Antwone Fisher

Background:

A model-turned-actress, Joy Bryant made a name for herself as the model of Tommy Hilfiger and Victoria's Secret before gaining widespread attention as an actress with her role as the understanding lover Cheryl Smolley in the Denzel Washington-helmed “Antwone Fisher” (2002), with Derek Luke. With a Young Hollywood Award and a Black Reel nomination on her pocket, the beautiful performer continued to give strong performances in such movies as Mario Van Peebles' “How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass” (2003, netted a Black Reel nomination), Bille Woodruff's “Honey” (2003), Jim Sheridan's “Get Rich Or Die Tryin'” (2005) and Hunter Richards' “London” (2005) and the Emilio Estevez directorial debut “Bobby” (2006), from which she shared a Hollywood Film Award and a SAG nomination. She also has acted in MTV's “Carmen: A Hip Hopera” (2001) and played Valerie Gallant in three episode of “ER” during 2003-2004 season.

Recently co-starring with Terrence Howard and Richard Gere in “The Hunting Party” (2007), Bryant is scheduled to play Bianca Kittles in the forthcoming “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” (2008), a comedy directed and written by Malcolm D. Lee.

Outside the spotlight, 5' 9” 'Bryant is a passionate advocate of the Fieldston Enrichment Program under the umbrella of A Better Chance Public School Program. The organization aims to improve the academic possibilities of minority talents. The Bronx native divides her time between New York and Los Angeles with her darling pit bull named Nana.

Bryant is currently engaged to her boyfriend, Dave Pope. Uttering her finance as a “wonderful man,” she states on OK! she has not chosen a date for their wedding, but Dave narrowed down the timeframe by saying “(It'll be) fall 2008.” When asked what he loves most about his future wife, he said, “I love her smile and her personality.”

Yale

Childhood and Family:

Joy Bryant was born on October, 19, 1976, in The Bronx, New York, to a 15-year-old mother. She was raised in a modest home in The Bronx by her grandmother Lauraine, who died when Joy was 17. A beautiful and brainy girl, Joy was educated at Riverdale Country School in The Bronx, New York and Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut, in which she was a full-scholarship student. Thanks to her academic achievement during high school years, she was accepted to the prestigious Yale University in a full academic scholarship, but dropped out a short time later to start a modeling career.

Bobby

Career:

An academically excellent with exotic good looks, Joy Bryant was spotted by a modeling scout from Next Models Management while enrolling as a full-time student at Yale. Subsequently, she embarked on a career as a fashion model in Paris. She worked extensively for several years before hitting the big time when she landed an exclusive contract with the high-profile Tommy Hilfiger. Byant continued to raise her profile by appearing as a cover model for the Victoria's Secret lingerie catalogue and in numerous reputable print campaigns.

Bryant branched out to acting in 2001 when she was cast in the role of Nikki in The MTV original television movie “Carmen: A Hip Hopera,” directed by Robert Townsend. A musical/drama, it also starred Beyonce Knowles and Mekhi Phifer, in addition to many hip-hop superstars. Bryant followed it up with small parts in the fabulous short “Kite” (2002) and the Warner Bros. feature comedy “Showtime” (2002), starring Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy. A parody of chum cop movie in which two very opposite cops are forced to team up on a new reality based television cop show, “Showtime” marked Bryant's big screen acting debut.

However, Bryant did not score a break out screen role until Denzel Washington tapped her for the role of Cheryl Smolley in the actor's feature directorial debut, “Antwone Fisher (also 2002). Brilliantly portraying the perceptive girlfriend of the annoyed Antwone (played by Derek Luke), she received far-flung attention and was nominated for a Black Reel nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also won a 2003 Young Hollywood for Breakthrough Performance – Female. The film itself was awarded a Humanitas Prize in the category of Feature Film and an Image for Outstanding Motion Picture, as well as received a Golden Satellite nomination for Best Motion Picture-Drama.

Bryant's next significant role was as the secretary Priscilla in “How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass” (2003), director-writer-star Mario Van Peebles' characterization of his father Melvin's efforts to shoot the seminal 1971 film “Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Son.” Screened at the Sundance Film Festival in on January 20, 2004, the biographical film earned her a second Black Reel nomination in 2005. 2003 also saw Bryant play Jessica Alba's best friend in the music-driven, coming-of-age drama “Honey,” helmed by Bille Woodruff, and started her three episodic role in the popular medical drama “ER” (2003-2004), as Valerie Gallant. In 2004, she costarred with Dominic Purcell in “Three Way,” a sexy noir-thriller adapted from the 1963 Gil Brewer pulp novel “Wild to Possess,”had a bit part as Woman at Web in the blockbuster film “Spider-Man 2” and acted with Orlando Bloom and Bill Paxton in the adventure drama “Haven.”

2005 proved to be an even better year for Bryant with three high-profile projects under her belt. She first had a small, but built-in role as Jill in the voodoo horror/thriller “The Skeleton Key,” starring Kate Hudson, John Hurt and Gena Rowlands and directed by Iain Softley, before finding herself in support of Chris Evans and Jessica Biel in the biopic “London,” in which she was cast as the overbold Mallory. She fared better as Charlene, the longtime girlfriend of drug merchant and aspirant rap artist Marcus (played by real-life rap star 50 Cent) in the urban drama “Get Rich Or Die Tryin'” for director Jim Sheridan. Bryant's performances in the latter two films re-enforced her status as a versatile actress.

Bryant's improving career was further established in the following year when she joined the cast of the ensemble drama “Bobby” (2006), Emilio Estevez's feature directorial debut. Along with impressive costars that included Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy, Heather Graham, Ashton Kutcher and many others, she jointly netted a 2006 Hollywood Film Festival for Ensemble of the Year and a 2007 Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She next portrayed Terrence Howard's girlfriend in the Richard Shepard-written/directed adventure “The Hunting Party” (2007). Richard Gere and James Brolin also starred in the film.

The 31-year-old artist will team up with Michael Clarke Duncan, Martin Lawrence and James Earl Jones for the upcoming comedy “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” (2008), playing Bianca Kittles. Malcolm D. Lee serves both as a director and a writer.

Awards:

• Hollywood Film: Ensemble of the Year, “Bobby,” 2006

• Young Hollywood: Breakthrough Performance – Female, 2003