Lark Voorhies

Lark Voorhies
Voorhies in 2008
Born	Lark Holloway March 25, 1974 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, spokeswoman, model
Years active	1987–present
Spouse(s)	Miguel Coleman (m. 1996–2004) Jimmy Green (m. 2015)

Lark Voorhies (born March 25, 1974) is an American actress who rose to fame playing Lisa Turtle on the NBC sitcom Saved by the Bell from 1989 until 1993. She was nominated for the Young Artist Award six times, winning in 1990 and 1993 for her work on the show. Voorhies also portrayed the role as a regular on the Disney sitcom Good Morning, Miss Bliss.

Early life

Voorhies was born Lark Holloway in Nashville, Tennessee, and later adopted "Voorhies" as a stage name.^[1][2] Her mother, Tricia,^[3] named her "Lark" after the character in the 1972 film Cool Breeze, played by Margaret Avery.^[4] By the time Voorhies was two years old, the family had moved to Pasadena, California. At this time, her mother took her to a talent agent, because "she was a natural-born ham."^[5] However, her first audition did not go well—she froze.^[5] She appeared in a national television commercial for Universal Studios Tour at age 12 advertising its upcoming King Kong attraction: "I was on this tram screaming with all these other people. I had such a great time doing that."^[4][6]

Entertainment career

Acting

Voorhies made her acting debut at the age of two. Though photogenic, she was shy, and her mother put Voorhies' acting career on hold until she was more comfortable in front of the cameras. Later, at the age of fourteen, Voorhies reappeared on an episode of Small Wonder in 1988. In June of that same year, she landed the recurring role of Lisa Turtle in Disney Channel's television series Good Morning, Miss Bliss^[7] and appeared in thirteen episodes from 1988 to 1989. She remained as the same character, as did Zack, Screech, and Mr. Belding, after Disney dropped the series and it was picked-up and re-tooled by NBC and renamed Saved by the Bell.

Voorhies has since appeared in several television sitcoms and soap operas. She played the role of single mom Wendy Reardon on Days of Our Lives in 1993.^[8][9] On The Bold and the Beautiful Voorhies played the role of amiable intern fashion-designer, Jasmine Malone beginning in January 1995. She was released from her contract in November 1996 when her role required her to act in sex scenes, which the actress refused to do citing her religious beliefs as a Jehovah's Witness. She returned in April 2004 when Jasmine Malone returns to LA when Eric and Stephanie hire her to work as a designer in the basement at Forrester Creations. She decided to renew her contract when the show offered to sign her to a one-year deal and departed the show again in July 2004 when her character Jasmine took a job at Forrester International in Europe, courtesy of Eric Forrester.

In 1995, Voorhies guest-starred in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Life Support". During the same year, Voorhies guest-starred in the Family Matters season six episode "Home Sweet Home", as Eddie's upstairs dream girl. She has continued to act in various roles since then, such as In the House, in which she played the girlfriend-turned-wife of Alfonso Ribeiro’s character, Dr. Max Stanton. Previously, she played Ribeiro's love interest twice on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Besides sitcoms, Voorhies also appeared in movies and direct-to-video films. In 2001, Voorhies played a major role in the film How High as Lauren, a Harvard student. She was involved in a 1990 movie adaptation of the book The Black Man's Guide to Understanding Black Women^[10] and played Ana Smith in the 2008 movie The Next Hit.^[9]

Music

Voorhies has appeared in several music videos. She plays Kenny Lattimore's love interest in his debut video "Never Too Busy", from his 1996 self-titled debut album. In Boyz II Men's music video "On Bended Knee", she plays Wanya's girlfriend. She is featured in Montell Jordan's "Somethin' for the Honeyz" and in Dru Hill's "These Are the Times".

In 1994, Voorhies was in a group originally called the X-Girls (now known as Geneva) with Stacee and Yashi Brown (the daughters of singer and oldest Jackson family sibling, Rebbie Jackson). Voorhies founded and was the lead singer in Third Degree, an alternative band.

Writing

Since 2010, Voorhies has written three books (all self-published): Reciprocity, Trek of the Cheshire, and A True Light.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Personal life

Voorhies married Miguel Coleman in 1996. They separated in 2001, and divorced in 2004.^[15][16]

Voorhies met music engineer Jimmy Green at a networking event in 2014. After a year of dating, Voorhies and Green married on April 30, 2015, at a chapel in Las Vegas, Nevada.^[17]

Dealings with Media

On May 30, 2006, Voorhies filed a lawsuit against The National Enquirer for libel over an article that included claims published in June 2005 that she had a drug problem.^[18] The case was dropped in less than two months, presumably due to some out-of-court settlement.^[19]

In an interview with Voorhies in November 2012, Entertainment Tonight inquired^[20] about the People magazine article, in which her mother Tricia, who lives with Lark, claimed that Voorhies has bipolar disorder.^[21] Her former co-star Dustin Diamond said she would "stare into space" and that "it wasn't the Lark I knew."^[22]

Books authored

• Voorhies, Lark (2010). Reciprocity. New York, New York: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1450200660.

• Voorhies, Lark (2011). True Light. New York, New York: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1450243544.

• Voorhies, Lark (2011). Trek of the Cheshire. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1462025985.

