Tia Dashon Mowry (/mɔːri/; July 6, 1978) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring role as Tia Landry in the sitcom Sister, Sister (1994–1999), opposite her twin sister Tamera Mowry. The sisters then starred together in the fantasy comedy film Seventeen Again (2000) and voiced the LaBelle sisters in the animated series Detention (1999–2000). The two also starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Twitches (2005) and its sequel, Twitches Too (2007). They were featured in the reality series Tia & Tamera from 2011 to 2013.
Tia Mowry | |
|---|---|
 Mowry in 2017 | |
| Born | Tia Dashon Mowry July 6, 1978 |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Pepperdine University (BS) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Tamera Mowry (twin sister) Tahj Mowry (brother) |
Mowry voiced Sasha in the animated series Bratz (2005–2006). She starred as Melanie Barnett in the comedy-drama series The Game (2006–2015), Stephanie Phillips in the sitcom Instant Mom (2013–2015) and Cocoa McKellan in the sitcom Family Reunion (2019–2022).
Mowry had starring roles in the teen comedy film The Hot Chick (2002), the musical comedy film The Mistle-Tones (2012), the romantic comedy film Baggage Claim (2013) and the drama film Indivisible (2018).
Mowry and her sister, Tamera, formed a singing group in the early 1990s called Voices. The group debuted their first single, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!", in 1992 and it charted at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Early life
editTia Dashon Mowry was born in Gelnhausen, West Germany, on July 6, 1978. Her mother, Darlene Renée Mowry (née Flowers), managed her children's careers when they were in the group Voices and also worked as a security guard. Her father, Timothy John Mowry, was in the U.S. Army at the time of her birth and later became a correctional officer with the City of Glendale Police Department, when the family moved to California.[1][2]
Her father is of British and Irish ancestry and her mother is of Afro-Bahamian descent.[3][4] Her parents met in high school, in Miami, Florida. Both joined the U.S. Army and eventually reached the rank of Sergeant.[5] Her family is "close-knit" and "very spiritual,"[2] as the sisters became born-again Christians when they were eight.[6]
Tia is two minutes younger than her twin sister, Tamera.[7] Tamera was born first, at 4:30pm, followed by Tia at 4:32pm. [citation needed] She also has two younger brothers, actor Tahj Mowry and musician Tavior Mowry, who played college football for University of California, Davis.
Career
editMowry and her sister began entering pageants and talent shows while their family was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Mowry's mom Darlene removed the twins from the early 90s R&B girl group Voices after a disagreement with management prior to the release of their debut album. At age 12, they convinced their mother to move to California with them so they could pursue acting. She agreed, on the condition that they land an acting job within the first month of their stay. In 1990, their family moved to California permanently, settling in Los Angeles, and she and her sister began appearing in commercials and small roles.
She is well known for playing Tia Landry, a twin separated at birth and reunited with her sister as a teenager in the show Sister, Sister. The series was developed for them after a producer spotted them on the set of Full House, a show on which their brother made regular appearances. Sister, Sister was initially on ABC but was cancelled by the network after two years and picked up by The WB, where it ran for another four years. During its run, they guest-starred on the Sister, Sister crossover episode of The Jamie Foxx Show and appeared on an episode of their brother Tahj Mowry's sitcom Smart Guy and did voice-over work for the Kids' WB series Detention.
After the show ended, both Mowry and her sister studied psychology at Pepperdine University. She also went to Europe to study humanities and Italian for a period.[8] Both she and her sister appeared in the Rob Schneider comedy film The Hot Chick, playing cheerleaders. Mowry also did voice-overs for the 4KidsTV cartoon Bratz as the voice of Sasha. In 2005, Mowry and her sister both starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie Twitches and reprised their roles in its sequel, Twitches Too and before co-starred in the 2000 movie Seventeen Again. Tia also appeared on an episode of her sister's television show, Strong Medicine, in January 2006, playing the role of Keisha, the twin sister of Tamera Mowry's character, Dr. Kayla Thornton. Mowry has a starring role in the BET television series The Game as Melanie Barnett. Mowry has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award and an NAACP Image Award for best actress in a comedy.
