Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon Movies
It may come as little surprise to those who have seen beautiful model-turned-actress Garcelle Beauvais (also credited as Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) that she was voted one of "The Ten Sexiest Women of 2001" by readers of Black Men Magazine, but take a look beyond the surface and you'll see that Beauvais has the talents to back up her beauty. Born in Haiti, the youngest of seven children, Beauvais moved to Massachusetts with her mother and siblings following her parents' divorce. Beauvais' first years in the U.S. were spent in boarding school while her mother supported the family by attending nursing school. With little knowledge of the English language, the French- and Creole-speaking youngster slowly began the process of educating herself by taking in episodes of Sesame Street. Though going from being a member of the social majority in Haiti to being a minority in America was a difficult transition, it was the change of climate that proved most jarring to young Beauvais. Roles in numerous school plays fueled a love for performing, and it wasn't long before the family opted for a more familiar climate in Miami when Beauvais was 16. The following year, the emerging model moved to New York and gained an increasing presence on the catwalk and numerous Essence and Ebony layouts.Early television appearances on such popular shows as Miami Vice, Family Matters, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air found Beauvais refining her skills in front of the camera, and it wasn't long before she was appearing in such high-profile films as Manhunter (1986) and Coming to America (1988). An ideal role in the Aaron Spelling-produced television series Models, Inc. found Beauvais combining both her modeling and acting experience, and after settling into a role on The Jamie Foxx Show in 1996 (playing Francesca "Fancy" Monroe), she would once again hit the big screen with Wild Wild West (1999) and Double Take (2001).
Having previously appeared as ADA Valerie Heywood in the popular television police drama NYPD Blue, Beauvais expanded her role by joining the series full-time in 2001. A feature role in Bad Company (2002) opposite Chris Rock found Beauvais' feature career taking off, and hinted for great things to come. She subsequently moved into scripted dramatic roles with a heightened emphasis on big-screen features, including plum roles in the 2004 Ice Cube comedy Barbershop 2: Back in Business and the Lindsay Lohan shocker I Know Who Killed Me (2007), in addition to prominent billing in the sci-fi telemovie 10.5: Apocalypse (2006). In 2007, Beauvais also took some time out from filmdom to give birth to twins, and made headlines for appearing nude, while pregnant, in the August 2007 issue of Playboy magazine. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
For those who survived the earth-shaking terrors of 10.5, the tremors just keep on coming in this sequel that finds scientist Samantha Hill (Kim Delaney) and President Hollister (Beau Bridges) doing battle against Mother Nature as she unleashes her formidable wrath in the heartland. Extinct volcanoes are erupting at an alarming rate, and the ground is opening up to swallow entire cities, leading some to believe that the Apocalypse has finally begun. All hope isn't lost yet, however, and as FEMA leaps into action to provide assistance to those in need, volunteer firefighter Brad Malloy (Dean Cain) and kindly doctor Miguel Garcia (Carlos Bernard) do their best to get citizens out of the rapidly expanding danger zones. With even more destruction on the horizon, Samantha is forced to put the past behind her in hopes that her father, Dr. Earl Hill (Frank Langella), a rogue scientist whose ideas have found him exiled from mainstream science, can find a way to divert the path of the quake and save countless lives in the process. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Delaney, Dean Cain, (more)
Three stories of how America's obsession with firearms impacts its citizens are explored in this independent drama. Carl Wilk (Donald Sutherland) runs a gun shop in Virginia that has been owned and operated by his family for generations. Carl sees the shop as his family's legacy without paying much mind to what happens with the weapons he sells. When his granddaughter Mary Ann (Linda Cardellini) needs money for college, Carl gives her a job in the store, and while she's hesitant at first, she becomes fascinated with the merchandise as time passes. On the West Side of Chicago, Carl Carter (Forest Whitaker) is the principal of a high school where violence has become a sad fact of life. As Carl and his wife, Sara (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon), fear for their young son as they worry he could either fall prey to the violence of their community or embrace it himself, Carl receives a severe emotional blow when Jay (Arlen Escarpeta), one of his most promising students, is discovered carrying a pistol. And in Oregon, Janet (Marcia Gay Harden) is a single mother still troubled by the death of her teenaged son three years before, who took his own life after killing a handful of his classmates in a violent incident at a high school. As Janet deals with sharp words from the community, many of whom believe she should be held responsible for her late son's actions, she is unsure how to handle her surviving son, David (Christopher Marquette), who is now of high-school age. American Gun was the first feature film for writer and director Aric Avelino. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, (more)
- 2004
When Cheryl (Cheryl Hines) asks Larry (Larry David) to get a present for Betty Dusenberry's (Eliza Coyle) baby shower, Larry wonders if he should also get a present for the surrogate mother (Elizabeth Beckwith). Cheryl is in a frisky mood, but Larry is still healing from being bitten by Oscar. The next day, Larry visits his doctor (Jack Gallagher) to take his required physical for The Producers, but his heart rate spikes when Renee (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon) comes in, and the doctor won't sign the necessary forms unless Larry agrees to wear a heart holster for a day. Larry's friend Richard Lewis is actually dating Renee, and confides to Larry that because Renee is black, and has presumably dated black men, he feels insecure about the size of his "equipment." The two wonder if it's really a myth. Later, Wanda (Wanda Sykes) catches Larry mistaking a black man for a valet, and attempts to figure out his logic: "Anytime I see a black man in a tie and a suit, I automatically think, 'You must park cars for a living.'" Larry also creates problems at the baby shower, inadvertently convincing the surrogate to keep her baby. He continues to alienate his Producers co-star, David Schwimmer, and he uses his apparent heart problem to his advantage when he encounters a potentially violent case of road rage. Mel Brooks and Muggsy Bogues make guest appearances. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 1995
After Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) strikes out with yet another girl, Will (Will Smith) tries to bolster his cousin's confidence by arranging a double date. Unfortunately, one of their dates (Tamala Jones) has a jealous--and enormous--boyfriend named Mad Dog (James Cardriche), who shows up unexpectedly. Escaping Mad Dog's wrath, Will and Carlton end up climbing onto the ledge of a tall building--and that's when the local "crisis unit" swings into action! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
On the eve of his wedding to Lisa (Nia Long), Will (Will Smith) begins to wonder if he's ready for marriage. Oh, he still loves Lisa--but it has just dawned on him that he hardly knows the girl. Elswehere, Will's mom Vy (Vernee Watson-Johnson) and Lisa's dad Fred (John Amos) discover that they enjoy yelling at each other; and it's splitsville for Jazz (Jeff Townes) and his wife Jewel when he discovers her secret. This last episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's fifth season also marks the final series appearance of Nia Long. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Bel-Air Prep has gone coed, and among the first female students is Ashley Banks (Tatyana M. Ali). Hoping to become popular with the guys, Ashley unfortunately takes her cue from cousin Will's (Will Smith) taste in girls, and ends up dressing in a distressingly alluring fashion. As if this wasn't headache enough for dad Philip (James Avery), he must also contend with the halfhearted "apartment-hunting" efforts of older daughter Hilary (Karyn Parsons). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
