Occupation: Actress.
Birthday: March 10. I`m not going to say the year.
Birthplace: Boston.
Current home: Los Angeles.
Marital status: Single.
Working on: ”A Different World,” on NBC-TV, and ”Stompin` at the Savoy,” a CBS-TV movie that airs tonight, about four young black women who come to New York to find work.
The last good movie I saw was: ”Mississippi Marsala.” It didn`t compromise or insult your intelligence.
Favorite pigout food: Ravioli and good bread with good creamy butter.
Favorite performer: James Earl Jones in ”Fences.” The beauty and the curse of the theater is that when it`s over, it`s over. You can`t rent it.
Prized possession: My house. It`s the first time I`ve owned anything.
Nobody knows I`m: Extremely gifted.
I wish I could stop: Pulling my hair out. When I`m thinking or reading a book, I do it.
I`m better than anyone else when it comes to: Avoiding cooking. I do it only when I have to eat.
I hope I never have to: Betray someone`s trust.
The worst part of my job is: Auditioning. It`s like being on trial.
The one thing I can`t stand is: Lack of professionalism: people who are late, unprepared and don`t go for the gusto.
If I could change one thing about myself, I would be: It`s taken me a long time to accept who I am, so I`d rather not focus on my inadequacies.
I knew I was a grownup when I: Turned 20 and had to pay rent.
The best time of my life: Going to New York for the first time on my own when I was 17, dancing in Alvin Ailey`s company and seeing my dreams come true.
If I`ve learned one thing in life, it`s: Believe in yourself and your abilities. There are plenty of others who`ll tell you you can`t do something. Major accomplishment: My first Broadway show.
My most humbling experience: Dancing in prisons and mental institutions.
