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Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film ''
Eve's Bayou ''Eve's Bayou'' is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. Samuel L. Jackson served as a producer, and starred in the film with Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smo ...
'' (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
sitcom ''
Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Sk ...
'' (1998–2001). Good received further prominence after starring in the films ''
Deliver Us from Eva ''Deliver Us from Eva'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, revolving around LL's character Ray being paid to date a troublesome young lady named Eva (Union). It is considered by many as a modern update ...
'' (2003), ''
Roll Bounce ''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Mea ...
'' (2005), and ''
Stomp the Yard ''Stomp the Yard'' is a 2007 American dance drama film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, ''Stomp the Yard'' centers on DJ Williams, a college ...
'' (2007). In 2012, Good featured in an ensemble cast of the film ''
Think Like a Man ''Think Like a Man'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, and produced by Will Packer. It was based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book ''Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man''. The fil ...
''. The following year, she played Joanna Locasto, the lead character on the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
drama series ''
Deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...
''; and starred in the comedy '' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues.'' Furthermore, Good has had supporting roles in the films ''
One Missed Call One Missed Call may refer to: * ''One Missed Call'' (2003 film), a Japanese horror film, followed by two sequels * ''One Missed Call'' (2008 film), an American remake of the Japanese film * ''One Missed Call'' (TV series), a Japanese television ...
'' (2008), ''
Saw V ''Saw V'' is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the fifth installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2007's ''Saw IV''. The film stars Tob ...
'' (2008), '' The Unborn'' (2009) and DC Comics' '' Shazam!'' (2019).


Early life and family

Good was born in the
Panorama City Panorama City is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley. It has a generally young age range as well as the highest population density in the Valley. Ethnically, more than half of its population was born a ...
neighborhood of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Her mother, Tyra Wardlow-Doyle, worked as Good's manager into her teens, and her father, Leondis "Leon" Good, is an
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...
police officer. Good has claimed that her maternal grandmother is "Jewish and African. My mother's father was Cherokee and something else. My dad's mother's Puerto Rican and black, and his father was from Barbados." Good was raised in
Canyon Country Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, California, Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River (California), Santa Clara River betwee ...
(now known as
Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17t ...
), California. She has three siblings, including older sister and fellow actress
La'Myia Good La'Myia Janae Good–Bellinger (born September 27, 1979) is an American singer and actress. Good is best known for her voice work in the blockbuster PlayStation 3 game ''Killzone 3'' as the voice of Jammer and her work with R&B group Isyss. Goo ...
. She began her acting career around the age of four. According to Good, she grew up "super nerdy, super skinny, buckteeth, big ole afro and yet I had a sense of confidence about myself, like, 'they just don't get it yet'. She was a fan of
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
and Usher in her teens. Good did not have any role models until early adulthood, when she began admiring actress
Charlize Theron Charlize Theron ( ; ; born 7 August 1975) is a South African and American actress and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actresses, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award. In 20 ...
.


Career


Childhood

In the early stages of her career, Good worked as an extra on television shows such as ''
Doogie Howser, M.D. ''Doogie Howser, M.D.'' is an American medical sitcom that ran for four seasons on ABC from September 19, 1989, to March 24, 1993, totaling 97 episodes. Created by Steven Bochco and David E. Kelley, the show stars Neil Patrick Harris in the titl ...
'' and ''
Amen Amen ( he, אָמֵן, ; grc, ἀμήν, ; syc, ܐܡܝܢ, ; ar, آمين, ) is an Abrahamic declaration of affirmation which is first found in the Hebrew Bible, and subsequently found in the New Testament. It is used in Jews, Jewish, Christia ...
''. When she was 13, she was cast in her first film, the 1995 comedy ''
Friday Friday is the day of the week between Thursday and Saturday. In countries that adopt the traditional "Sunday-first" convention, it is the sixth day of the week. In countries adopting the ISO-defined "Monday-first" convention, it is the fifth day ...
''. She first gained critical recognition for her performance as the troubled teen Cisely Batiste in
Kasi Lemmons Kasi Lemmons (; born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She made her directorial debut with ''Eve's Bayou'' (1997), followed by '' Talk to Me'' (2007), ''Black Nativity'' (2013), '' Harriet ...
' 1997 film ''
Eve's Bayou ''Eve's Bayou'' is a 1997 American Southern Gothic drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, who made her directorial debut with this film. Samuel L. Jackson served as a producer, and starred in the film with Lisa Nicole Carson, Jurnee Smo ...
''; she received two award nominations, including her first
NAACP Image Award The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...
nomination.


