This bright-eyed and beautiful young African-American performer was discovered in the manner of Hollywood legends of old. Fox was working as a waitress in a Sunset Boulevard eatery when she caught the eye of producer Trevor Walton who liked her looks and had a deal at Paramount. He auditioned her for one of his films and introduced her to the woman who became her agent. Fox made her screen debut with a bit part as a hooker in Oliver Stone’s “Born on the Fourth of July” (1989). TV work soon followed on daytime soaps, the short-lived black-oriented “Generations” on NBC and “The Young and the Restless” on CBS, and primetime guest spots beginning with a turn on the popular Will Smith vehicle “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”. On the latter, Fox played a beautiful but venomous “date from Hell” whom Will tries to fix up with his cousin. This led to a brief stint as a regular on the sitcom “Out All Night” (NBC, 1992-93) on which she played the fashion stylist daughter of nightclub owner Patti LaBelle.
After bit parts in several comedy features, Fox gained notice in the unlikely but winning role of a fiercely devoted single mother who supports her child and herself by working as a stripper in the sci-fi blockbuster “Independence Day” (1996). She was well paired with the dashing Will Smith as her flyboy beau. This high-profile exposure opened the floodgates and work poured in. Feature leads followed in the black feminist-inflected actioner “Set It Off” (1996), as part of a quartet of femme bank robbers; the safe sex comedy “Booty Call” (1997) and a supporting role as Ms. B Haven, a moll of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Mr. Freeze, in the highly touted sequel “Batman & Robin” (1997). Fox also landed the female lead in Arsenio Hall’s sitcom comeback, “Arsenio” (ABC, 1997), which failed to attract viewers and was cancelled after a few airings. She faced a similar fate with her follow-up TV vehicle the Fox sitcom “Getting Personal” (1998). Although it debuted as a midseason replacement and managed to earn a fall renewal, the sitcom’s poor showing in the ratings forced its cancellation in October after only a handful of episodes had aired.