In the Blue's Clues episode "Blue's Birthday", Mowry and her sister make a cameo appearance as two of the celebrities wishing Blue a happy birthday. Their only line is said in unison: "Happy Birthday, Blue!" Beginning in July 2011, the Style Network began airing Tia & Tamera, a reality show which follows the day-to-day lives of the twins; Tia being pregnant and Tamera planning her wedding. Mowry and her sister are both singers. They have showcased their vocal abilities on episodes of Sister Sister, including covers of "You Can't Hurry Love", "Amazing Grace" and "I'm Going Down", which Tamera performed. They also sang the theme song during season five and six.
In May 2012, Mowry published her first book, Oh, Baby: Pregnancy Tales and Advice from One Hot Mama to Another, about her pregnancy and being a working mother.[9] In May 2012, Mowry revealed on Twitter that she would not be returning to The Game, for a sixth season. From 2013 to 2015 she starred in the NickMom/Nick at Nite series Instant Mom.[10]
From 2015 to 2017, Mowry starred in her Cooking Channel series Tia Mowry at Home,[11] where she made everything from macaroni and cheese, cake, pie, curry chicken, collard greens, shakshuka, potato, galette and various types of cocktails. Some of her guest stars included her The Game co-stars Hosea Sanchez, Wendy Raquel Robinson, and Brittany Daniel, as well as Lilly Singh from YouTube and singer Kelly Rowland.
In 2016, Mowry started a podcast on PodcastOne called Mostly Mom with Tia Mowry.[12] On April 29, 2016, she appeared with her twin sister on the daytime talk show The Real, where she promoted her new book Twintution. Since 2019, she has starred on the Netflix comedy series, Family Reunion. The show has been nominated for Outstanding Children's Program three years in a row at the NAACP Image Awards, winning in 2020 and 2021.[13]
In September 2021, Mowry released her second cookbook, The Quick Fix Kitchen, published by Rodale Books.[14] The book includes mealtime hacks, tips to bring joy and balance to the kitchen and easy, delicious and healthy recipes the entire family will love. In 2021, Tia partnered with Gibson to release an extensive homeware collection, Spice! by Tia Mowry.[15] In 2023, Mowry launched a haircare line named 4u by Tia.
Personal life
editMowry met actor Cory Hardrict on the set of their film, Hollywood Horror.[16] The two dated for six years, then became engaged on Christmas Day 2006.[17] They married in California on April 20, 2008.[18] On January 11, 2011, People announced that Mowry and Hardrict were expecting their first child; Mowry made the announcement herself on 106 & Park. The pregnancy was documented on the show Tia & Tamera featuring her sister, Tamera Mowry, on the Style Network.[19] She gave birth to a son in 2011.[20][21][22][23] On November 8, 2017, Mowry announced that she was pregnant with her second child,[24] a girl.[25] Their daughter was born in 2018.[26][23][27]
On October 4, 2022, Mowry announced via her Instagram account that she and Hardrict were separating after 14 years of marriage due to irreconcilable differences.[28] In April 2023, Mowry and Hardrict finalized their divorce after 15 years of marriage.[29]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | The Hot Chick | Venetia | |
| 2004 | Bratz: Rock Angelz | Sasha | Voice, direct-to-video |
| 2005 | Hollywood Horror | Kendra | |
| 2006 | Bratz: Genie Magic | Sasha | Voice, direct-to-video |
| Bratz: Forever Diamondz | Sasha | ||
| 2008 | The American Standards | Kate | |
| 2013 | Bratz Go to Paris: The Movie | Sasha | Voice, direct-to-video |
| Baggage Claim | Janine | ||
| 2018 | Indivisible | Tonya Lewis |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Rosie | Tia Tanner | Episode: "Adventures in Blondiesitting" |
| 1991 | Dangerous Women | Judith Ann Webb | Unknown episodes |
| 1992 | True Colors | Rene | Episode: "In a Flash" |
| 1992 | Full House | Denise | Episode: "The Devil Made Me Do It" |
| 1994–1999 | Sister, Sister | Tia Landry | Main role |
| 1995 | Are You Afraid of the Dark? | Janice Robinson | Episode: "The Tale of the Chameleons" |
