Janet Hubert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Janet Hubert
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Janet Louise Hubert
January 13, 1956 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
|
| Education | Juilliard School |
| Occupation | Actress/Dancer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Spouse(s) |
James Whitten
(m. 1990–1994)Larry Kraft
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 1 |
Janet Louise Hubert (born January 13, 1956) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for playing the original character of Vivian Banks, also known as Aunt Viv, on the popular TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. She played this role from 1990 to 1993.
For her work on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Janet Hubert was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in 1991. Later, in 2020, she received her first Daytime Emmy Award nomination for her performance as Mignon in the digital series King Ester.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Janet Hubert was born in Chicago, Illinois. She spent her younger years growing up on the South Side of Chicago. When she was nine years old, her family moved to a more rural part of Chicago.
Janet was very talented and earned a scholarship to the famous Juilliard School in New York City. This school is known for training top artists in music, dance, and drama.
Acting Career
Janet Hubert started her career as a dancer and actress on stage. She performed in a national tour of a show called Dancin'. In 1981, she made her first appearance on Broadway in a musical called The First.
She also played the role of Tantomile in the original Broadway production of Cats, which is a very famous musical. After Cats, she starred in another national tour called Sophisticated Ladies.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Janet Hubert became widely known for her role as Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. This was a popular sitcom that ran from 1990 to 1993. After the third season, the role of Aunt Viv was taken over by another actress, Daphne Maxwell Reid.
Years later, in November 2020, Janet Hubert appeared in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion on HBO Max. During this special, she spoke with Will Smith, the show's star, for the first time since she left the show. They talked about their past disagreements and cleared the air. Smith apologized for how he acted when he was younger, saying he was "immature" at the time. Hubert also shared some personal challenges she was facing during that period. After their conversation, she joined the other cast members at the reunion.
Other TV Shows and Films
After The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Janet Hubert continued to act in many other TV shows and films. In 2002, she appeared in an episode of the popular show Friends. She also had a recurring role on One Life to Live, playing Lisa Williamson.
She has made guest appearances on many other well-known shows, including Gilmore Girls, All My Children, NYPD Blue, The Bernie Mac Show, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. In 2018, she joined the cast of the daytime soap opera General Hospital as a character named Yvonne.
More recently, Janet Hubert appeared in the third season of FX's show Pose in 2021. In 2022, she also appeared on The Ms. Pat Show as the main character's mother-in-law, Jewell.
Personal Life
Janet Hubert has been married to Larry Kraft since 2005. She has one son, Elijah Isaac Whitten, from a previous marriage.
She has a health condition called osteoporosis, which affects bones. She is an ambassador for the National Osteoporosis Foundation, helping to raise awareness about the condition.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Agent on Ice | Lola | |
| 1994 | New Eden | Ashtarte | TV movie |
| 1995 | White Man's Burden | Dinner Guest | |
| 1999 | California Myth | Lysistrata | |
| 2001 | 30 Years to Life | Joy's Mom | |
| 2004 | Proud | Larry's Mother | |
| Christmas at Water's Edge | Mrs. Turner | TV movie | |
| Neurotica | The Neighbor | ||
| 2013 | Mom | Judy Curtains | |
| 2015 | No Letting Go | Dr. Stacey Slater | |
| 2016 | Not Another Black Movie | Aunt Gloria | |
| 2019 | Christmas Belles | Whitley | TV movie |
| 2020 | JG and the BC Kids | Narrator/Blackbird/Stanley Leroy | |
| 2022 | Single Black Female | Denise | TV movie |
| Fever | Grace | Short | |
| Remember Me: The Mahalia Jackson Story | Aunt Duke | ||
| 2023 | The Perfect Find | Monica | |
| 2024 | Snatched | Carolyn |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Hunter | Vanessa Riley | Episode: "The Fourth Man" |
| 21 Jump Street | Councilwoman Travers | Episode: "Fun with Animals" | |
| 1989 | Hooperman | Loretta Todd | Episode: "Look Homeward, Dirtbag" |
| A Man Called Hawk | Serita | Episode: "Poison" | |
| One Life to Live | Miriam | Episode: "Episode #1.5370" | |
| 1990 | Tales from the Crypt | Psyche | Episode: "Till Death" |
| 1990–93 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Vivian Banks | Main Cast: Season 1–3 |
| 1992 | Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? | Herself | Episode: "She Took the Notes Right of My Mouth" |
| 1992–93 | Reasonable Doubts | Judge Mary Sims | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 1993 | An Evening at the Improv | Herself/Host | Episode: "Janet Hubert, Glenn Super, Mary Anne Kelly, and more!" |
| 1994 | Dave's World | Elise | Episode: "Shel in Love" |
| Coach | Karen Williams | Episode: "Blue Chip Blues" | |
| 1995 | CBS Schoolbreak Special | Elaine Baham | Episode: "What About Your Friends" |
| 1996 | The Faculty | Annette Freeman | Episode: "Somewhere There's Music" |
| The Pretender | Madam Director | Episode: "The Paper Clock" | |
| 1997 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Edwina DuBois | Episode: "Act Like You Love Me" |
| Goode Behavior | Dr. Pamela Fordham | Episode: "Goode Lovin'" | |
| Lawless | Esther Hayes | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | Hiruut Kebede | Episode: "Weaver of Hate" |
| 1999 | All My Children | Alice Dawson | Episode: "20 May 1999" |
| 2001–02 | The Job | Adina Phillips | Recurring Cast |
| 2002 | Weakest Link | Herself | Episode: "TV Moms Edition" |
| Gilmore Girls | Gisele Gerard | Episode: "Back in the Saddle Again" | |
| Friends | Ms. McKenna | Episode: "The One Where Emma Cries" | |
| 2003–04 | The Bernie Mac Show | Leora | Guest Cast: Season 2–3 |
| 2005–10 | One Life to Live | Lisa Williamson | Regular Cast |
| 2007 | E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | Episode: "Will Smith" |
| 2010 | Life After | Herself | Episode: "Janet Hubert" |
| 2011 | Tyler Perry's House of Payne | Evelyn | Episode: "A Mother's Payne" |
| 2016–17 | If Loving You Is Wrong | Diane | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2018–20 | General Hospital | Yvonne Godfrey | Regular Cast |
| 2020 | 54 Below Premieres | Herself | Episode: "Norm Lewis: Christmastime Is Here!" |
| 2021 | Pose | Latrice | Episode: "Take Me to Church" |
| Love Life | Donna Watkins | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| The Last O.G. | Miss May Miller | Recurring Cast: Season 4 | |
| 2022 | New Amsterdam | Dr. Palpa | Episode: "Two Doors" |
| 2022–24 | The Ms. Pat Show | Jewell Carson | Guest: Season 2, Recurring Cast: Season 4 |
| 2023 | Sweet Magnolias | Bev Decatur | Episode: "Someone I'm Longing to See" |
| My Dad the Bounty Hunter | Empress Gurira (voice) | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Song | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Sylvester | "Someone Like You" | Dancer |
Stage
| Year(s) | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Dancin' | Performer | |
| 1981 | The First | Passenger/Opal/fan | |
| 1982 | Cats | Tantomile | |
| 1983 | Sophisticated Ladies | Performer | |
| 1984 | Sleeping Beauty | Carameen | |
| 2002 | Crowns | Wanda |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Denise Clinton |
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Nominee/work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series | Nominated |
| 2014 | Grand Theft Auto V | Behind the Voice Actors Award | Best Vocal Ensemble in a Video Game | |
| 2020 | King Ester | Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Digital Drama Series |
See also
In Spanish: Janet Hubert-Whitten para niños
