Kenya Summer Moore, born on January 24, 1971, is an accomplished American actress, author, entrepreneur, television personality, and beauty pageant titleholder. She is best known for winning Miss USA 1993 and for her role in the reality TV series, "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."
Kenya Moore at the 2014 Essence Festival
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Moore was born in Detroit, Michigan, to teenagers Patricia Moore and Ronald Grant. Raised by her paternal grandmother, Doris Grant, and aunt after her mother abandoned her three days after her birth, Kenya faced a challenging childhood. She revealed that her mother never named her, stating, "Since birth, my mother made the decision at age 16 to pretend she never had me. She has never spoken to me."
Despite these challenges, Moore graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1989. While still in high school, Moore experienced domestic violence from a much older boyfriend. She began modeling at the age of 14, and was the January 1992 cover girl for Ebony Man magazine. She also modeled for the Ebony Fashion Fair cosmetic line. Moore has also appeared on the covers of Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony, and Essence magazines.
Pageant Success
At 22, Moore won Miss Michigan USA 1993 and then became the second African American woman to win Miss USA.
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The 42nd Miss Universe pageant was held at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, Mexico, on May 21, 1993. She remained impressive throughout the event and finished among the top six finalists.
Kenya Moore as Miss USA
Acting and Production Career
Kenya Summer Moore is an American film and television actress, producer, model and author. 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.
Slowly she made her acting debut. She played a minor role of Dana in the Will Smith starrer popular television sitcom ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ in its episode titled ‘Mothers Day’ that aired in the production’s fourth season on May 2, 1994.
She went on to debut in films with a small role of Denise in the American romance flick ‘Waiting to Exhale’ that released on December 22, 1995 and became a huge hit. The film was noted for an all African-American cast.
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The years that followed saw her featuring in minor roles in several television productions including in single episodes of TV series like ‘Martin’ (1996), ‘Homeboys in Outer Space’ (1996) and ‘Smart Guy’ (1997) among many others; and in two episodes each in TV series’ ‘The Parent 'Hood’ (1999) and ‘In The House’ (1999).
Her next big screen feature happened with the 1998 comic sci-fi film ‘Senseless’ which, however, emerged as a box-office disappointment.
She then landed up with the starring role of Jasmine Davis in the Rob Hardy directed 2010 erotic thriller film ‘Trois’. The film that also starred Gary Dourdan and Gretchen Palmer grossed $1.3 million at box-office and emerged among highest grossing African-American films of the year, and also among top fifty highest grossing independent films of that year.
In course of time she appeared in several other films. Some notable ones include the 2003 American romantic comedy film ‘Deliver Us From Eva’, the 2006 American sports comedy film ‘Cloud 9’, and the Lindsay Lohan starrer 2007 psychological thriller ‘I Know Who Killed Me’.
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.
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Reality TV and Other Ventures
She became part of the main cast of the popular American reality television series ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ in its fifth season in May 2012. Since then she features as herself in the show that is considered the highest-rated installment of ‘The Real Housewives’ franchise. The show that emerged as the most-watched series airing on Bravo furthered her fame to new heights.
She was part of the supporting cast of the American disaster comedy sci-fi horror television film ‘Sharknado: The 4th Awakens ‘. The fourth instalment in the Sharknado film series was premiered on the Syfy channel in the US on July 31, 2016.
Other television features of Kenya includes in the series’ ‘Men, Women, & Dogs’ (2001) and ‘Girlfriends’ (2004) and in reality shows ‘The Celebrity Apprentice 7’ (2015) and ‘The Millionaire Matchmaker’ (2015).
Kenya has also graced covers of renowned magazines namely ‘Essence’, ‘Glamour’, ‘Ebony’ and ‘Seventeen’. Her other pursuits includes releasing her advice book ‘Game, Get Some!’ in November 2007; coming out with a workout DVD in 2013 titled ‘Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp’; and featuring in music videos of artists including in ‘Street Dreams’ (1996) by Nas and ‘Money Ain't a Thang’ (1998) by Jermaine Dupri.
The moment Kenya took it WAY too far | Season 16 | Real Housewives of Atlanta
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.
She has also launched her own hair care line ‘Kenya Moore Hair Care’ and presently serves as its CEO. The products on offer includes shampoo, hair conditioner and growth serum among others.
Kenya Moore Hair Care Products
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.
Personal Life
She married restaurant owner Marc Daly on June 10, 2017 at a private resort in the Eastern Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.
Here's a table summarizing key aspects of Kenya Moore's life:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Kenya Summer Moore |
| Birth Date | January 24, 1971 |
| Birth Place | Detroit, Michigan, USA |
| Occupation | Actress, Model, Entrepreneur, TV Personality |
| Known For | Miss USA 1993, Real Housewives of Atlanta |
| Company | Moore Vision Media, Kenya Moore Hair Care |
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