Tangi Miller

Tangi Miller
Born (1970-02-28) February 28, 1970 (age 54)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation(s)Actress, model, dancer, director, producer
Years active1996–present

Tangi Miller (born February 28, 1970)[1] is an American actress, model, director, and dancer. As an actress she is known for the role of Elena Tyler on the popular television drama Felicity.[2] Miller has received two NAACP Image Award nominations throughout her career.[3][1] Starting in the mid 2000s, Miller focused on indie films and has worked as a producer and director.

Early life

Miller was born and raised in Miami, Florida, the eldest of six children.[1] She and her siblings were not permitted to watch television as they grew up due to their parents' religious beliefs.[4][5] At high school, Miller began acting in stage productions. She did not plan to become an actress and chose to major in marketing while attending Alabama State University.[4]

Miller realized she spent all of her free time acting, so after graduation she pursued that at Alabama State. She earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of California, Irvine.[2] She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London, as well as at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.[2]

Acting

After appearing on the HBO comedy Arli$$ (1996),[6] and on the CBS drama Michael Hayes (1997),[2] Miller went on to stardom as a cast member of The WB hit show Felicity (1998−2002), playing smart and stylish Elena Tyler, a premedical student.[7][8] For her work on the series, Miller was nominated in 2002 for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.[1] She was named as one of TV Guide's Sexiest Faces.[9] Miller was also featured in Ol' Dirty Bastard's music video of "Got Your Money" in 1999 as a dancer.

Miller played the lead role in BET movie Playing with Fire, starring opposite Vanessa Estelle Williams.[10] She appeared alongside Mekhi Phifer in the independent film The Other Brother (2002).[11] She was the wife of MC Hammer, Stephanie, in the 2001 VH1 film Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story.[12] Miller was the lead in Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood[1] and played Donna in Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006).[13]

She portrayed the daughter of Claudette Wyms (CCH Pounder) on The Shield in 2002.[14] In 2005, she earned her second NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for acting in sci-fi film Phantom Force.[1] Miller appeared in guest roles on crime dramas The District (2003)[15] and The Division (2004), as well as an appearance on sitcom Half & Half (2005), her latest acting role on television to date.[8]

Following her role in Madea's Family Reunion, Miller has chiefly acted in independent films, including Hurricane in the Rose Garden,[1] Guardian of Eden, Hollywood Chaos and Diva Diaries.[8]

Producer and director

Miller produced the Ghanaian film Police Officer 3 and the 2008 film After School.[1] She produced her third film Love & Other 4 Letter Words in April 2006.[4]

Miller's directorial debut was in 2017, for the film Diva Diaries — in which she also was producer and co-star.[16] The film was first shown at the Pan African Film Festival in 2017.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Rhinos -
2000 Playing with Fire Camille Roberts TV movie
2001 Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story Stephanie TV movie
2002 The Other Brother Paula
2003 Leprechaun: Back 2 tha Hood Emily Woodrow Video
2004 Phantom Force Leanne Potts TV movie
Forever Is a Long, Long Time Rochelle Short
2006 Madea's Family Reunion Donna
2007 Love... & Other 4 Letter Words Stormy La Rue
2008 After School Shonda
2009 Hurricane in the Rose Garden Sade Video
2010 Drones Miryam
My Girlfriend's Back Nicki Russell
2011 Fanaddict Cheli Dayton
2012 Guardian of Eden Kimmy
The Good Life Marianne Vandelay
2013 The Love Section Jackie Long
Hollywood Chaos Camille Leone
2014 Blood Lines Grace
2015 72 Hours Monique
2016 Diva Diaries Sophia
2017 Boxing Day: A Day After Christmas Sophia Etim
2020 Leroy Toni
2021 Entanglement Cheryl
2022 Black and White -

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1998 Arli$$ - Episode: "His Name Is Arliss Michaels"
1998–2002 Felicity Elena Tyler Main Cast
1999 Cousin Skeeter - Episode: "The Volcano"
2000 The Amanda Show - Episode: "2.16"
2002 The Shield Rebecca Wyms Episode: "Throwaway"
Fastlane Gina Episode: "Girls Own Juice"
The Twilight Zone Ashley Episode: "Harsh Mistress"
Kim Possible Editor (voice) Episode: "All the News"
2003 The District Dyanne Episode: "Blind Eye" & "In God We Trust"
2004 The Division Deena Bishop Episode: "Hail, Hail, the Gang's ALl Here"
Cold Case Nora Lincoln Episode: "The Badlands"
2005 Living With Fran Cynthia Episode: "The Reunion"
Half & Half Alana Mitchell Episode: "The Big Sexism in the City Episode"

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h McCann, Bob (October 30, 2009). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland & Company. pp. 230−231. ISBN 9781476691404.
  2. ^ a b c d Collier, Aldore D. (August 1999), "Hollywood's Hottest Starlets - African American actresses Tangi Miller, Tamala Jones, Elise Neal, and others are discussed", Ebony, retrieved January 19, 2010
  3. ^ "News". Felicity. TKTV. December 11, 2001. Archived from the original on April 28, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  4. ^ a b c "Tangi Miller's Biography". Tangimiller.com. 2006. Archived from the original on January 2, 2006. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  5. ^ "Tangi Miller: Hell-Bent on Acting", TeenHollywood.com, January 2, 2002, archived from the original on February 29, 2012, retrieved January 19, 2010
  6. ^ Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (July 16, 2009). The A to Z of African-American Television. Scarecrow Press. p. 283. ISBN 9780810863484.
  7. ^ "TV Season Kicks Off New Shows Featuring Blacks". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. September 21, 1998. pp. 64−65.
  8. ^ a b c Schaffstall, Katherine (September 29, 2018). "The Stars of 'Felicity': Where Are They Now?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  9. ^ De Leon, Kris (July 1, 2007), "What Are They Up To? Felicity's Tangi Miller", BuddyTV, retrieved January 19, 2010
  10. ^ Hedelt, Rob (June 2, 2000). "'Survivor': Rats and back-stabbing galore". The Free-Lance Star. p. D2.
  11. ^ Willis, John; Monush, Barry (February 2004). Screen World 2003. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 185. ISBN 9781557835284.
  12. ^ "VH1 airs 'Hammer'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 17, 2001. p. D-4.
  13. ^ "Film Notes". The Hour. July 9, 2005. p. A6.
  14. ^ "TelevisionBriefs". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. April 12, 2002. p. A10.
  15. ^ "Saturday Best Bets". The Madison Courier. October 24, 2003.
  16. ^ "Award-Winning Actress & Producer Tangi Miller Makes Her Directorial Debut at the Pan African Film Festival". BlackNews. February 23, 2017. Retrieved 2018-07-31.