| 1995 | The Adventures of Hyperman | The Bad Emma | Voice, episode: "The Good, the Bad and the Emmas" |
| 1996 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Tia Landry | Episode: "The Bad Seed" |
| 1997 | Smart Guy | Rachelle | Episode: "Brother, Brother" |
| 1999–2000 | Detention | Lemonjella LaBelle | Voice, 13 episodes |
| 2000 | Seventeen Again | Sydney Donovan | Television film |
| 2001–2005 | Express Yourself | Herself | Interstitial series |
| 2005–2006 | Bratz | Sasha | Voice, 17 episodes |
| 2005 | Twitches | Alex Fielding / Artemis DuBaer | Television film |
| 2005 | Love, Inc. | Kim | 2 episodes |
| 2006 | Strong Medicine | Keisha | Episode: "My Sister, My Doctor, Myself" |
| 2006–2007 | Girlfriends | Melanie Barnett | 2 episodes |
| 2006–2012, 2015 | The Game | Dr. Melanie Barnett-Davis | Main role |
| 2007 | Twitches Too | Alex Fielding / Artemis DuBaer | Television film |
| 2007 | America's Next Top Model | Herself/Guest Star | Episode: "The Girl Who Impresses Pedro" |
| 2008 | Lies & Deceit | Kate | Television film |
| 2010 | Double Wedding | Deanna Warren | Television film |
| 2011–2013 | Tia & Tamera | Herself | Main Role |
| 2012 | The Mistle-Tones | Holly | Television film |
| 2013–2015 | Instant Mom | Stephanie Phillips | Main role |
| 2015 | Fresh Beat Band of Spies | Sindy Sauernotes | Voice, Episode: "The Wow Factor" |
| 2015–2017 | Tia Mowry at Home | Herself / Host | Main role |
| 2016 | Rosewood | Cassie | 3 episodes |
| 2016 | Mistresses | Barbara | 4 episodes |
| 2016 | Man with a Plan | Brenda | Episode: "Un-Dressed" |
| 2017 | Nicky, Ricky, Dicky & Dawn | Ericka Knightly | 2 episodes |
| 2017–2018 | Me, Myself, & I | Wendy | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | My Christmas Inn | Jen Taylor | Television film |
| 2018 | A Gingerbread Romance | Taylor Scott | Television film |
| 2019 | Prince of Peoria | Meghan | Episode: "Game Night" |
| 2019–2022 | Family Reunion | Cocoa McKellan | Main role |
| 2019 | A Black Lady Sketch Show | Imani | Episode: "Where Are My Background Singers" |
| 2019 | A Very Vintage Christmas | Dodie Brite | Television film |
| 2021 | RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars | Herself | Episode: "Side Hustles" |
| 2021 | Miracle In Motor City | Amber DuPoint | Television film |
| 2023 | Hell's Kitchen | Herself | Guest diner; Episode: "The Fab Five Take Flight" |
| 2023 | American Dad! | Max (voice) | Episode: "Cow I Met Your Moo-ther" |
Music videos
edit| Year | Title | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!" | Voices | |
| 1999 | "I Really Like It" | Harlem World featuring Mase and Kelly Price | Guest appearance |
| 2009 | "Under" | Pleasure P | Featured |
Radio
edit| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Sway's Universe: Sway In the Morning[30] | Herself | "Our Sister, Sister Tia Mowry Goes From The Game to Reality T.V. + New Chef Speaks On Keke Issue" |
| 2019 | The Breakfast Club[31] | Herself | "Tia Mowry On Growing Up A Twin, Non-Traditional Parenting, New Series Family Reunion + More" |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Bratz: Rock Angelz | Sasha |
| 2006 | Bratz Forever Diamondz | Sasha |
| 2007 | Bratz: The Movie | Sasha |
Awards and nominations
editHonors
edit- 1998: Inducted into the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Hall of Fame with her sister Tamera Mowry
Accolades
editReferences
edit- ^ "Interviews". Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
- ^ a b Tia, Tamera And Tahj Mowry Keep Laughter In The Family With Hit TV Shows 'Sister, Sister' And 'Smart Guy' Archived March 11, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Findarticles.com (March 1, 1999). Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ During an appearance on The Wendy Williams Show in 2010, it was stated that for years, the Mowrys believed that they had Italian ancestry on their father's side; however, after researching their family tree on Ancestry.com, they discovered that their father has British ancestry: "We're actually British."
