Vivica A. Fox

Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, television presenter, and producer. She was born in South Bend, Indiana, to Everlyena, a pharmaceutical technician, and William Fox, a school administrator. Shortly after her birth, her family relocated to the Benton Harbor, Michigan area. Fox graduated from Arlington High School in Indianapolis in 1982 and earned an Associate of Arts in Social Sciences from Golden West College in Huntington Beach, California.

Fox relocated to California in 1982 to pursue her education. While studying, she performed as a dancer on Soul Train from 1983 to 1984 and appeared in the music video for Klymaxx's single "Meeting in the Ladies Room". She began acting professionally in daytime television, playing Carmen Silva on Days of Our Lives in 1988 and Maya Reubens on Generations from 1989 to 1991. After her film debut in Born on the Fourth of July (1989), she guest-starred on prime-time series including The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Martin. She starred as Charisse Chamberlain in the NBC sitcom Out All Night (1992–1993) and portrayed Dr. Stephanie Simmons on The Young and the Restless from 1994 to 1995.

Fox achieved her career breakthrough in 1996, starring as Jasmine Dubrow in the sci-fi hit Independence Day and as Francesca "Frankie" Sutton in the action crime film Set It Off. She subsequently starred in films including Booty Call (1997), Batman & Robin (1997), Soul Food (1997), Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998), Kingdom Come (2001), Two Can Play That Game (2001), and Boat Trip (2002). In 2003, Quentin Tarantino cast her as Vernita Green in Kill Bill. Her television roles during this era included Solomon (1997), Arsenio (1997), Getting Personal (1998), and City of Angels (2000).

From 2004 to 2006, Fox co-starred as FBI special agent Nicole Scott and produced the Lifetime drama series Missing. She produced and starred in films such as Motives, The Salon, Getting Played, and Three Can Play That Game, and held a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2007 to 2009. Fox hosted reality programs such as Glam God with Vivica A. Fox (2008), The Cougar (2009), and Prank My Mom (2012), and competed on Dancing with the Stars and The Apprentice. She played Candace Mason on the series Empire (2015–2020), reprised her role in Independence Day: Resurgence (2016), and starred in over 25 television movies for Lifetime's The Wrong... franchise starting in 2016. In 2018, she published her book Vivica's Every Day I'm Hustling.

In recent years, Fox has appeared in films such as Arkansas (2020), Hooking Up (2020), Secret Society (2021), Bosco (2024), Not Another Church Movie (2024), The Lost Holliday (2024), and Is God Is (2026). She competed as "Mother Nature" on The Masked Singer in 2021 and returned to The Young and the Restless in 2026. Expanding her behind-the-camera work, Fox made her directorial debut with the 2023 biographical crime film First Lady of BMF: The Tonesa Welch Story.

Fox has received multiple career honors. She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for Missing and earned nominations for an NAACP Image Award and an MTV Movie Award for Soul Food. She also won an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss for Independence Day, alongside a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.