Kiki Shepard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kiki Shepard
Born	Chiquita Renee Shepard Tyler, Texas, U.S.
Education	Howard University (BBA)
Occupation	Television host, actress
Years active	1987–present

Kiki Shepard, whose birth name is Chiquita Renee Shepard, is a famous American television host and actress. She is most well-known for being a co-host on the show Showtime at the Apollo for many years, from 1987 to 2002.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Tyler, Texas

Kiki Shepard was born in Tyler, Texas. Her parents were John Edward Shepard and Dorothy Hortense Shepard. Her father coached high school baseball and basketball. Her mother was a teacher who sang and put on plays. Both of her parents were also amazing competitive dancers!

Kiki has two sisters. Her older sister, Von Gretchen, was crowned Miss Black America in 1974. Her younger sister, Cassandra Pia, works in the art world.

School and College Years

Kiki attended Emmett Scott High School. She was a top student there and received a scholarship from the Zeta Phi Beta sorority. She also competed in beauty pageants, like the Tyler Junior Miss pageant in 1968. In 1971, she competed in the Miss Denton pageant.

Shepard studied at North Texas State University. She later earned a degree in Business Administration from Howard University. She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and graduated as one of the top students in her class.

Kiki Shepard's Career

Early Dance Career

Kiki Shepard began dancing professionally in 1971. While she was a student at Howard University, she became a founding member of the D. C. Repertory Dance Company. This dance group started as an experimental workshop. They even performed at the World Festival of Black Arts in Lagos, Nigeria, in February 1977. Kiki said the group was "dynamite" and "created an uproar in Washington."

In 1976, she performed at the Delacourt Summer Shakesperian Festival in New York. She also performed in a show called Owens Song at the Kennedy Center. Kiki was one of the dancers on the 1977 Academy Awards television broadcast.

Acting and Hosting Roles

Kiki Shepard has worked as both an actress and a voice actor. She performed in several Broadway theatre shows in the 1970s and 1980s. These included Bubbling Brown Sugar (1976), Comin' Uptown (1979), Reggae (1980), Your Arms Too Short to Box With God (1980, 1982), and Porgy and Bess (1983).

Shepard also appeared in the movie The Wiz (1978). On television, she was the co-host of Showtime at the Apollo for 16 years. She also hosted Live in Hollywood and played the singer Trelawney in Thunder in Paradise. In 2011, Kiki co-starred in a play called Single Black Female.

Kiki Shepard's Acting Credits

Television Appearances

Theater Performances