- ^ "'My Ancestors Live in Me': Tia Mowry-Hardrict Gets Emotional Over DNA Ancestry Results". Atlanta Black Star.
- ^ Double Devotion – Today's Christian. Web.archive.org (January 9, 2008). Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ TV's tantalizing twins: Tia and Tamara Mowry shared 'Sister Sister' sitcom, schoolwork and singing Archived May 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Findarticles.com. Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ "Is It True What They Say About Twins?". Jet magazine. April 30, 2001. p. 28.
- ^ "Shows – The Game – Cast – Tia Mowry" Archived November 10, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Oh, Baby!: Pregnancy Tales and Advice from One Hot Mama to Another. Avery. 2013. ISBN 978-1583335284.
- ^ "Instant Mom". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Terrero, Nina (April 29, 2015). "Tia Mowry talks new cooking show, which will include some Beyonce". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Mowry, Tia. "Mostly Mom with Tia Mowry". www.podcastone.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
- ^ Bosselman, Haley (March 28, 2021). "NAACP Image Awards 2021: The Complete Televised Winners List". Variety. Archived from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ Calderone, Ana (March 31, 2021). "Get a First Look at Tia Mowry's New Cookbook the Quick Fix Kitchen". People. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "Gibson to launch new celebrity line". Home Furnishings News. December 9, 2020. Archived from the original on February 13, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
- ^ "An Extended First Look at Black Love - Black Love". August 2, 2017. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Tan, Michelle (January 21, 2007). "Sister, Sister Star Tia Mowry Is Engaged". People. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Wihlborg, Ulrica (April 20, 2008). "Tia Mowry Gets Married". People. Archived from the original on January 30, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
- ^ Hammel, Sara (January 11, 2011). "Sister, Sister Star Tia Mowry Is Pregnant". People. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ Sister, Sister's Tia Mowry Is Pregnant! Archived September 3, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Usmagazine.com. Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ Actress Tia Mowry Reveals Her Baby's Gender Archived August 31, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. UsMagazine.com (August 25, 2009). Retrieved on February 5, 2011.
- ^ Blog Archive » Cory Hardict & Tia Mowry Decided On A Name For Their Little Boy. Media Outrage (June 30, 2011). Retrieved on July 5, 2011.
- ^ a b Slater, Georgia (May 5, 2021). "Tia Mowry Is 'Glad' She 'Didn't Give Up' Having Second Baby, Wishes Daughter Happy 3rd Birthday". People. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Petit, Stephanie (November 8, 2017). "Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict Expecting Second Child". People. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
- ^ "Boy or Girl? See the (Literally) Sweet Reveal for Tia Mowry's Second Child on the Way". Archived from the original on May 22, 2020. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Tia Mowry-Hardrict and Cory Hardrict Welcome Daughter: 'We Are in Heaven'". People. May 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 17, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ "Tia Mowry-Hardrict Officially Introduces Newborn Daughter – and Finally Reveals Her Baby Girl's Unique Name!". Archived from the original on October 2, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Respers France, Lisa (October 4, 2022). "Tia Mowry announces split from Cory Hardrict after 14 years of marriage". CNN.
- ^ Wenger, Stephanie (April 25, 2023). "Tia Mowry and Cory Hardrict Settle Terms of Divorce 6 Months After Announcing Split". People. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Sway’s Universe (April 29, 2015). "Our "Sister Sister" Tia Mowry Goes From "The Game" to Reality T.V. + New Chef Speaks On Keke Issue". YouTube. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
- ^ Tia Mowry On Growing Up A Twin, Non-Traditional Parenting, New Series 'Family Reunion' + More. YouTube. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021.