 2001.

She has received two NAACP Image Award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Bryant began her career as a fashion model, appearing in advertisements for Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, and Victoria's Secret.

She made her film debut in 2001's Carmen: A Hip Hopera.

Her acting debut came in 2001 in Robert Townsend's film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, in which she portrayed one of Carmen’s best friends opposite Beyoncé and Mekhi Phifer.

Bryant had her breakthrough after being cast by Denzel Washington in his biographical drama film Antwone Fisher (2002), in which she played a U.S. Navy sailor.

This was followed by a recurring guest role on the NBC series ER.

After a small role in the action comedy Showtime (2002), she made her big breakthrough in Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher (2002).

She went on to appear in numerous music videos, including playing the female lead in Santana's "Nothing at All" (2003) and Usher's "Caught Up" (2004).

In 2003, she co-starred in the Mario Van Peebles drama film Baadasssss!, followed by a recurring guest role on the drama series ER.

She portrayed Gina, Jessica Alba's character's best friend in the dance film Honey (2003), which grossed $65.3 million at the box office worldwide.

Her subsequent film credits include Spider-Man 2 (2004), the horror film The Skeleton Key and the drama Get Rich or Die Tryin' (both 2005), and the historical drama Bobby (2006).

In 2005, she appeared in several high-profile films, including the horror film The Skeleton Key and the drama films London and Get Rich or Die Tryin' , in the latter of which she played the childhood sweetheart of 50 Cent.

In 2006, Bryant signed a multi-year contract with CoverGirl.

She has walked the runway for Tommy Hilfiger and Givenchy.

In 2007, she had a minor part in the thriller film The Hunting Party starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard, followed by a leading role in the ensemble comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008).

Bryant hosted BET's 2009 Rip the Runway fashion show with Derek Luke.

She has graced the cover of numerous magazines, including Teen Vogue, Complex, Lonny, Domino and Rolling Out.

She has appeared in pictorials for InStyle, Harper's Bazaar, Paper, Vanity Fair, Vibe, Playboy, Stuff and Celebrity Skin.

In 2010, Bryant was cast in the role of Jasmine Trussell in the NBC family drama series Parenthood, a role she portrayed for the series' entire six seasons before its finale in 2015.

Bryant starred as Jasmine Trussell in NBC's family comedy-drama series Parenthood (2010–2015).

She also played the role of Tunde Adebimpe's love interest in "Will Do", a 2011 TV on the Radio music video.

Bryant hosted her own action talk show Across the Board with Joy Bryant (2012–2014), which saw her interviewing celebrity guests.

She has also appeared on television in guest roles on the series Girls (2017) and Ballers (2018).