Karyn Parsons
Biography
Karyn Parsons is an actress born on October 8, 1966, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA. Also known as Karyn Rockwell, she decided to go into acting at the age of 13. She had her first television role in the 1987 NBC drama The Bronx Zoo and achieved her big break playing Will Smith's cousin Hilary Banks on the 1990 NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. During that show's six-year run, she appeared in films such as Class Act in 1992 and Major Payne in 1995. Following The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, she starred in the short-lived 1996 sitcom Lush Life alongside Lori Petty. In 1998, she secured her first lead role in the movie Mixing Nia and later starred in 13 Moons in 2002.
Career overview
Karyn Parsons was born on October 8, 1966, in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, and decided to pursue acting at the age of 13. She secured her first television role in the NBC drama The Bronx Zoo in 1987. Her major career breakthrough came when she was cast as Hilary Banks, the cousin of Will Smith, on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which ran for six years starting in 1990. During the run of the series, she appeared in the feature films Class Act in 1992 and Major Payne in 1995.
Following her time on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Parsons starred alongside Lori Petty in the short-lived sitcom Lush Life in 1996, which was canceled after airing only three episodes. In 1998, she took on her first lead role in the award-winning movie Mixing Nia. She subsequently made guest appearances in television sitcoms and starred in the film 13 Moons in 2002.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- The Projectionist (2026) as Rosa
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion (2020) as Self
- Sweet Thing (2020) as Eve
- Tamron Hall (2019) as Self - Guest
- On Monday of Last Week (2018) as Tracy
- Nobody Wants Your Film (2005) as Self
- 13 Moons (2002) as Lily
- The Job (2001) as Toni
- Static Shock (2000) as Tracy Flackman (voice)
- The Ladies Man (2000) as Julie Simmons
- Cartoon Sushi (1998)
- Mixing Nia (1998) as Nia
- The Rosie O'Donnell Show (1996) as Self
- Gulliver's Travels (1996) as Lady-in-Waiting
- Lush Life (1996) as Margot Hines
- Major Payne (1995) as Emily Walburn
- The John Larroquette Show (1993) as Annie
- Melrose Place (1992) as Jackie Zambrano
- Out All Night (1992) as Hilary Banks
- Class Act (1992) as Ellen
- Blossom (1990) as Hilary Banks
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990) as Hilary Banks
- Death Spa (1988) as Brooke
- Hunter (1984) as Elizabeth Childs