Gabrielle Union

Acting • Born 1972-10-29

Acting3Omaha, Nebraska, USA

Biography

Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade (born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in The Brothers (2001), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Bad Boys II (2003), Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Think Like a Man (2012), Think Like a Man Too (2014), and the remake of Cheaper by the Dozen (2022). She also starred as the lead in the BET drama series Being Mary Jane (2013-2019), for which she has received an NAACP Image Award, and in the crime series L.A.'s Finest (2019-2020) - a spinoff series for her character Syd in Bad Boys II.. She also had starring roles in the CBS medical drama series City of Angels (2000) and in the films Cradle 2 the Grave (2003), Neo Ned (2005), Cadillac Records (2008), Top Five (2014), Breaking In (2018), and The Perfect Find (2023). She has also co-starred in the films The Birth of a Nation (2016), Almost Christmas (2016), and Sleepless (2017). In high school, Union was an all-star point guard in basketball and a year-round athlete, also playing in soccer and running track. She went on to the University of Nebraska before moving on to Cuesta College. She eventually transferred to UCLA and earned a degree in sociology. While studying there, she interned at the Judith Fontaine Modeling & Talent Agency to earn extra academic credits. Invited by the agency's owner, Judith Fontaine, she started working as a model to pay off college loans. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on TV sitcoms prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. She rose to greater prominence the following year, after she landed her breakthrough role in the teen film Bring It On. Bring It On helped push her into the mainstream and she began gaining more exposure. She was cast in her first leading role in the 2003 film Deliver Us from Eva with rapper L.L. Cool J. In 2003, she landed the role of Will Smith's girlfriend/Martin Lawrence's sister Sydney Burnett in the film Bad Boys II, and she starred with Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx in the film Breakin' All the Rules in 2004. She then starred in the short-lived 2005 ABC series Night Stalker. She has also starred in the independent drama films Neo Ned and Constellation, the latter of which was released to theaters. She won an award for Best Actress in Neo Ned at the Palm Beach International Film Festival, and the film received awards at several festivals. Outside of acting, she has written four books: two memoirs, titled We're Going to Need More Wine (2017) and You Got Anything Stronger? (2021), and two children's books, titled Welcome to the Party (2020), and Shady Baby (2021).

Filmography

127 credits

Bring It On

Movie • 2000

Isis

She's All That

Movie • 1999

Katie

Cradle 2 the Grave

Movie • 2003

Daria

The Brothers

Movie • 2001

Denise Johnson

10 Things I Hate About You

Movie • 1999

Chastity

Something the Lord Made

Movie • 2004

Clara Thomas

The Honeymooners

Movie • 2005

Alice Kramden

Meet Dave

Movie • 2008

No. 3 - Cultural Officer

Running with Scissors

Movie • 2006

Dorothy

Two Can Play That Game

Movie • 2001

Conny Spalding

Bad Boys II

Movie • 2003

Syd

Deliver Us from Eva

Movie • 2003

Evangeline 'Eva' Dandrige

The Perfect Holiday

Movie • 2007

Nancy Taylor

Sesame Street Elmo's Playdate: Scavenger Hunt

Movie • 2020

Adele One Night Only

Movie • 2021

Self

Cadillac Records

Movie • 2008

Geneva Wade

Live in Front of a Studio Audience: The Facts of Life and Diff'rent Strokes

Movie • 2021

Dorothy "Tootie" Ramsey

Love & Basketball

Movie • 2000

Shawnee

Sorcerority

Movie

Abandon

Movie • 2002

Amanda Luttrell

Good Deeds

Movie • 2012

Natalie

Breakin' All the Rules

Movie • 2004

Nikki

Daddy's Little Girls

Movie • 2007

Julia Rossmore

Constellation

Movie • 2007

Carmel Boxer

Think Like a Man

Movie • 2012

Kristen

Riff Raff

Movie • 2025

Sandy

The Box

Movie • 2007

Cris Romano

Hustle and Heat

Movie • 2003

Masked Woman

Neo Ned

Movie • 2005

Rachael

In Our Nature

Movie • 2012

Vicky

Say Uncle

Movie • 2006

Elise Carter

H.E. Double Hockey Sticks

Movie • 1999

Gabrielle

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide

Movie • 2012

Self

Think Like a Man Too

Movie • 2014

Kristen

Miss Dial

Movie • 2013

Long Story Caller

Strange World

Movie • 2022

Meridian Clade (voice)

