Assured young TV actor who gained exposure playing Hilary Banks, the spoiled, self-centered cousin of Will Smith on the hit sitcom, "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC, 1990-96). Parsons had previously worked as a model and appeared in nearly two dozen TV commercials before making her TV debut in "Roughhouse" (CBS, 1988), a busted pilot directed by Martha Coolidge. She began to branch out into a feature career playing the female lead in "Class Act" (1992), a teen comedy starring pop rappers Kid 'N' Play. Parsons was selected to perform similar chores opposite Damon Wayans in "Major Payne" (1995). She returned to series TV in 1996 co-starring with Lori Petty in the short-lived Fox sitcom "Lush Life", in which the two played roommates.
Family
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Father: Ken Parsons. Caucasian
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Mother: Louise Parsons. Black
Education
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Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, California, theater arts
Milestones
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1988 TV debut, a supporting role in Roughhouse , an unsold sitcom pilot directed by Martha Coolidge and broadcast on CBS Summer Playhouse
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1990 Cast as Hilary Banks on the hit NBC sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
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1990 Feature debut, Death Spa/Witch Bitch (filmed in 1987)
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1992 Played the female lead in the feature, Class Act
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1995 Acted in the feature Major Payne
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1996 Co-starred with Lori Petty in the short-lived Fox sitcom Lush Life ; also co-created the series
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1998 Starred as a biracial woman in the independent film Mixing Nia
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Acted in commercials
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Began studying acting at age 13
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Formed her own production company, Bamboozled Goliwogg, Inc., to develop film and TV projects
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Worked as a model while auditioning for acting jobs