• Tempestt Bledsoe is an American actress born in Chicago, Illinois, USA in 1973
• She is best known for her role of Vanessa Huxtable in "The Cosby Show" from 1984-1992
• Tempestt has appeared in over 30 movies and TV series and voiced the animated comedy "The Replacements" in 2008 and 2009
• She has also been involved with charity organizations focused on helping war veterans and children
• Tempestt's net worth is estimated to be over $6 million
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Who is Tempestt Bledsoe?
American actress Tempestt Bledsoe was born in Chicago, Illinois USA, on 1 August 1973, making her zodiac sign Leo. She’s appeared in more than 30 movies and TV series, but is probably still known best for her debut TV series role playing Vanessa Huxtable in 168 episodes of the critically acclaimed romantic family comedy series “The Cosby Show”, which starred Keshia Knight Pulliam, Phylicia Rashad and Bill Cosby, and was created by Michael Leeson. It follows the lives of members of a wealthy African-American family, the series aired its 197 episodes from 1984 through 1992, and won 62 of its 121 award nominations.
Education and early life
Tempestt was raised in Chicago by her mother Willa Bledsoe, who worked multiple jobs to support them; Tempestt hasn’t spoken about her father or siblings in public, and it’s widely believed that her father abandoned the family not long after she was born, and that she’s an only child.
Tempestt was still attending a local elementary school when she fell in love with acting, and was 13 when she made her debut TV appearance, playing Grace Williams in the 1986 episode “The Gift of Amazing Grace” of the adventure comedy “ABC Afterschool Special”, then appeared in “The Cosby Show”, and two years later made her debut film appearance, playing Margaret in the comedy “Dance ‘Til Dawn”.
Tempestt continued acting while attending a local high school in Chicago, but still remained focused on her education; upon matriculating in 1991, she enrolled at New York University, from which she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in 1995.
Roles in TV series
In 1988, Tempestt played Dottie in the episode “My Zombie Lover” of the fantasy comedy “Monsters”, and the following year saw her play Vanessa Huxtable in the episode “Risky Business” of the comedy “A Different World”.
She remained focused on shooting for “The Cosby Show” in the first half of the ‘90s, and the second half saw her appear in an episode of the comedy “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”, another comedy “Jenny”, and the crime mystery “The Practice”.
In 2004, Tempestt played Chloe in the episode “Pretty Baby” of the family comedy “Rock Me, Baby”, and the following year saw her appear in the episode “Clinical Risk” of the drama “Strong Medicine”. In 2008 and 2009, she voiced Abbey in the animated family comedy “The Replacements”, created by Dan Santat, and which starred Jeff Bennett, Grey Griffin and Nancy Cartwright. It follows two orphans who are able to replace the ones they know with superhumans, the series has been airing since 2006, but has been nominated for only a single award.
In 2012, she appeared in the episode “The House Sitter’s Episode” of the comedy “Are We There Yet?”, and in 2012 and 2013, Tempestt portrayed Marny in the comedy “Guys with Kids”, created by Jimmy Fallon and Charlie Grandy, and which starred Anthony Anderson, Jesse Bradford and Zach Cregger. It follows the lives of three dads in their 30s, and was nominated for three awards.
Tempestt’s since appeared in only two TV series: she again played Vanessa Huxtable in the 2014 episode “Not Your Mother’s Day” of the family comedy “Instant Mom”, and Katrina in the 2019 episode “Remember When Our Boys Became Men?” of the family comedy “Family Reunion”.
Roles in movies
In 1989, Tempestt played Danni Fairview in the comedy “Dream Date”, and the following year saw her play reprise Vanessa Huxtable in the family comedy “The Earth Day Special”.
Her following movie role came in 1998, when cast to play a supporting character in the drama “Johnny B Good”, directed by Richard Brooks, who also starred in it alongside Vonetta McGee. It follows a hustler who’s uncovered serious political corruption in an attempt to impress his crush.
Some of Tempestt’s following roles were in the 1999 drama “Santa and Pete”, the 2000 action “The Expendables”, and the 2001 romantic drama “Fire & Ice”.
She played Janey in the 2003 romantic comedy “BachelorMan”, and in 2008, Tempestt played Nina, one of the main characters in the comedy “Husband for Hire”, written and directed by Kris Isacsson, and which also starred Mark Consuelos and Nadine Velazquez. It follows Lola who must find a man whom her father approves of, if she wants to inherit the family’s trust fund.
Some of Tempestt’s following roles were in the 2009 drama “The Wishing Well”, the 2010 crime thriller “N-Secure”, and the 2012 animated adventure comedy “ParaNorman” (voice role), which won 19 of its 66 award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.
Tempestt’s since appeared in only a single movie: the 2018 romantic musical “Jingle Belle”.
Other credits
Tempestt sang the song “I Just Called To Say I Love You” in the 1986 episode “A Touch of Wonder” of the series “The Cosby Show”.
Some of her recent talk-show appearances have been in “Clean House”, “The Talk”, and “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”.
Awards and nominations
Tempestt’s won two of her nine award nominations: a 1989 Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special and a 2011 TV Land Impact Award, both for her and her colleagues’ performance in “The Cosby Show”.
Love life and husband
Tempestt prefers to keep her love life away from media, however, it’s still widely known that she and American actor and film producer Darryl M. Bell have been in a relationship since 1993.
The two don’t have children together, and while some of Tempestt’s fans believe this to be because they both prefer to focus on their careers in the film industry, some have claimed that perhaps Tempestt or Darryl, or both, are infertile.
Darryl’s had roles in 15 movies and TV series, and is probably still best known for playing Ron Johnson in 134 episodes of the critically acclaimed comedy series “A Different World”, from 1987 to 1993.
Tempestt hasn’t mentioned other men whom she’s dated, she’s married to Darryl M. Bell as of January 2023, and doesn’t have children.
Interesting facts and hobbies
Tempestt and American actress Pam Potillo have been best friends since they met on the set of the series “The Cosby Show” in 1984.
She was ranked #51 by VH1 on their list of ‘100 Greatest Kid Stars’.
Tempestt is followed by close to 3,500 people on Instagram, but hasn’t uploaded a single picture onto the social media network.
She’s working with various charity organizations, mostly focused on helping war veterans and children.
Tempestt’s a lover of animals, with her favorites being elephants and giraffes.
She’s a fan of actresses Natalie Portman and Julia Roberts, and some of her favorite movies are “Jackie”, “Vox Lux” and “Annihilation”.
Height, eyes and wealth
Tempestt’s age is 49. She has brown eyes and hair, is 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall and weighs about 135lbs (62kgs).
Tempestt’s net worth’s been estimated at over $6 million, as of January 2023.
