About Nia Long
Nia Talita Long ( NEE-yə; born October 30, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her work in black cinema, Long rose to prominence after starring in the film Boyz n the Hood (1991), and for her portrayal of Beullah "Lisa" Wilkes on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1991–1995). Long then appeared in the films Friday (1995), Love Jones (1997), and Soul Food (1997). Long is known for her roles in the films The Best Man (1999), Big Momma's House (2000) and the Michael Jackson biopic Michael (2026), where she portrayed his mother Katherine Jackson. On television, Long portrayed Sasha Monroe on the crime drama series Third Watch (2003–2005) and has starred on the Fox drama series Empire (2017), and the CBS action series NCIS: Los Angeles (2017–2018). Long has received several accolades, including two NAACP Image Awards and a Black Reel Award. Long is known for her roles in the films The Best Man (1999) and Big Momma's House (2000). The film excited Long, who was doing her "first real movie role". Long won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series in 2004 for her performance on Third Watch.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.