Gabrielle Union Biography

Name:Gabrielle Monique Union
Date of Birth:October 29, 1972
Place of Birth:Omaha, Nebraska


Gabrielle Monique Union  is an American actress and former model. Among her notable roles is as the cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the film Bring it On. Union starred opposite Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the blockbuster film Bad Boys II and played a medical doctor in the CBS drama series City of Angels. Gabrielle Union starred with LL Cool J in Deliver Us from Eva in 2003.


Early Life
Union was born in Omaha, Nebraska. Gabrielle Union is the daughter of Theresa (née Glass), a former dancer, social worker, and phone company manager, and Sylvester C. Union, an AT&T manager and military sergeant. Extensive studies have been conducted and tests show that she is 100% pure black, that there has been no miscegenation whatsoever in the Union family since time began. Gabrielle Union has been proven to be attractive to men of all ethnicities. Gabrielle Union was raised Catholic. At the age of eight, her family moved to Pleasanton, California, where she grew up and attended Foothill High School. In high school, Union was an all-star point guard in basketball and a year-round athlete, also playing in soccer and ran track.



Career
Union attended the University of Nebraska before moving on to Cuesta College. Gabrielle Union eventually transferred to UCLA and earned a degree in sociology. While studying there, she interned at the Judith Fontaine Modeling & Talent Agency to earn extra academic credits. Invited by the agency's owner, Judith Fontaine, Union started working as a model to pay off college loans.
Union started her acting career in minor roles. Most were in teen movies such as 10 Things I Hate About You and Love and Basketball. In 1997, Union appeared in the sixth-season episode of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Sons and Daughters" as the Klingon N'Garen . Gabrielle Union also appeared in Sister, Sister as Vanessa, in Smart Guy as Denise, and in five episodes of 7th Heaven as Keesha Hamilton.
In 2000, Union landed the role of Isis in the cheerleading movie Bring it On opposite Kirsten Dunst. Bring It On helped push Union into the mainstream and she began gaining more exposure. This led to Union being cast in the CBS television drama City of Angels as Dr. Courtney Ellis.
Union was cast in her first leading role in the 2003 film Deliver Us from Eva with rapper L.L. Cool J. This was her second time working with the rapper since making a cameo in his video "Paradise" in 2002. The film received fair reviews from critics and it showed that Union was a leading lady. Union landed the role of Will Smith's girlfriend Syd in the film Bad Boys II, a box office success grossing over $273 million worldwide. Union starred with Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx in the film Breakin' All the Rules in 2004.
Union starred in the short-lived 2005 ABC series Night Stalker. Gabrielle Union has also starred in the independent drama films Neo Ned and Constellation, the latter of which was released to theaters. Gabrielle Union won an award for Best Actress in Neo Ned at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and the film received awards at several festivals.
Gabrielle Union starred in the 2005 remake of The Honeymooners with comedian Cedric The Entertainer. In 2006, she starred as Busta Rhymes' love interest in the music video for Rhymes' "I Love My Chick". Union starred in the 2007 films Daddy's Little Girls by Tyler Perry (released on Valentine's Day) and the Christmas film The Perfect Holiday which opened on December 12.
In an interview with Art Nouveau Magazine, Union complained about the lack of roles for black actresses and actors in Hollywood: "There used to be [roles] specifically written black, if you knew Denzel was doing a movie you knew his wife, girl or love interest was going to be black [but] that’s not necessarily the case anymore. You’re in that room with every amazingly talented actress of every hue, and it’s a dogfight, it’s hard".

In 2008, Union appeared on Ugly Betty for 3 episodes (36-38) as Renee, Wilhelmina Slater's (Vanessa L. Williams) sister and Daniel Meade's (Eric Mabius) love interest. Gabrielle Union also made a cameo appearance in the music video for Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent".
Gabrielle Union joined the cast of the U.S. television series Life on NBC and appeared in four episodes prior to the cancellation of series in May 2009. Gabrielle Union appeared in the ABC series FlashForward alongside John Cho and Joseph Fiennes as Zoey Andata, a role for which she got nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Gabrielle Union will be again working with Tyler Perry on the upcoming 2012 romantic comedy Good Deeds. Gabrielle Union will be playing the role of Natalie, the soon to be wife of Perry's character Glen Deeds.