Top Five

Movie • 2014

Erica Long

The Door

Movie • 2013

She

Space Cadet

Movie • 2024

Pam Proctor

With This Ring

Movie • 2015

Kitty

The Birth of a Nation

Movie • 2016

Esther

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar

Movie • 2016

Nala (voice)

Sleepless

Movie • 2017

Dena

Almost Christmas

Movie • 2016

Rachel

The Public

Movie • 2019

Rebecca Parks

Breaking In

Movie • 2018

Shaun Russell

The Perfect Find

Movie • 2023

Jenna Jones

Fearless

Movie • 2020

General Blazerhatch (voice)

The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar

Movie • 2017

Nala (voice)

Cheaper by the Dozen

Movie • 2022

Zoey Baker

The Inspection

Movie • 2022

Inez French

The Casket Girls

Movie

Detective Shay Williams

Forbidden Fruits

Movie • 2026

Sharon

GOAT

Movie • 2026

Jett Fillmore (voice)

Welcome to Collinwood

Movie • 2002

Michelle

Blame It on Rome

Movie

Billie

Perdita

Movie

Pearl

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

TV • 1993

Hilary

The Tony Danza Show

TV • 2004

Self

Family Guy

TV • 1999

Shauna Parks (voice)

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

TV • 2003

Self

Night Stalker

TV • 2005

Perri Reed

Friends

TV • 1994

Kirsten Lang

Smart Guy

TV • 1997

Lydia

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

TV • 1988

Self

Grown Ups

TV • 1999

Tamron Hall

TV • 2019

Self - Guest

Sister, Sister

TV • 1994

Shawn

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

TV • 1992

Clueless

TV • 1996

Moesha

TV • 1996

Ashli

City Guys

TV • 1997

The Steve Harvey Show

TV • 1996

Naomi Parson

The Early Show

TV • 1999

Self

Ugly Betty

TV • 2006

Renee Slater

7th Heaven

TV • 1996

Keesha Hamilton

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

TV • 1993

Self - Guest

ER

TV • 1994

Tamara Davis

City of Angels

TV • 2000

Courtney Ellis

Goode Behavior

TV • 1996

Tracy Monaghan

Conan

TV • 2010

Self

Jungle Cubs

TV • 1996

Life

TV • 2007

Jane Seever

FlashForward

TV • 2009

Zoey Andata

Being Mary Jane

TV • 2013

Mary Jane Paul

The View

TV • 1997

Self - Guest

LIVE with Kelly and Mark

TV • 1988

Self - Guest

The Daily Show

TV • 1996

Self - Guest

Late Night with Seth Meyers

TV • 2014

Self - Guest

TV • 2015

The Lion Guard

TV • 2016

Nala (voice)

On Air with Ryan Seacrest

TV • 2004

Self

America's Got Talent

TV • 2006

Self - Judge

Truth Be Told

TV • 2019

Eva Pierre

Dave's World

TV • 1993

Carly

Saved by the Bell: The New Class

TV • 1993

Jennifer

The Drew Barrymore Show

TV • 2020

Self

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

TV • 2014

Self - Guest

We Got Time Today

TV • 2024

Self

Sherri

TV • 2022

Self - Guest

Number One on the Call Sheet

TV • 2025

Self

Pepsi Smash

TV • 2003

Self - Host

Sister, Sister

TV • 1994

Vanessa

Army Wives

TV • 2007

Gina Holt

Teen Choice Awards

TV • 1999

Self - Presenter

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

TV • 2003

Self - Guest

The Late Late Show with James Corden

TV • 2015

Self - Guest

People's Choice Awards

TV • 1975

Self - Presenter

The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder

TV • 2022

Talia (Voice)

CBS Mornings

TV • 2021

Self - Guest

The Jennifer Hudson Show

TV • 2022

Self - Guest

Reading Rainbow

TV • 2025

Self