Adulthood

After taking on small film and television roles for the next few years, Good began to transition into more mature roles in the early 2000s. Good believes she was able to move into adult roles due to playing characters several years younger than her. From 1998 to 2001, she appeared as Nina on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...
's TV show ''
Cousin Skeeter ''Cousin Skeeter'' is an American children's sitcom, that originally aired on Nickelodeon from 1998 to 2001. It starred Robert Ri'chard as Bobby, a young boy whose life changed when his strange cousin Skeeter came to live with his family. With Sk ...
''. Good landed small roles in the films '' 3 Strikes'' and '' House Party 4: Down to the Last Minute''. In 2003, a major year for Good, she landed roles in the action-drama ''
Biker Boyz ''Biker Boyz'' is a 2003 American sports action drama film, directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood and written by Bythewood and Craig Fernandez, based on the 2000 ''New Times LA'' article of the same name by Michael Gougis. The film is about a group of ...
'' and the romantic-comedy ''
Deliver Us from Eva ''Deliver Us from Eva'' is a 2003 American romantic comedy film starring LL Cool J and Gabrielle Union, revolving around LL's character Ray being paid to date a troublesome young lady named Eva (Union). It is considered by many as a modern update ...
'', which helped her transition from child to adult actress. She also appeared as the character Vanessa for one season of ''
My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. It starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of an African-American family. Wayans and ve ...
'', before being replaced by another actor. In 2004, Good starred alongside
Jordana Brewster Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is a Panamanian-American actress. Best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, she made her acting debut in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the recu ...
, Sara Foster, and
Jill Ritchie Jill Susanne Ritchie (born March 5, 1974) is an American actress and the younger sister of rapper-singer-songwriter Kid Rock. Career Ritchie starred in the 2004 film '' D.E.B.S.'' and in ''Breakin' All the Rules'', and had a guest role as Bluth ...
in the action film '' D.E.B.S.'', and received a Best Actress nomination at the 2005 Black Movie Awards. She also had small roles in ''
The Cookout ''The Cookout'' is a 2004 American comedy film directed by Lance Rivera, written by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere. The film introduces Quran Pender (credited as "Storm P") as Todd Anderson and stars Ja Rule, Tim Meadows, Jenifer Lewis, Meagan ...
'', Lance "Un" Rivera's directorial debut, and the teen dance film ''
You Got Served ''You Got Served'' is a 2004 American dance drama film written and directed by Chris Stokes, who was also the business manager of the performers who were the film's main characters: recording artist Marques Houston and the boy band B2K. The plo ...
''. In 2005, Good co-starred in the horror film ''
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a sti ...
'', as well as the well-received neo noir film ''
Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
''. She played opposite rapper/actor Bow Wow in Malcolm D. Lee's ''
Roll Bounce ''Roll Bounce'' is a 2005 American comedy-drama film written by Norman Vance Jr. and directed by Malcolm D. Lee. The film stars hip hop artist Bow Wow as the leader of a roller skating crew in 1970s Chicago. The film also stars Nick Cannon, Mea ...
''. In 2006, Good played the role of Coco, which she felt was her first true lead actress role, in the urban action-drama ''
Waist Deep ''Waist Deep'' is a 2006 American action drama film directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall and starring Tyrese Gibson and Meagan Good. Plot Ex-con Otis Samuel Sr. or "O2" on account of his ability to vanish from a crime scene like oxygen, has done his t ...
''. Good also voiced a character for the video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours'' that same year. The following year, Good landed a role in the dance movie ''
Stomp the Yard ''Stomp the Yard'' is a 2007 American dance drama film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, ''Stomp the Yard'' centers on DJ Williams, a college ...
'', starring with
Ne-Yo Shaffer Chimere Smith (born October 18, 1979), known professionally as Ne-Yo, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, dancer, and record producer. He gained fame for his songwriting abilities when he penned Mario's 2004 hit " Let Me Love You ...
and childhood and personal friend
Columbus Short Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982) is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' fame). He is best known for his roles ...
. In 2008, Good appeared in the horror film ''
One Missed Call One Missed Call may refer to: * ''One Missed Call'' (2003 film), a Japanese horror film, followed by two sequels * ''One Missed Call'' (2008 film), an American remake of the Japanese film * ''One Missed Call'' (TV series), a Japanese television ...
'' as an ill-fated college student, Shelley Baum. She appeared as an angry trophy wife in the
Mike Myers Michael John Myers OC (born May 25, 1963) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. His accolades include seven MTV Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2002, he was awarded a star on the Hollyw ...
comedy ''
The Love Guru ''The Love Guru'' is a 2008 American romantic comedy film directed by Marco Schnabel in his directorial debut, written and produced by Mike Myers, and starring Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Romany Malco, Meagan Good, Verne Troyer, ...
'', and in the latter half of the year, she was one of the victims/gameplayers in ''
Saw V ''Saw V'' is a 2008 horror film directed by David Hackl, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the fifth installment in the ''Saw'' film series and sequel to 2007's ''Saw IV''. The film stars Tob ...
''. She starred in 2009's '' The Unborn'' with
Gary Oldman Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...
and
Odette Yustman Odette Juliette Annable (; born May 10, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for various roles in film and television, including as Dr. Jessica Adams in the Fox medical drama series '' House'', Beth McIntyre in the monster film ''Cloverf ...
. She was part of the
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...
in 2012's ''
Think Like a Man ''Think Like a Man'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story, written by Keith Merryman and David A. Newman, and produced by Will Packer. It was based on Steve Harvey's 2009 book ''Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man''. The fil ...
'', a movie based on
Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts ''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', ''Family Feud'', '' Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss U ...
's 2009 book ''
Act like a Lady, Think like a Man ''Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man: What Men Really Think About Love, Relationships, Intimacy, and Commitment'' is a 2009 self help book by Steve Harvey which describes for women Harvey's concept of how men really think of love, relationships, ...
''. In 2013, Good starred in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. Good returned to television from January to March 2013, starring in ''
Deception Deception or falsehood is an act or statement that misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true. It is often done for personal gain or advantage. Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda and sleight o ...
''. Good was contacted by her agents about the series while leaving a hair salon. She sat in her car "and cried for 30-minutes like a nerd, by myself." In 2014, Good reprised her role for ''
Think Like a Man Too ''Think Like a Man Too'' is a 2014 American romantic comedy film directed by Tim Story. It is the sequel to the 2012 film ''Think Like a Man'', based on Steve Harvey's book ''Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man''. The script was written by David A. ...
'', the sequel to ''Think Like a Man''. Good stated she "had a really good time" while filming the sequel after initially being nervous "because there's so much energy that only Vegas can give." Filming ''Think Like a Man Too'' was Good's first time in Las Vegas shortly before she got married. Good has also appeared in many music videos, by artists such as
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
, ( 21 Questions),
Imajin Imajin is an American R&B boy band that is known for their hit "Shorty (You Keep Playing With My Mind)" featuring Keith Murray. The group also made a version of this song with (rapper) Mr. Cheeks of the rap group The Lost Boyz. This single ...
,
Isyss Isyss was an American R&B girl group. The original members consisted of LeTecia Harrison, Ardena Clark, Quierra "Qui Qui" Davis-Martin and La'Myia Good La'Myia Janae Good–Bellinger (born September 27, 1979) is an American singer and actre ...
(of which Good's sister
La'Myia Good La'Myia Janae Good–Bellinger (born September 27, 1979) is an American singer and actress. Good is best known for her voice work in the blockbuster PlayStation 3 game ''Killzone 3'' as the voice of Jammer and her work with R&B group Isyss. Goo ...
is a member), Lil' Johnny,
Memphis Bleek Malik Deshawn Cox (born June 23, 1978), known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper who was a protégé of fellow New York rapper Jay-Z. Cox started his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and #Warehouse Music Group, Warehouse M ...
,
Tyrese Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
, and
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his Will Smith filmography, acting career starring as Will Smith (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), a ...
. She has started her own production company, Freedom Bridge Entertainment, with Marlon Olivera and fellow actors Tamara Bass and Ty Hodges. Good wore a
royal blue Royal blue is a deep and vivid shade of blue. It is said to have been created by clothiers in Rode, Somerset, a consortium of whom won a competition to make a dress for Queen Charlotte, consort of King George III. Brightness The ''Oxford En ...
dress designed by Michael Costello to the June 30, 2013 BET Awards ceremony. The dress featured a plunging neckline down to her midriff and a front slit that rose to midthigh, It was sometimes compared to the Green Versace dress worn by
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
to the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2000. ''Fashion & Style'' editors selected Good as "worst dressed" at the ceremony. The dress was controversial also because Good was presenting the BET Award for Best Gospel Artist. According to Christine Thomasos of ''
The Christian Post ''The Christian Post'' is an American nondenominational Christianity, non-denominational, Conservatism, conservative, Evangelicalism, evangelical Christian media, Christian online newspaper. Based in Washington, D.C., it was founded in March 200 ...
'', Good has a history of defending her stylistic choices of presenting herself as a "sexy
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
". She had said earlier that year:
there is a classy way to do everything and there is nothing wrong with being sexy or having sex appeal and I think that I am definitely going to be someone who is boldly going to go out to the masses and be someone who say, 'Look! Women its okay' ...
Good responded on
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, expressing sadness that judgment had been passed on her, her character and her then-husband over what she wore to the ceremony. She said she picked the dress because she liked it and tried to express her individuality in her dress.


