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Tempestt Bledsoe

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Tempestt Bledsoe
Born (1973-08-01) August 1, 1973 (age 51)
EducationNew York University
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
PartnerDarryl M. Bell

Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable, the fourth child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–92). In December 2010, it was announced that Bledsoe would be the host of Clean House on the Style Network, replacing Niecy Nash. From September 2012 to February 2013, she was one of the stars of the NBC TV sitcom Guys with Kids, portraying Marny.

Career

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In 1984, Bledsoe was cast in the role of Vanessa Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show.[2][3] She was a regular until its final season in 1992.[4] She also made a one-time appearance as Vanessa on A Different World.[4] In 1986, Tempestt played the role of Grace Wheeler in season 15, episode 4 "(The Gift of Amazing Grace)", of the ABC Afterschool Special program. In 1989 she was a national spokesperson for DARE.[5]

In the mid-1990s, from 1995 to 1996, Bledsoe hosted a daytime talk show, The Tempestt Bledsoe Show, produced by Columbia TriStar Television and Dick Clark.[6][7][8] She made a brief appearance in the sitcom The Parkers, and has been featured in the recurring role of a single mother on the ABC show The Practice.[9]

She also appeared in the Lifetime show Strong Medicine, and South of Nowhere. Her most recent credits include the role of Nina in the Oxygen's original television movie Husband for Hire, Steven Bochco's Raising the Bar, and the role of Abby in the second season of Disney Channel's animated series The Replacements.[10] She appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and NBC's Fear Factor.[11]

It was announced on December 1, 2010 that Bledsoe would return to TV, replacing Niecy Nash as the host of Clean House on Style Network.[11] Her first episode aired on January 26, 2011. In 2012, Bledsoe was heard as the voice of Sheriff Hooper in the Laika animated film ParaNorman.[10][12]

From September 2012 to February 2013, she portrayed Marny in the NBC TV sitcom Guys with Kids.[10][4]

In 2014, Bledsoe appeared in the Instant Mom episode "Not Your Mother's Day" in which she reprised her role as Vanessa Huxtable. In July 2019 Bledsoe appeared in the Netflix show Family Reunion episode 10 "Remember When Our Boys Became Men?".[13]

Filmography

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Film
Year Title Role Notes
1988 Dance til' Dawn Margaret
1998 Johnny B Good
2003 BachelorMan Janey
2010 N-Secure Jill
2012 ParaNorman Sheriff Hooper Voice
2018 Jingle Belle Jackie
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1984–1992 The Cosby Show Vanessa Huxtable Main role – 157 episodes
1985 NBC Special Treat Herself / Interviewee Season 9 episode 4: "Kids Just Kids"
Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa Herself Christmas special
One to Grow On Herself Episode: "Making Money"
1986 Sesame Street Herself Recurring Guest
1986–1988 Hollywood Squares Herself / Panelist 2 episodes
1986–1994 ABC Afterschool Special Grace Williams / Herself 3 episodes
1988 Dance 'til Dawn Margaret TV movie
Monsters Dottie Season 1 episode 5: "My Zombie Lover"
1989 A Different World Vanessa Huxtable Season 2 episode 13: "Risky Business"
Dream Date Danni Fairview TV movie
1990 The Earth Day Special Vanessa Huxtable
1995 The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Herself Season 5 episode 25: "For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll"
1995–1996 The Tempestt Bledsoe Show Host Also known as Tempestt
1997 Jenny Kaylene Episode 5: "A Girl's Gotta Live in the Real World"
1998 The Practice Roberta Baylor 3 episodes
1999 The Parkers Neena Davis Season 1 episode 9: "And the Band Plays On"
Santa and Pete Maria Dangola TV movie
2000 The Expendables Tanika TV movie
2001 Fire & Ice Pam Moore TV movie
2002 The Cosby Show: A Look Back Herself / Vanessa Huxtable
2003 Pet Star Herself / Celebrity Judge 3 episodes
2004 Rock Me Baby Chloe Episode 13: "Pretty Baby"
2005 Strong Medicine Season 6 episode 3: "Clinical Risk"
2006 South of Nowhere Cecily 3 episodes
2008 Husband for Hire Nina TV movie
Raising the Bar Camilla Hansen Season 1 episode 7: "A Leg to Stand On"
2008–2009 The Replacements Abbey / Claudia / Abbey-clone Voice
21 episodes
Replaced Erica Hubbard for season 2
2009 Househusbands of Hollywood Herself 9 episodes
2009 The Wishing Well Enid Aired in the United Kingdom in 2009 and the United States in 2010
2010–2011 Clean House Host 12 episodes
2011 Vietnam in HD Elizabeth Allen Also known as Vietnam Lost Films
6 episodes
2012–2013 Guys with Kids Marny
2014 Instant Mom Vanessa Huxtable Season 1 episode 20: "Not Your Mother's Day"
2019 Family Reunion Katrina Episode 10: "Remember When Our Boys Became Men?"

Personal life

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Bledsoe earned a bachelor's degree in finance from New York University. Since 1993 she has been in a relationship with actor Darryl M. Bell, who co-starred in the NBC TV comedy A Different World, a spinoff of The Cosby Show. The couple appeared together in the Fox Reality Channel series Househusbands of Hollywood, which debuted August 2009.[11] Bledsoe is a vegetarian.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "bledsoe-tempestt-1973". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Essex, Myeisha (October 28, 2020). "Tempestt Bledsoe Gives Reasons Why There'll Never Be Another 'Cosby Show'". Essence. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Robinson, Joanna (August 25, 2015). "The Curious Silence of Cosby's TV Daughters". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Penrice, Ronda Racha (September 21, 2012). "Tempestt Bledsoe on why there will never be another 'Cosby Show'". The Grio. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  5. ^ Richards, Toya (August 4, 1989). "Tempestt's Tale". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  6. ^ "Tempestt In a TV Talk Show - 'Cosby' Daughter Bledsoe Is The Newest Lady Chatterly". The New York Daily Times. September 7, 1995.
  7. ^ Whitney, Brooks (January 16, 1996). "Look Who's Talking". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "Ex-Cosby Kid's Talk Show Canceled". The Chicago Sun Times. June 5, 1996.
  9. ^ a b "Tempestt Bledsoe: A Cosby Kid's Clean Break". People. March 21, 2021. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c "Marny". Guys With Kids. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c Daniels, Karu F. (November 22, 2012). "Tempestt Bledsoe returns to NBC". CNN. Archived from the original on November 29, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Weintraub, Steve (May 15, 2012). "35 Things to Know About PARANORMAN From Our Set Visit; Plus Video Blog Recap and 30 Behind-the-Scenes Images". Collider. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Topel, Fred (July 10, 2019). "'Family Reunion' Creator Meg DeLoatch On Assembling An All-Black Writers' Room And When We'll See Jaleel White Show Up [Interview]". SlashFilm. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved July 1, 2022. I believe it's episode 10...[Jaleel White is] playing a friend. Tempest Bledsoe and he are playing a couple and they're friends of Moz and Cocoa's.
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