Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Vivica A. Fox moved to California to become an actress. One of her earliest roles saw her as Patti LaBelle's fashion designer daughter, Charisse Chamberlain, on the NBC TV series Out All Night. She got her big break in film as Will Smith's exotic dancer girlfriend in Independence Day. From there, she was cast in many other films and earned critical acclaim for her role in the 1997 movie Soul Food, which netted her MTV Movie Award and NAACP Image Award nominations.