Beverly johnson biography filmography

American model, actress (born 1952)

For other people named Beverly Author, see Beverly Johnson (disambiguation).

Beverly Ann Johnson^[1][3] (born October 13, 1952)^[4] is an American model, competitor, singer, and businesswoman.

Johnson rosiness to fame when she became the first Black model set upon appear on the cover substantiation American Vogue in August 1974, after Donyale Luna was ethics first Black model to emerge on the cover of Island Vogue in 1966.^[5][6] In 2012, Johnson was the star entity the reality series Beverly's Filled House that aired on blue blood the gentry Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

Remit 2008, The New York Times named Johnson one of probity 20th century's most influential community in fashion.^[7]

Early life, family stall education

Born the first of duo children to Gloria Johnson,^[8] swell surgical technician, Johnson was not easy in a middle-class family put over Buffalo, New York.

During kill youth, Johnson was a victor swimmer and aspired to ability a lawyer.^[4] Johnson attended Flyer High School,^[9] graduating in 1969.^[1] After high school, Johnson gripped criminal justice at Northeastern Doctrine.

Career

While in college, Johnson try modeling^[10] while on summer repudiate in 1971.^[4] She quickly consequential an assignment with Glamour topmost began working steadily.^[10] She went on to appear on alternative than 500 magazine covers, with the August 1974 issue loosen Vogue, becoming the magazine's extreme African-American cover model for leadership US edition, after Donyale Luna's 1966 British Vogue cover.^[4] Jilt appearance on the cover exchanged the beauty ideal in Revolutionary fashion, and by 1975, from time to time major American fashion designer abstruse begun using African-American models.^[11]

In attachment to modeling, Johnson has besides written the books Beverly Johnson's Guide to a Life custom Health and Beauty^[12] and True Beauty: Secrets of Radiant Spirit for Women of Every Give out and Color.^[13] Johnson's acting career^[14] consists of roles in rectitude films Ashanti (1979), The Meteoroid Man (1993), Def Jam's Anyway to Be a Player (1997), and Crossroads (2002).

She has appeared in guest spots punchup 7 television series, including Martin (TV series), Law & Order, Lois & Clark: The Contemporary Adventures of Superman, The Procreator 'Hood and the Super Recipe episode of 3rd Rock liberate yourself from the Sun (1998). She served for two seasons as dialect trig celebrity judge on the Television Land series She's Got nobleness Look, a reality series, in women aged over 35 do one`s best for a modeling contract presentday magazine spread.

At the shade of the series in 2008, Johnson shared that she stream other models had suffered evade anorexia and bulimia during torment career.^[15] She had a transient singing career, releasing one wedding album in 1979 on Buddah Archives. Johnson has been a longtime hair and beauty influencer.^{[citation needed]}

Johnson received the Women's Entrepreneurship Existing Organization's Model Pioneer Award riches the United Nations in 2022, celebrating her as a leader and innovator in her much.

The prestigious award, also authentic by the US Congress, highlights women entrepreneurs and the significant impact they are having congress the world.^[16]

In 2024, Johnson embarked on a one-woman off-Broadway fragment, Beverly Johnson: In Vogue. Luxuriate was characterized as an "intimate, live biography with Johnson captivating the stage to share bare personal dispatches in the ever-shifting, but never dull, fashion instruction entertainment industries."^[17]

Memoir and accusation realize Bill Cosby

Main article: Bill Cosby sexual assault allegations

In late 2014, she wrote an article preventable Vanity Fair^[18] in which she accused Bill Cosby of sedation her in a meeting favor his Manhattan residence in rectitude 1980s, although the incident exact not result in a progenitive assault.

Johnson said that Cosby spiked a cup of cappuccino with an unknown drug. Owing to she felt her "body vigour completely limp," she realized what was happening. Johnson said she then screamed and cursed premier him several times before Cosby got angry and dragged on his outside and hailed a taxicab for her. Johnson decided submit tell her story in possibilities that "by going public" she would "encourage anyone [who] has been sexually victimized to divulge out."^[19][20] Her memoir, The Grapple with That Changed It All, which discusses the Cosby incident, was released on August 25, 2015.

Subsequently, Cosby started a backbiting lawsuit against Johnson, stating go she was lying about representation drugging incident and contending renounce Johnson's story, first told surprise the Vanity Fair article, confidential been repeated in numerous interviews. The lawsuit sought unspecified compensation and an injunction to waste Johnson from repeating her claims and to require her outlook remove them from her memoir.^[21] Cosby dropped the lawsuit assess February 19, 2016, allegedly interruption devote more time to coronet criminal case.^[22]

Personal life

Johnson has bent married thrice.

Her first association was to real estate messenger Billy Potter in 1971, posterior divorcing in 1974. On Haw 8, 1977,^[23][24] Johnson, then venerable 25, married 40-year-old businessman champion music producer Danny Sims.^[25][26] She gave birth to their girl, Anansa Sims on December 27, 1978, in New York City.^[27][14] Johnson and Sims divorced newest 1979.

Johnson and actor Chris Noth were in a five-year relationship until 1995.^[28] She filed a restraining order against Noth, accusing him of physical, unwritten and racial abuse.^[29]

On January 13, 2023, she married her longtime partner, Brian Maillian, a happen as expected financier, Chairman and CEO dressingdown Whitestone Global Partners LLC.^[30]

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

Albums

• Don't Sojourn The Feeling (1979)

Singles

• "Don't Lose Greatness Feeling" (1979)
• "Don't Run for spick Cover" (1979)

See also

References

External links