| Tempestt Bledsoe | |
| Birth Date: | 1 August 1973 |
| Partner: | Darryl M. Bell |
| Education: | New York University |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Yearsactive: | 1984–present |
Tempestt Bledsoe (born August 1, 1973)[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her childhood role as Vanessa Huxtable, the fourth child of Cliff and Clair Huxtable on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1984–92). In December 2010, it was announced that Bledsoe would be the host of Clean House on the Style Network, replacing Niecy Nash. From September 2012 to February 2013, she was one of the stars of the NBC TV sitcom Guys with Kids, portraying Marny.
In 1984, Bledsoe was cast in the role of Vanessa Huxtable on the sitcom The Cosby Show.[2] [3] She was a regular until its final season in 1992. She also made a one-time appearance as Vanessa on A Different World.[4] In 1986, Tempestt played the role of Grace Wheeler in season 15, episode 4 "(The Gift of Amazing Grace)", of the ABC Afterschool Special program. In 1989 she was a national spokesperson for DARE.[5]
In the mid-1990s, from 1995 to 1996, Bledsoe hosted a daytime talk show, The Tempestt Bledsoe Show, produced by Columbia TriStar Television and Dick Clark.[6] [7] [8] She made a brief appearance in the sitcom The Parkers, and has been featured in the recurring role of a single mother on the ABC show The Practice.
She also appeared in the Lifetime show Strong Medicine, and South of Nowhere. Her most recent credits include the role of Nina in the Oxygen's original television movie Husband for Hire, Steven Bochco's Raising the Bar, and the role of Abby in the second season of Disney Channel's animated series The Replacements. She appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club and NBC's Fear Factor.
It was announced on December 1, 2010 that Bledsoe would return to TV, replacing Niecy Nash as the host of Clean House on Style Network. Her first episode aired on January 26, 2011. In 2012, Bledsoe was heard as the voice of Sheriff Hooper in the Laika animated film ParaNorman.[9]
From September 2012 to February 2013, she portrayed Marny in the NBC TV sitcom Guys with Kids.[10]
In 2014, Bledsoe appeared in the Instant Mom episode "Not Your Mother's Day" in which she reprised her role as Vanessa Huxtable. In July 2019 Bledsoe appeared in the Netflix show Family Reunion episode 10 "Remember When Our Boys Became Men?".[11]
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1988 | Dance til' Dawn | Margaret | ||
| 1998 | Johnny B Good | |||
| 2003 | BachelorMan | Janey | ||
| 2010 | N-Secure | Jill | ||
| 2012 | ParaNorman | Sheriff Hooper | Voice | |
| 2018 | Jingle Belle | Jackie |
| Television | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1984–1992 | The Cosby Show | Vanessa Huxtable | Main role – 157 episodes | |
| 1985 | NBC Special Treat | Herself / Interviewee | Season 9 episode 4: "Kids Just Kids" | |
| Andy Williams and the NBC Kids Search for Santa | Herself | Christmas special | ||
| One to Grow On | Herself | Episode: "Making Money" | ||
| 1986 | Sesame Street | Herself | Recurring Guest | |
| 1986–1988 | Hollywood Squares | Herself / Panelist | 2 episodes | |
| 1986–1994 | ABC Afterschool Special | Grace Williams / Herself | 3 episodes | |
| 1988 | Dance 'til Dawn | Margaret | TV movie | |
| Monsters | Dottie | Season 1 episode 5: "My Zombie Lover" | ||
| 1989 | A Different World | Vanessa Huxtable | Season 2 episode 13: "Risky Business" | |
| Dream Date | Danni Fairview | TV movie | ||
| 1990 | The Earth Day Special | Vanessa Huxtable | ||
| 1995 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Herself | Season 5 episode 25: "For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll" | |
| 1995–1996 | The Tempestt Bledsoe Show | Host | Also known as Tempestt | |
| 1997 | Jenny | Kaylene | Episode 5: "A Girl's Gotta Live in the Real World" | |
| 1998 | The Practice | Roberta Baylor | 3 episodes | |
| 1999 | The Parkers | Neena Davis | Season 1 episode 9: "And the Band Plays On" | |
| Santa and Pete | Maria Dangola | TV movie | ||
| 2000 | The Expendables | Tanika | TV movie | |
| 2001 | Fire & Ice | Pam Moore | TV movie | |
| 2002 | The Cosby Show: A Look Back | Herself / Vanessa Huxtable | ||
| 2003 | Pet Star | Herself / Celebrity Judge | 3 episodes | |
| 2004 | Rock Me Baby | Chloe | Episode 13: "Pretty Baby" | |
| 2005 | Strong Medicine | Season 6 episode 3: "Clinical Risk" | ||
| 2006 | South of Nowhere | Cecily | 3 episodes | |
| 2008 | Husband for Hire | Nina | TV movie | |
| Raising the Bar | Camilla Hansen | Season 1 episode 7: "A Leg to Stand On" | ||
| 2008–2009 | The Replacements | Abbey / Claudia / Abbey-clone | Voice 21 episodes Replaced Erica Hubbard for season 2 | |
| 2009 | Househusbands of Hollywood | Herself | 9 episodes | |
| 2009 | The Wishing Well | Enid | Aired in the United Kingdom in 2009 and the United States in 2010 | |
| 2010–2011 | Clean House | Host | 12 episodes | |
| 2011 | Vietnam in HD | Elizabeth Allen | Also known as Vietnam Lost Films 6 episodes | |
| 2012–2013 | Guys with Kids | Marny | ||
| 2014 | Instant Mom | Vanessa Huxtable | Season 1 episode 20: "Not Your Mother's Day" | |
| 2019 | Family Reunion | Katrina | Episode 10: "Remember When Our Boys Became Men?" |
Bledsoe earned a bachelor's degree in finance from New York University. Since 1993 she has been in a relationship with actor Darryl M. Bell, who co-starred in the NBC TV comedy A Different World, a spinoff of The Cosby Show. The couple appeared together in the Fox Reality Channel series Househusbands of Hollywood, which debuted August 2009.[12] Bledsoe is a vegetarian.[13]