Tempestt Bledsoe biography

Synopsis

An Early Start in Acting

Actress Tempest Bledsoe was born on August 1, 1973, in Chicago, Illinois. Bledsoe's parents divorced when she was young. She took up acting at a very young age, appearing in her first commercial—an ad for Safeway grocery stores—when she was just 4 years old. She also filmed ads for Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and sang jingles for commercials.

At the age of 9, Tempestt Bledsoe auditioned for a new sitcom called The Cosby Show. Headlined by celebrated comedian Bill Cosby, the program showcased a facet of black American life never before seen on network television. The comedy centered on the up-and-down domestic life of the Huxtable family, a close-knit, affluent clan in Brooklyn headed by a lawyer mom and obstetrician dad. Bledsoe was cast as Vanessa Huxtable, the fourth of the family's five children.

'Cosby Show' Premiere

The Cosby Show premiered on September 20, 1984, when Bledsoe was 11 years old. The show became an immediate success. Viewers of all races and income levels related to the loving, down-to-earth Huxtables, helping to redefine America's perception of African-American families. At Cosby's insistence, the show depicted a nuclear family anchored by a strong father figure. Characters and story lines emphasized the value of education and discussed topics like the civil rights movement. The show held down the top spot in viewer ratings throughout its entire seven-year run.

Along with her on-screen siblings, Bledsoe essentially grew up on national television. She lived with her mother in New York City, where the show was filmed, and attended school with an on-set tutor. She enrolled at New York University to pursue a degree in finance while the show was still filming. Cosby was so proud of her educational achievements that he hung her report cards in his dressing room.

Post-'Cosby Show' Life

The Cosby Show went off the air in April 1992. Bledsoe, 19 at the time, took some time away from show business after the show's finale. She credits Cosby with helping her and her co-stars avoid the struggles faced by many other child stars. "Working with Bill was amazing and we were trained really well and had great examples of how to carry ourselves, so I think we had really strong self-identities outside of this work," she said. "I've bumped into a lot of people in this business that have absolutely no sense of self and it's very dangerous if you don't have that."

Bledsoe completed her degree at NYU and moved to Los Angeles.