Lisa Bonet

Background

Lisa Bonet has left her mark on television and in the celebrity world in general. Her talents have placed her in the spotlight, and her life has been written about in many famous magazines. Bonet was born Lisa Michelle Bonet on November 16, 1967, in San Francisco, California. Her zodiac sign is Scorpio, and she is of Jewish, African-American, and Cherokee descent. She is the daughter of Arlene Joyce Litman, a school teacher, and Allen Bonet, an opera singer. She also has seven half-siblings on her father’s side, including Kadhja Bonet, who is a singer. As a child, she appeared in beauty pageants and guest spots on television. After graduating from Birmingham High School, she studied acting at the Celluloid Actor’s Studio. Bonet landed her first acting television role in 1983, appearing in the medical drama “St. Elsewhere” as the character of Carla for one episode.

In 1984, she landed her first major role in the famous sitcom “The Cosby Show,” playing Denise Huxtable, the second child of the main characters Cliff and Clair Huxtable. This was a great opportunity for Bonet, as the show went on to be the number-one-rated show on T.V. and quickly launched her into stardom, as well as earning her a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress in a Supporting Role in a Television Comedy Series. The following year, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series. She was so beloved as an actress that, in 1987, her character got her own spinoff show, “A Different World,” which showed Denise’s life at college, and she briefly left “The Cosby Show.” She then returned and continued to star in it until she left before its eighth and final season.

In 1987, Bonet starred in the neo-noir psychological horror film “Angel Heart,” opposite Mickey Rourke. That same year, on the day of her 20th birthday, she eloped with rock singer Lenny Kravitz in Las Vegas. In 1988, Bonet’s work in this film earned her a Young Artist Award for Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Picture, as well as a Saturn Award Nomination for Best Supporting Actress. That same year, her work on “The Cosby Show” earned her yet another nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Also in that year, she gave birth to Kravitz and her daughter, Zoë Kravitz, who would grow up to be an actress herself.

In 1989, she was nominated alongside the rest of the “Cosby Show” cast for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special. After leaving “The Cosby Show,” Bonet appeared in direct-to-video releases and made-for-television movies. In 1992, Bonet hosted “Why Bother Voting?” an election special focusing on young voters’ concerns and apathy. The following year, Bonet and Kravitz got divorced.

Bonet legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon in 1995, but she still uses her given name for her professional career. During the 1990s, she landed supporting roles in films such as “Final Combination” (1994) and “Enemy of the State” (1998). During the 2000s, she appeared in films such as “High Fidelity” (2000), “Biker Boyz” (2003), and “Whitepaddy” (2005). In 2005, she began a relationship with Jason Momoa, with whom she had a daughter in 2007 and a son in 2008. Bonet also landed recurring roles in the T.V. shows “Life on Mars” (2008 to 2009), “The Red Road” (2014 to 2015), and “Ray Donovan” (2016). In 2017, she married Momoa. They separated in 2022.