Bio
Mo'Nique is an American actress best known for her role as Nicole 'Nikki' Parker in the sitcom The Parkers (1999-2004) and for her role in the film Precious, which won her numerous awards including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Golden Globe Award and the BAFTA Award.
She was subsequently featured at a number of leading stand-up venues, including stints on Showtime at the Apollo, Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam, and Thank God You're Here.
Since her beginnings as a stand-up comic and star of The Parkers, Mo'Nique's larger-than-life personality helped her land her own late-night talk show, The Mo'Nique Show on BET.
She has also starred in a number of comedies including Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, Soul Plane, Phat Girlz and Beerfest, among others.
Mo'Nique was born in Woodlawn, Maryland. She is the youngest of four children.
Before working in her chosen career, she worked as a phone sex operator. She got her start in comedy at the downtown Baltimore Comedy Factory Outlet, when her brother Steve dared her to perform at an open mic night.
Mo'Nique admitted during an interview with Essence magazine in 2008 that she was sexually abused by her brother Gerald from the age of seven until she was eleven. He went on to sexually abuse another girl and was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
After her twin boys were born in 2005 she cut all contact with her brother and they have not spoken since.