Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American film and television actress, producer, model, author, entrepreneur, television personality and beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 1993.
Early Life and Education
Moore was born on January 24, 1971 in Detroit, Michigan to teenagers Patricia Moore and Ronald Grant and raised by her paternal grandmother Doris Grant and aunt after her mother abandoned her three days after her birth.
The reality-TV-show star revealed that her mother never named her. "Since birth, my mother made the decision at age 16 to pretend she never had me. She has never spoken to me," Kenya wrote.
"Even if present in the same room with other people and family, she pretends that I simply don't exist. She pretends I'm invisible," Kenya revealed on her Bravo blog.
Moore graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1989.
Read also: Kenya Moore Welcomes Baby Girl
While still in high school, Moore experienced domestic violence from a much older boyfriend.
Early Career
Moore began modeling at the age of 14, and was the January 1992 cover girl for Ebony Man magazine.
She also modelled for the Ebony Fashion Fair cosmetic line. Moore has also appeared on the covers of Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony, and Essence magazines.
Kenya has also been featured in several music videos, including R&B group Shai's "I Don't Wanna Be Alone", rapper Nas' "Street Dreams" and the Jay-Z & Jermaine Dupri Grammy-nominated hit "Money Ain't a Thang".
At 22, Moore won Miss Michigan USA 1993 and then became the second African American woman to win Miss USA.
Read also: Aunt Lori and Kenya: More Details
She placed in the top 6 in that year's Miss Universe pageant.
Miss U.S.A 1993 - Kenya Moore (Michigan) Good Quality
Acting and Producing Career
She is recognizable for her roles in movies such as Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me.
One of her best acting roles came in the independent film Trois which also starred Gretchen Palmer and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation star Gary Dourdan.
Trois went on to become one of the highest grossing African-American films of 2000.
Read also: Kenya Moore's Suspension
After this, she was in many movies and television shows.
Moore has also produced and directed various projects and launched her own company, Moore Vision Media in 2008.
Moore Vision Media produced the erotic thriller "The Confidant".
Moore is credited as producer/director of the film Trapped: Haitian Nights.
After the project lost its director, Moore took over the production and completed the film.
Author and Entrepreneur
On November 28, 2007, Moore published a book titled Game, Get Some!: What Women Really Want.
Described as a how-to guide, the book is a self-help and conduct containing relationship advice, as well as the author's personal experiences regarding interpersonal and intimate relationships.
Moore has stated about the book, "No one man can know everything there is to know about women, but with my help, they may just come close; I feel like the female Ms. Hitch! I want to bring us together not apart."
The author reviews self-esteem and self-concept issues, offers sexual advice, discusses tips on mending a relationship or the proper way to break up.
In 2012, Moore released her debut single, "Gone With the Wind Fabulous."
In 2013, Moore released her own exercise video, named "Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp".
This venture rivalled former The Real Housewives of Atlanta co-star Phaedra Parks own workout video and was a primary storyline in the show's fifth season.
Also an entrepreneur, she has grown her hair care line, Kenya Moore Hair Care, over the past four years into a national brand that is carried in over 2,200 Sally's Beauty Supply stores across the nation.
Reality Television
Moore co-starred in the Bravo series The Real Housewives of Atlanta beginning in 2012.
She was also was a member of the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice 7 in 2015.
Moore was also a member of the cast of The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip season 1, which aired in 2021.
She is partnered with Brandon Armstrong.
Philanthropy
She founded the Kenya Moore Foundation which awards scholarships to under-privileged girls from her high school alma-mater.
Filmography
Here's a glimpse into Kenya Moore's filmography:
| Title | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting to Exhale | 1995 | Girl in Restaurant |
| Trois | 2000 | Angel |
| Deliver Us from Eva | 2003 | Renee |
| I Know Who Killed Me | 2007 | Jazmin |
Popular articles:
tags: #Kenya
