Shari Headley is a former model and an American actress known for her role as Lisa McDowell in the romantic comedy “Coming to America” from 1988.
Shari Headley Bio, Age
Headley was born on 15 July 1964 in Queens, New York City, USA. She comes from a middle-class family and shares a mixed ethnic background, as her mother is from Brooklyn, New York, and her father is from Trinidad.
She is the youngest of four children. Her father, Godfrey Headley, a dental technician who died in 1982, is said to have emigrated to the United States at the age of 16.
In Brooklyn, he met a beauty named Sarah (a school registrar) on the beach at Coney Island. He tried to impress her by swimming further and further out into the ocean. Then she rose from her sandy patch and walked away. After that day he persecuted her until she agreed to marry him.
The Headleys had a boy and three girls, and Shari is the youngest of the four children.
As the baby of the family, Shari enjoyed being the center of attention. As a born ham, she sang into her hairbrush at home and performed plays at school. She was fascinated by medicine and wanted to become a doctor until she saw an autopsy.
“I had the intelligence to pursue her, but I didn’t have the courage,” she said.
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Shari Headley’s Career
Headley began her modeling career after dropping out of Queens College and joining the Ford Model Agency, where she shot commercials for L’Oreal, Johnson’s Baby Oil, and Burger King. One of her biggest challenges was to say “Szechuan beef” for Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine. “I wanted to say something simpler, like teriyaki beef,” she said.
She also appeared in several well-known magazines like Glamour and Mademoiselle. Her journey into the world of acting began in 1985 when she made her first appearance on NBC’s television show The Cosby Show.
She also appeared in Miami Vice, Quantum Leap, and Matlock, and in 1988 she played Lisa – the female lead opposite Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Coming to America – a film that put her in the spotlight.
Murphy hand-picked her after only one reading, without any ulterior motives or fiddling between them. “Everyone went their own way after the day’s shooting,” says Shari.
Her other film appearances include The Preacher’s Wife (1996) and Johnson Family Vacation (2004).
In television films, Headley starred as Det. Mimi Reed in the ABC daily soap All My Children (1991-1994), She was the lead actress in the short-lived drama series 413 Hope St, which aired from 1997-1998 – for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series nomination.
She also starred in Guiding Light (2001-2002), The Bold and the Beautiful (2004-2005), and in the comedy and drama Towelhead. She has subsequently been a guest star in Veronica Mars, House, Castle, and Switched at Birth.
Shari Headley’s Husband, Son, Family
Headley was married from May 1993 until her divorce in June 1995 to actor/entertainer Christopher Martin, better known as “Play” from the hip-hop duo Kid N’ Play. In April 1994 they had a son together, Skyler Martin. After the divorce, Shari raised her son alone as a single mother.
In 2001, two judges from Long Island sentenced Christopher “Play” Martin to resume alimony payments for his then 7-year-old son. At the time, the rapper owed $42,000 in back payments, and the judges ordered him to cancel the $159 per week he had been paying since a 1996 ruling.
In a speech about her two-year marriage to Chris Martin, she said, “I am very blessed that the union has produced my beautiful son. I am so proud of my son.”
“That’s all I can really say. I’m happy with it. I haven’t seen or heard from him in a long time.”
“It is what it is, I’ve made the decision to divorce.”
Shari Headley Body Measurement/ Net Worth
The Shari has a slim body with a height of 5″8 (173 cm), black hair, and dark brown eyes. Shari Headly’s Net Worth is estimated at 2 million dollars.
It is active in social media Facebook and Twitter with thousands of followers.
Other Facts About Shari Headley
Shari Headley is also a philanthropist and has been actively taking part in Saving Our daughters, where she has committed to preventing abuse. The co-founders of Saving Our Daughters, campaign Curtis Benjamin, with his wife, Debbie, describes Headley as “a godsend.”
“She’s definitely a blessing,” says Benjamin, whose organization addresses bullying, domestic violence, dating abuse, homelessness, and other issues affecting girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 20. “She’s what celebrities need to be. She’s great!”
In 2013, she received the President’s Volunteer Service Award under Barack Obama. “That was yet another proud moment,” she says.
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At 53, the beautiful Lisa hasn’t really changed much from the young beauty we all saw in the movie Coming to America 30 years ago. Speaking of the secret to her beauty and shape she said: “It’s important to let your beauty shine, you have to start with your inner beauty.”
“That includes being happy for others, surrounding yourself with positive people, and not letting drama queens rule your life. If you’re an ugly person inside, I don’t want to have anything to do with you.”
And on the outside looks:
“The No. 1 thing is drinking a lot of water, I drink tons of water because water really flushes your system. … If you’re not moving it, it’s not a good thing, and it really shows up in your skin.”
“I use a lot of oil,” she adds, from coconut oil to cocoa butter.
“I’m physically active. I love to walk. I love nature. I try to eat well,” says Headley, who has been a vegetarian for 30 years.
