
Karyn Parsons decided to go into acting at the age of 13. She had her first TV role in the NBC drama The Bronx Zoo (1987), but she made her big break as Will Smith's cousin "Hilary Banks" on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990). During the show's six-year run, she starred in movies such as Class Act (1992) and Major Payne (1995). After The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990), she starred in the short-lifted sitcom Lush Life (1996), co-starring Lori Petty, which only lasted three episodes before it was canceled. In 1998, she starred in her first lead role in the award-winning movie Mixing Nia (1998). She guest-starred in TV sitcoms before starring in 13 Moons (2002), in which she met her husband, director Alexandre Rockwell, whom she married in 2003. After their wedding, they had a child and now live in New York.

Melrose Place
TV • 1992

Hunter
TV • 1984

Tamron Hall
TV • 2019

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
TV • 1990

Blossom
TV • 1990

Static Shock
TV • 2000

The John Larroquette Show
TV • 1993

The Job
TV • 2001

The Rosie O'Donnell Show
TV • 1996

Gulliver's Travels
TV • 1996

Lush Life
TV • 1996

Major Payne
MOVIE • 1995

Class Act
MOVIE • 1992

The Ladies Man
MOVIE • 2000

Cartoon Sushi
TV • 1998

Death Spa
MOVIE • 1988

Nobody Wants Your Film
MOVIE • 2005

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion
MOVIE • 2020