Five Fast Facts About Empire Star Vivica A. Fox

Vivica A. Fox currently stars as one of Cookie Lyon’s sisters, Candace Mason, on Empire. Though this is the show she’s currently working on, Fox has been working in the industry since the ‘80s.

From countless television shows to some very iconic movies, like Kill Bill and Ella Enchanted, Fox is one of the hardest working actresses in Hollywood! She also has a slew of movies she’s been doing for Lifetime Movie Network. Find out five fast facts about Empire star Vivica A. Fox.

In the Beginning
Fox moved to California after high school and attended Golden West College. She started acting professionally and booked her first job in television on the daytime soap, Days of Our Lives, in 1988. But it was her role as Maya the following year on the groundbreaking soap Generations that solidified her as a bonafide daytime star.

Brush With Berry
Fox was in the pilot episode for Living Dolls in 1989, which was a spinoff of Who’s the Boss? — but when the show was ultimately picked up, Fox’s role was recast with a very young Halle Berry. And, as it turns out, when Berry won her Oscar in 2002 for Monster’s Ball, Fox was one of the women she mentioned in her speech!

Highest Grossing Film of 1996
Fox had her breakthrough moment when she was cast in the 1996 film Independence Day as Jasmine Dubrow opposite Will Smith. This wasn’t their first time acting together — Fox played Janet, a woman Smith’s The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air character went on a date with back in 1991.

Good Sport
One of her favorite hobbies is watching sports. Not only does she wake up and watch ESPN practically every morning, but she’s also a very big Peyton Manning fan. This makes sense, as Fox was born in Indianapolis and Manning played with the Indianapolis Colts for over a decade.

Big Regret
Fox married Christoper Harvest in 1998, but the couple ended up getting divorced in 2002. She then dated rapper 50 Cent for a year and got engaged to Omar White in 2011, but they called it off 10 months later. Though Fox hasn’t remarried, she has been open about the fact that she regrets not having children.