Joy Bryant

Joy Bryant (born October 18, 1974) is an American actress and former fashion model. She has appeared in numerous films and television since beginning her acting career in 2001. Her accolades include two NAACP Image Award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Joy Bryant
Bryant at the Paleyfest 2013
Born	(1974-10-18) October 18, 1974 The Bronx, New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1]
Spouse(s)	Dave Pope ( m. 2008)

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York City, Bryant was a gifted student and earned a scholarship to Yale University after high school. She began modeling in the mid-1990s, 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.

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. Her subsequent film credits include Spiderman 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 2010, Bryant was cast in the role of Jasmine Trussell in the NBC family drama Parenthood, a role she portrayed for the series' entire six seasons before its finale in 2015. She has also appeared on television in guest roles on the series Girls (2017) and Ballers (2018).

Early life

Bryant was born in the Bronx, New York to Joyce Bryant.[2] She was raised by her grandmother,[3] who helped support her on welfare.[4] She started dancing at age three.[5] 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.[2] Bryant stated: "[My mother] gave birth to me, not in love but in shame, after hiding her pregnancy from my grandmother for six months."[2]

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."[4] 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.[6] Bryant is a graduate of Westminster School, a boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut.[3] After graduating from Westminster, Bryant was accepted to Yale University, where she studied for two years before dropping out to pursue a modeling career.[7]

Career

Bryant at the 2009 Metropolitan Opera

Early in her career, Bryant played a small role in Ill Al Skratch's video "I'll Take Her". Bryant had modeling contracts with several brands, including Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, CoverGirl and Rocawear.[8] She has also appeared in advertising for Gap and Victoria's Secret, and also starred in a Carlos Santana and Musiq Soulchild music video for the song "Nothing at All" opposite actor Andre Warmsley in 2004. She has graced the cover of Teen Vogue, Complex, Lonny, Domino and Rolling Out.[9][10] She has appeared in pictorials for Playboy, Stuff and Celebrity Skin.[9]

Her acting debut came in 2001 in Robert Townsend's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, in which she portrayed a fortune teller opposite Beyoncé and Rah Digga.[11] After a small role in the action comedy Showtime, she made her big breakthrough in Denzel Washington's directorial debut, Antwone Fisher.[12] In 2003, she co-starred in the Mario Van Peebles biopic Baadasssss!,[13] followed by a recurring guest role on the drama series ER.[14]

In 2005, she appeared in several high-profile films, including the horror filmThe Skeleton Key[15] and the drama films London and Get Rich or Die Tryin', in the latter of which she played the childhood sweetheart of 50 Cent.[16] In 2007, she had a minor part in the thriller film The Hunting Party starring Richard Gere and Terrence Howard,[17] followed by a leading role in the ensemble comedy Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008).[18] She also played the role of Tunde Adebimpe's love interest in "Will Do" a 2011 TV on the Radio music video.

From 2009—15, Bryant starred as Jasmine Trussell in Parenthood. BuddyTV ranked her #19 on its TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011 list.[19] Also in 2015, she had a guest-starring role as Erica Kincaid, a doctor, on the series Rosewood.[20] In 2017, she had a guest-starring role on the HBO series Girls.[21] The following year, Bryant was cast in a recurring role on the sports drama series Ballers, playing a successful public defender and mother of a rising football star.[22] In 2019, she portrayed Lori Foster on Netflix's teen drama web series Trinkets.[23]

Personal life

Bryant and Angela Missoni attending 2009 Women's World Award in Wiener Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria

In October 2007, OK! magazine reported that Bryant was engaged to stuntman Dave Pope, who she met on the set of Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins.[24] They married on June 28, 2008 in the Hamptons.[25] She owns a ranch house in Glendale, California.[3] She is an ambassador of Oxfam's Sisters on the Planet, an organization that helps women fight hunger, poverty and climate change.[26] As of 2014, Bryant resided with her husband in Glendale.[27]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Carmen: A Hip Hopera	Nikki
2002	Kite	Shane's Mother
2002	Showtime	Lexi
2002	Antwone Fisher	PO2 Cheryl Smolley, US Navy
2003	How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass	Priscilla	Alternative title: Baadasssss!
2003	Honey	Gina
2004	Three Way	Rita Caswell
2004	Spider-Man 2	Woman at Web
2004	Haven	Sheila
2005	The Skeleton Key	Jill Dupay
2005	London	Mallory
2005	Get Rich or Die Tryin'	Charlene
2006	Bobby	Patricia
2007	The Hunting Party	Duck's girlfriend
2008	Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins	Bianca Kittles
2011	The Chicken Shack	Alicia
2012	Hit and Run	Neve Tatum
2014	About Last Night	Debbie Sullivan

