Tisha Campbell-Martin Movies
Though most commonly associated with her multiseason portrayal of marketing executive Gina Waters-Payne, significant other of Martin Payne (Martin Lawrence) on the Fox sitcom Martin (1992-1997), Tisha Campbell began her lengthy Hollywood career with a role that film buffs will have little difficulty remembering. Campbell made her feature debut as Chiffon, a member of the black female doo-wop group that acts as a Greek chorus in the 1986 Frank Oz musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors (1986). An Oklahoma City native, born to a coat factory employee father and a gospel singer mother, Campbell moved with her family to Newark, NJ, at the age of three, where the entire clan suffered from abject poverty. At age six, Campbell won a talent contest, and the following year landed a turn in an ABC Afterschool Special entitled Unicorn Tales, as well as a supporting role in the off-Broadway musical Really Rosie. Campbell attended and graduated from Newark's Arts High School, then made the ambitious trek out to Los Angeles (with her family's encouragement) and spent several years surviving numerous television pilots that failed to take off.Shop, however, rocketed Campbell to national attention and jump-started her film career. She landed additional roles in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988), House Party (1988) (which she also choreographed), and Boomerang (1992). Campbell met future co-star Lawrence on the set of House Party; according to Campbell's later recollections, Lawrence immediately invited her to play his girlfriend should he ever land a sitcom. In 1992, that plan materialized. The program scored sensational ratings and immediately connected with a young, black, urban market; the arc of the series witnessed Gina and Martin transitioning from lovers to intendeds to husband-and-wife. Campbell originally planned to remain with the series through its final season, but actually left Martin several months prematurely, in November 1996, asserting that Lawrence verbally, physically, and sexually abused her on the set of the program, allegations Lawrence and his representatives aggressively denied, claiming that Campbell was using the actor as a pawn in a contractual dispute with the network despite the fact that the actress left in mid-season. After her stint on Martin, Campbell signed for supporting roles in a number of low-profile features, including Linc's (1998), The Sweetest Gift (1998), and Snitch (1999), then briefly returned to network television as one of the stars of the domestically -themed situation comedy My Wife and Kids (2001). Campbell is also occasionally credited by her married name of Tisha Campbell-Martin. She enjoyed a brief tenure as a recording artist with a 1993 R&B release entitled Tisha. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This half-hour comedy series stars Nicole Sullivan as Rita, a working wife and mother who finds herself so depressed by a recent bout of mid-life-boredom that she decides to reignite the musical fire of her youth by putting together a garage band like the one she played in years ago. Rita might already have her hands full with a less than romantic husband, an unruly teenage daughter, a rambunctious 9 year old and a boss who's passed her over for promotion - but there's always room for rock and roll. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Sullivan, Richard R. Ruccolo, (more)
Independent filmmaker James Slocum directs the romantic drama The Last Place on Earth, filmed in the Sierra Nevada mountain region of Northern California. Dana Ashbrook plays Rob Baskin, a businessman who travels to Lake Tahoe in order to spread the ashes of his late mother (Phyllis Diller). Along the way, he meets Ann Field (Tisha Campbell-Martin), a woman who's dying of a terminal illness. Featuring appearances by Billy Dee Williams and Mink Stole, The Last Place on Earth won several cinematography awards at the Marco Island Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tisha Campbell-Martin, Dana Ashbrook, (more)
The romantic comedy The Seat Filler stars Duane Martin as a law student working very hard to keep his head above water financially. He takes a job as a seat filler at a big awards function where he meets a famous singer (Kelly Rowland). She believes he works in show business and he does nothing to disabuse her of this notion. That leads to him having to go to larger and larger measures to keep his lie going when their relationship continues. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Rowland, Duane Martin, (more)
