Nia Long was born on October 30, 1970 in Brooklyn, New York. She is an American actress and occasional music video director.

She made her film debut in John Singleton's acclaimed Boyz 'N the Hood (1991), starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Ice Cube, Angela Basset, and Lawrence Fishburne. She followed the film with Made in America (1993), a comedy that cast her as the daughter of Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson.

Long subsequently established herself as a strong presence in romantic dramas and comedies, carving out a niche in such films as Soul Food (1997), Love Jones (1997), and The Best Man (1999).

The actress also ventured into a number of other genres, as demonstrated by her roles in films ranging from supernatural horror (Stigmata) (1999) to big business crime drama The Boiler Room (1999) to inner-city police thriller (In Too Deep) (1999).

Her last credits include Big Momma's House (2000), Alfie (2004), Big Momma's House 2 (2006) and Are We Done Yet? (2007).

The actress's long-time boyfriend and fellow actor Massai Z. Dorsey have a son, Massai Zhivago Dorsey II, born on November 26, 2000. Dorsey and Long were engaged and had planned a wedding for 2001, but ended their relationship before then.

Filmography

• "Big Shots" (5 episodes, 2007)
• Are We Done Yet? (2007)
• Premonition (2007)
• "Boston Legal" (3 episodes, 2007)
• "Everwood" (1 episode, 2006)
• Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
• "Third Watch" (26 episodes, 2003-2005)
• Alfie (2004)
• How to Get the Man's Foot Outta Your Ass (2003)
• Sightings: Heartland Ghost (2002)
• "Judging Amy" (6 episodes, 2001-2002)
• Big Momma's House (2000)
• If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)
• Boiler Room (2000)
• The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000)
• The Secret Laughter of Women (1999)
• Held Up (1999)
• Stigmata (1999)
• The Best Man (1999)
• In Too Deep (1999)
• Black Jaq (1998)
• Butter (1998)
• Soul Food (1997)
• Hav Plenty (1997)
• Love Jones (1997)
• "Moesha" (2 episodes, 1996)
• "ER" (1 episode, 1996)
• "Live Shot" (1995)
• "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (16 episodes, 1991-1995)
• Friday (1995)
• "Living Single" (1 episode, 1993)
• Made in America (1993)
• "The Guiding Light" (1952) Boyz n the Hood (1991)
• Buried Alive (1990)
• The B.R.A.T. Patrol (1986)
• "227" (1 episode, 1986)

Awards

• NAACP Image Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture "The Best Man" 1999