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003–04	ER	Valerie Gallant	3 episodes
2008	Entourage	Herself	1 episode
2010–15	Parenthood	Jasmine Trussell	Main cast 103 episodes
2011	Love Bites	Angie	2 episodes
2015–17	Rosewood	Dr. Erica Kincaid	7 episodes
2015	The Advocate	Dr. Ryan Clarke	Television film
2016	Good Girls Revolt	Eleanor Holmes Norton	10 episodes
2017	What Would Diplo Do?	Chandra	Episode: "Screwged"
2017	Girls	Marlowe	Episode: "Hostage Situation"
2018	Ballers	Jayda Crawford	6 episodes
2019	Trinkets	Lori Foster	6 episodes
2020–present	For Life	Marie Wallace	Main role

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Work	Result
2003	Young Hollywood Awards	Breakthrough Performance - Female		Won
	Black Reel Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Antwone Fisher	Nominated
2005	Black Reel Awards	Best Supporting Actress	Baadasssss!	Nominated
2006	Hollywood Film Awards	Ensemble of the Year	Bobby	Won
2007	Screen Actors Guild	Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture	Bobby	Nominated
	Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	Best Acting Ensemble	Bobby	Nominated
2013	NAACP Image Awards	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series	Parenthood	Nominated[28]

References

1. Harris, Margot (October 20, 2014). "Joy Bryant's 15 Most Flawless Beauty Moments". Vibe. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
2. Petit, Stephanie (November 15, 2017). "Joy Bryant Reveals She Was the Product of an Assault: 'My Mother Was the One Who Was Shamed'". People.
3. Bryant, Joy (June 21, 2011). "Waste Not, Want Not". Elle. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on November 25, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
4. Fromm, Emily; Carter, Kelly (November 9, 2005). "5 Things You Gotta Know About Joy Bryant". People. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
5. Fromm, Emily (November 9, 2005). "5 Things You Gotta Know About Joy Bryant". People. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
6. Trangle, Sarina (June 13, 2012). "Four decades of greatness". The Riverdale Press. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
7. Bryant, Joy (February 14, 2018). "Joy Bryant". Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard (Interview). Interviewed by Dax Shepard.
8. "Joy Bryant". Retrieved September 17, 2014.
9. "Joy Bryant". IMDb. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
10. "Joy Bryant Magazine Cover Photos - List of magazine covers featuring Joy Bryant - FamousFix". FamousFix.com. Retrieved 2019-08-28.
11. "Carmen: A Hip Hopera". Variety. May 2, 2001. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
12. "Biography for Joy Bryant". Yahoo! Movies. Oath Inc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
13. "Baadasssss!". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
14. "Joy Bryant: Credits". TV Guide. NTVB Media. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
15. Koehler, Robert (July 22, 2005). "The Skeleton Key". Variety. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
16. Scott, A.O. (November 9, 2005). "Even a Ruthless Thug Can Have a Sensitive Side". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
17. Gonzalez, Ed (August 22, 2007). "The Hunting Party". Slant Magazine. Slant Magazine LLC. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
18. "Movie Review: Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, Maryland. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
19. "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2011". BuddyTV. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
20. Terrero, Nina (December 1, 2015). "Rosewood: Joy Bryant to guest-star". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
21. Bacle, Ariana (February 19, 2017). "Girls recap: 'Hostage Situation'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
22. Petski, Denise (February 27, 2018). "'Ballers': Joy Bryant Set To Recur In Season 4 Of HBO Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
23. Brockington, Ariana. "Who Those Sirens Could Be After In The "Trinkets" Finale". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
24. "OK! Exclusive: Joy Bryant Engaged!". OK!. October 31, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
25. Orloff, Brian (June 28, 2008). "Joy Bryant Weds Stuntman Fiancé in the Hamptons". People. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
26. "Joy Bryant". Oxfam America. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
27. Alcala, Natalie (November 6, 2014). "Donuts, Kung Fu, Vintage: Joy Bryant Reveals Her LA Hangouts". Racked. Los Angeles: Vox Media. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
28. "The 44th NAACP Image Awards - Nominations" (PDF). Naacpimageawards.net. December 11, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 29, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.

External links

• Joy Bryant on IMDb
• Joy Bryant at Fashion Model Directory
• Joy Bryant at AllMovie
• TheLoop21.com interview with Joy Bryant