Gabrielle Monique Union was born on October 29, 1972 in Omaha, Nebraska. She is an American film and television actress. Among her notable roles is that of Isis, a cheerleader opposite Kirsten Dunst in the feature film Bring it On. She also played a medical doctor in the CBS television series, City of Angels.
Union moved at the age of eight to Pleasanton, California. She proved to be a talented athlete in high school, excelling at basketball, soccer, and track & field at Foothill High School, where she was known as Nikki. During high school, she dated current NBA star Jason Kidd.
Union originally intended to become a lawyer, not an actress. She attended the University of Nebraska before moving on to Cuesta College. She eventually transferred to UCLA; while studying there, she decided to intern at a modeling agency to earn extra academic credits. She was asked by the agency to sign on with them as a new model. She needed money to pay off some college loans and debts, so she eventually agreed to become a model.
With the 2000 release of Bring it On, Union gained wide exposure. Her new fame landed her on magazine covers and talk shows, and she gained popularity among movie fans.
She also made a guest appearance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a Klingon named N'Garen ("Sons and Daughters" episode).
Gabrielle Union has participated in a considerable number of television shows and movies. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in sociology and is married to professional football player Chris Howard of the Jacksonville Jaguars. In November 2005, the couple separated after four years of marriage.
Her most recent role was in the short-lived ABC drama, Night Stalker She also starred in the independent dramas Neo Ned and Constellation.
Gabrielle Union was a 19-year-old shop assistant in 1992 when she was assaulted one evening as she was closing up the shoe store. The rapist forced Union and a co-worker into a back room, where he raped the actress. She insists she would not be alive today if it weren't for important lessons she learned from watching Winfrey's daily talk show.
She explains, "Luckily, Oprah had a show about what to do in case you're a victim of a violent crime. "Immediately, I went on autopilot; it was like Oprah was in my ear, telling me what to do to stay alive... Thank God for Oprah because her words helped me live." Union is convinced Oprah's advice helped her stay calm enough to win the rapist's trust, which she used to turn the tables on her attacker.
She adds, "At some point he put the gun down and calmly asked me to hand him the gun and, at that point, I was like, 'Oh, it's me or you, and it ain't gonna be me today. I'm about to kill you. "I grabbed the gun, I spun around and did the best I could trying to kill him." The actress missed her attacker when she shot at him and this led to a fight for the gun, which left her black and blue.
The rapist fled and later turned himself in to police after another rape attack. Now Union is a spokesperson for National Domestic Violence + Sexual Assault Legislative. |
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