Personal life

Although she was not raised in the church, Good is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
, considers herself a spiritual person and has said in numerous interviews that she declines roles that she feels might "disappoint God." She explained in an interview that
Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
tops her list of heroes, and the last book she read was the
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. At age 22, Good chose to focus on her career rather than dating, as she explained in a 2004 interview. In 2011, Good began dating DeVon Franklin, an executive for Columbia Pictures and
Seventh-day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...
preacher. They became engaged in early April 2012, and were married on June 16, 2012, at Triunfo Creek Winery in
Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...
. The pair stated that they remained
chaste Chaste refers to practicing chastity. Chaste may also refer to: * Aymar Chaste (1514–1603), Catholic French admiral * Chaste (Marvel Comics), a fictional Marvel Comics martial arts enclave * Chaste (canton) - see List of townships in Quebec T ...
in their relationship prior to their marriage. In December 2021, it was announced Good and Franklin were divorcing after 9 years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in June 2022.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Music videos


Accolades


See also

* List of Puerto Ricans


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Meagan 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles African-American actresses African-American Christians American child actresses American Christians American film actresses American television actresses Living people People from Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California People from Panorama City, Los Angeles Converts to Christianity 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women Year of birth missing (living people) American people of African descent American people of Jewish descent American people of Puerto Rican descent American people of Barbadian descent