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988–89	Good Morning, Miss Bliss	Lisa Turtle	13 episodes
1988, 1989	Small Wonder	Brandie Ross Binky	"When You Hear the Beep" "The Tattletale"
1989	The Robert Guillaume Show	Danica	Episode: "Educating Ann"
1989–93	Saved by the Bell	Lisa Turtle	86 episodes
1992	The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air	Cindy	Episode: "Mama's Baby, Carlton's Maybe"
1992	Saved by the Bell: Hawaiian Style	Lisa Turtle	TV movie
1993	Martin	Nicole	Episodes: "The Break Up" (Parts 2 & 3)
1993	Getting By	Tasha	Episodes: "Men Don't Dance", "Turnabout Dance"
1993–94	Days of Our Lives	Wendy Reardon
1994	Saved by the Bell: The College Years	Lisa Turtle	Episode: "Wedding Plans"
1994	Saved by the Bell: Wedding in Las Vegas	Lisa Turtle	Movie
1994	Me and the Boys	Denise	Episode: "Talent Show"
1994	Saved by the Bell: The New Class	Lisa Turtle	Episode: "Goodbye Bayside" (Part 2)
1995	CBS Schoolbreak Special	Breena Black	Episode: "What About Your Friends"
1995	Star Trek: Deep Space Nine	Leanne	Episode: "Life Support"
1995	Family Matters	Dream Girl	Episode: "Home Sweet Home"
1995–96, 2004	The Bold and the Beautiful	Jasmine Malone	Originated the role (Jan. 1995 – Nov. 1996); reprised in April 2004 – June 2004; again in July 2004
1997	Malcolm & Eddie	Lydia	Episode: "Club Story"
1997	The Last Don	Tiffany	Miniseries
1997–99	In the House	Mercedes Langford	18 episodes
1998	The Love Boat: The Next Wave	Johari Mayfield	Episode: "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"
1999	Mutiny		Movie
1999	The Parkers	Chandra	2 episodes
2000	Grown Ups	Stacy	Episode: "J's Pet Peeve"
2001	Fire & Ice	Holly Aimes	Movie
2002	Widows		Miniseries
2008	Robot Chicken	Lisa Turtle / Betty Childs / Borg Queen (voice)	Episode: "Boo Cocky"

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Def Jam's How to Be a Player	Lisa
2000	Longshot	Woman at Bar	Alternative title: Jack of All Trades
2001	How High	Lauren
2002	Civil Brand	Lil' Mama
2008	The Next Hit	Ana Smith
2009	"Mimi's Place"	Sydney	Short film
2011	Measure of Faith	Kim	Direct-to-video
2012	Little Creeps	The Dean	Direct-to-video

Awards and nominations

Year	Association	Category	Nominated work	Result
1989	Young Artist Awards	Best Young Actress in a Cable Family Series	Good Morning, Miss Bliss	Nominated
1990		Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast	Good Morning, Miss Bliss	Nominated
1990		Best Young Actress Starring	Good Morning, Miss Bliss	Won
1991		Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime Series	Saved by the Bell	Nominated
1992		Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime Series	Saved by the Bell	Nominated
1993		Best Young Actress Starring in an Off-Primetime Series	Saved by the Bell	Won

References

1. Baldwin, Suzy (March 25, 2005). "Signposts". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 30.
2. Diamond, Dustin (2009). Behind the Bell. Transit Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 0981239692.
3. Kirby, Iona (October 3, 2012). "Saved By The Bell star Lark Voorhies battling bipolar disorder: Mother says the actress is mentally ill". Daily Mail. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
4. Reichardt, Nancy M. (November 27, 1995). "Voorhies Boldly Jumps Into Daytime Drama". Palm Beach Post. p. 2D.
5. Novakovich, Lilana (October 20, 1996). "Soap star had long climb to Another World". Calgary Herald. p. C7.
6. Wilson, John M. (December 22, 1985). "Monkey Breath". Los Angeles Times. p. 35. Retrieved October 19, 2012.
7. Bark, Ed (June 3, 1989). "Shakeup set for Saturday morning TV". The Dallas Morning News. p. 5C. NBC also is experimenting with the first Saturday morning situation comedy. Saved By the Bell keeps track of six mischievous, adventurous teens played by flesh-and-blood actors you've never heard of unless you're one of their parents. Fave name: Lark Voorhies.
8. "Lark Voorhies Cast on "Days of Our Lives"". Tulsa World. April 1, 1993. p. C3.
9. Lark Voorhies at the Internet Movie Database
10. "Then/Now: 'Saved By the Bell'". FoxNews. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
11. Lark Voorhies as author at Amazon.com
12. Voorhies, Lark (2010). Reciprocity. New York, New York: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1450200660.
13. Voorhies, Lark (2011). True Light. New York, New York: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1450243544.
14. Voorhies, Lark (2011). Trek of the Cheshire. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. ISBN 978-1462025985.
15. Aradillas, Elaine (October 15, 2012). "A Saved by the Bell Star's Sad Spiral". People. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
16. "Lark Voorhies' husband wanted by police". Washington Post. June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
17. Saad, Nardine (June 12, 2015). "Lark Voorhies of 'Saved by the Bell' is a married woman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 13, 2015.
18. "'Saved By the Bell' actress sues tabloid". USA Today (Los Angeles). Associated Press. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
19. "'Bell' Star Drops Cocaine Story Lawsuit". TMZ.com. 28 July 2006. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
20. "Lark Voorhies, Bipolar Disorder: 'Saved By The Bell' Actress Denies Mental Health Issues (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
21. Aradillas, Elaine (3 October 2012). "Lark Voorhies Battling Bipolar Disorder, Her Mom Tells PEOPLE". People. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
22. Aradillas, Elaine (4 October 2012). "Dustin Diamond: She's Not the Lark Voorhies I Knew". People. Retrieved 10 July 2015.

External links

• Lark Voorhies at the Internet Movie Database