GABRIELLE UNION
The actress helped diversify Friends and has set her sights on the big
screen opposite heavy hitters George Clooney and Benjamin Bratt.
Union shines at the Billboard
Music Awards in Las Vegas in December 2001.
(Laura Farr/ZUMA Press)
History of Firsts
When Gabrielle Union appeared on Friends in March, she made
news. But it wasn't because Ross and Joey were trying to woo her at
the same time -- Union was the first black actress to have a
significant role on the show. "Actually, my official title was
the first African-American love interest on Friends. The people
at NBC are very particular about that," laughs the good-natured
beauty, who has appeared on more than a dozen TV shows and starred in
last year's cheerleading flick Bring It On. "I don't mind
being the first minority in an all-white situation. In fact, that's
been the story of my life." Born in Omaha, Neb., Union grew up in
Pleasanton, a predominantly white suburb in northern California.
"I've often found myself being the only person of color in a
group," says Union. "In high school, I was the one
African-American on the basketball team and the one on the homecoming
court. I don't mind, as long as I break down some preconceptions that
people might have and open up doors for people who come behind
me." In the meantime, Union, who lives in L.A. with husband Chris
Howard (formerly with the Oakland Raiders), is doing a pretty good job
of opening doors for herself. She'll star opposite Benjamin
Bratt and Katie Holmes in Abandon, a psychological thriller
due out this spring, and in Welcome to Collinwood, opposite George
Clooney and William
H. Macy, next fall.
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