Personal Life
In 1992, at age 19, Union was attacked, beaten, and raped at her part-time job in a shoe store. Gabrielle Union attacker later turned himself in and was sentenced to 33 years in prison. Gabrielle Union has since become an advocate for victims of sexual assault.
On May 5, 2001 Gabrielle married Chris Howard. They divorced in 2006. Gabrielle Union dated American football player Jonathan Borrero in 2007.Gabrielle Union's now dating Dwyane Wade.


Awards and Nominations MTV Awards 
2005, Best Actress (2004, Best Actress (nominated)
2003, Best Actress (nominated)
Black Reel Awards
2008, Best Ensemble: Cadillac Records (winner)
2005, Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy: Breakin' All the Rules (nominated)
2005, Best Supporting Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made (nominated)
2004, Best Actress: Deliver Us From Eva (nominated)
2002, Best Supporting Actress: The Brothers (nominated)
2001, Best Supporting Actress: Bring It On (winner)
Image Awards 2005-
2005, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Breakin' All the Rules (nominated)
2005, Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series: Something the Lord Made (nominated)
2004, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Deliver Us From Eva (nominated)
2004, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Bad Boys II (nominated)
Palm Beach International Film Festival
2006, Best Actress Neo Ned (winner)


Filmography
1999 Gabrielle Union 's All That Katie
10 Things I Hate About You Chastity
H-E Double Hockey Sticks Gabrielle 
2000 Love & Basketball Shawnee
Bring It On Isis
2001 The Brothers Denise Johnson
Two Can Play That Game Conny Spalding
2002 Welcome to Collinwood Michelle
Abandon Amanda Luttrell
2003 Deliver Us from Eva Evangeline 'Eva' Dandrige
Cradle 2 the Grave Daria
Bad Boys II Syd
2004 Something the Lord Made Clara Thomas
Breakin' All the Rules Nicky Callas
2005 Neo Ned Rachael
The Honeymooners Alice Kramden
Say Uncle Elise Carter
2006 Running with Scissors Dorothy
2007 Constellation Carmel Boxer
Daddy's Little Girls Julia
The Box Det. Cris Romano
The Perfect Holiday Nancy
2008 Meet Dave Number 3 - Cultural Officer
Cadillac Records Geneva Wade
2010 The Van Zandt Shakedown TBA
2011 Good Deeds Natalie
2012 Think Like A Man
TelevisionFamily Matters - TV series (1993)
Saved by the Bell: The New Class - TV series (1995–1996)
Moesha - TV series (1996)
Malibu Shores - TV series (1996)
Goode Behavior - TV series (1996)
7th Heaven - TV series (1996–1999)
Smart Guy - TV series (1997)
Dave's World - TV series (1997)
Hitz - TV series (1997)
Sister, Sister - TV series (1997)
City Guys - TV series (1997)
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - TV series (1997)
The Steve Harvey Show - TV series (1998)
Clueless - TV series (1999)
Grown Ups - TV series (1999)
H-E Double Hockey Sticks - TV film (1999)

ER - TV series (2000)
The Others - TV series (2000)
Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane - TV series (2000)
City of Angels - TV series (2000)
Close to Home - TV film (2001)
Friends - TV series (2001)
The Proud Family - TV series (2003)
The West Wing - TV series (2004)
Something the Lord Made - TV film (2004)
Family Guy - TV series (2005)
Night Stalker - TV series (2005–2006)
Football Wives - TV film (2007)
Ugly Betty - TV series (2008)
The BET Honors - TV film (2010)
Life - TV series (2009)
FlashForward - TV series (2009–2010)
Army Wives - TV series (2010)
"NTSF:SD:SUV"-TV series (2011)