Garcelle Beauvais (, formerly Beauvais-Nilon; born November 26, 1966) is a Haitian actress and television personality. She is best known for her starring roles in the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show and the crime drama series NYPD Blue. She also appeared in the films Coming to America (1988) and its sequel, Coming 2 America (2021), White House Down (2013), and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017).
In 2020, Beauvais became a part of the main cast on the reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, where she remained for five seasons before announcing her departure after season 14. She also co-hosted the syndicated daytime talk show The Real (2020–2022) alongside Adrienne Bailon, Loni Love, and Jeannie Mai for its final two seasons.
Early life Beauvais was born in Saint-Marc, Haiti, to Marie-Claire Beauvais, a nurse, and Axel Jean Pierre, a lawyer. Her parents divorced when she was three years old. At age seven, she moved with her mother and six older siblings to the United States and they settled in Peabody, Massachusetts, where she enrolled in elementary school. Upon her arrival to the United States, Beauvais originally only spoke French and Creole, but learned English from watching Sesame Street on television.
Career Modelling Beauvais moved to Miami at 16 to pursue a career in modeling. After driving down from Massachusetts, Beauvais hoped to interview for a modelling agency without an appointment. She was approached at a red light while putting on lipstick by the very owner of the agency she sought to see. After modeling with this agency for about a year, Beauvais, at 17, went to New York City to pursue a career as a fashion model, after signing with the Ford Modeling Agency. She lived with Eileen Ford and later modeled with Irene Marie Models. She modeled print ads for Avon, Mary Kay, and Clairol and in catalogs for Lerner New York Clothing Line, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom and walked the runway for Calvin Klein and Isaac Mizrahi and also shot TV commercials for Burdines.
Magazine covers
Beauvais has appeared on the covers of numerous luxury lifestyle and fashion magazines such as CVLUX, Harper's Bazaar, Sheen Magazine, People's Health issue, VIVmag, Essence, Ebony, Jet, Playboy,"Garcelle Beauvais Nilon and Her Petit Bijoux" , blackcelebkids.com, November 17, 2008. Vibe and Hype Hair. In 2017, she was featured on five different magazine covers. In June 2019, she appeared in an editorial for Vogue Italia.
Film and television In 1984, she made her first television appearance in the crime drama series Miami Vice, in the episode "Give a Little, Take a Little". Beauvais portrayed a rose-bearer in the romantic comedy film Coming to America (1988) at age 21. In 1994, she rose to prominence as an actress for her portrayal of Cynthia Nichols in Aaron Spelling's prime time soap opera Models Inc. From 1996 to 2001, she co-starred in The Jamie Foxx Show as hotel employee Francesca "Fancy" Monroe and the love interest of Jamie Foxx's character, Jamie King.
From 2001 to 2004, she played Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood and the love interest of Detective Baldwin Jones, played by Henry Simmons, on NYPD Blue. In 2011 and 2012, Beauvais played Hanna Linden on the TNT law drama Franklin & Bash. In 2013, Beauvais portrayed the First Lady opposite Foxx as the President in the action thriller film White House Down. In 2017, she played the role of Doris Toomes, wife of Michael Keaton's character, Adrian Toomes, in Spider-Man: Homecoming. She starred in R. Kelly's music video for "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)", as the wife of Ronald Isley and the lover of R. Kelly, delivering the title line as inducement for an affair. In 2001, after the Jamie Foxx Show ended its run, Beauvais appeared in Luther Vandross' music video, "Take You Out," playing Vandross' girlfriend.Garcelle Beauvais pics , AskMen.com She also appeared on some episodes of Grimm as Henrietta. In 2016, Beauvais was named as one of the co-hosts of the syndicated infotainment discussion series Hollywood Today Live, after a month-long period of guest hosting the show.
Beauvais recurred as Veronica Garland, the Wicked Stepmother character from Cinderella, on the second season of the web television series Tell Me a Story. She also portrayed Dennis Quaid's love interest in the web television series Merry Happy Whatever. Beauvais joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills as the series' first black cast member during its tenth season, which premiered in April 2020.
Throughout her five seasons on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Beauvais was outspoken about pay disparities within the cast on the franchise. She was regularly referred to as a grounded voice during a period of significant cast turnover across the franchise. During her last few seasons on the show, she formed a close friendship wth cast member Sutton Stracke though the two are no longer friends.
She began co-hosting the daytime talk show The Real for its seventh season in September 2020. Beauvais reprised her role as a rose bearer in the sequel to the romantic comedy film Coming to America, titled Coming 2 America.
In 2022, Beauvais signed a first-look development deal with NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, via her production company Garcelle Beauvais Productions. That same year, she was cast in the Hulu mystery thriller series The Other Black Girl, a television adaptation of the 2021 novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris. In addition, she starred in TV movies Caught in His Web and Black Girl Missing on Lifetime. In April 2024, Deadline announced that Beauvais will be executive producing three original films for Lifetime channel, saying: "I am so excited and grateful to continue my relationship with Lifetime because they immediately understood the importance of creating this new franchise with the Black Girl Missing movies. Having a network that stands by you and supports your mission gives me hope in humanity."
On August 4, 2024, Beauvais and Keltie Knight hosted the Miss USA 2024 beauty pageant.
In March 2025, Beauvais announced her departure from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, after five seasons.
Other ventures In 2008, Beauvais launched a children's jewelry line called Petit Bijou. In 2013, she published a children's book titled I Am Mixed, which tells the story of twins exploring "the thoughts and emotions of being of mixed ethnicities." She hosts the weekly late-night talk show podcast Going to Bed with Garcelle, in which she discusses dating, sex, and relationships with guests.
Her memoir, Love Me As I Am: My Journey from Haiti to Hollywood to Happiness, co-written with Nicole E. Smith, was published by Amistad on April 12, 2022.
Interior design On July 13, 2022, Beauvais launched a home collection, "Garcelle at Home" on HSN. The collection, inspired by her Haitian heritage, includes comforter sets, lamps, pillows, doormats and other accessories.
Personal life She was married to producer Daniel Saunders; their marriage ended in divorce. They have a son, Oliver Saunders, born in 1991. Beauvais married Mike Nilon, a talent agent with Creative Artists Agency, in May 2001. Their twin sons, Jax Joseph and Jaid Thomas Nilon, were born on October 18, 2007. They had dealt with treatment over five years for infertility. In April 2010, Beauvais publicly accused Nilon of infidelity after he admitted he had been having an affair for five years. Beauvais filed for divorce on May 10, 2010, seeking joint custody of their sons. On January 25, 2026, Beauvais experienced an LAPD swatting at her home in Los Angeles, and subsequently discussed it on 'Good Morning America', on January 30, 2026.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 1986 Manhunter Young Woman Housebuyer 1988 Coming to America Rose Bearer 1994 Every Breath Woman #2 1999 Wild Wild West Girl In Water Tower 2001 Double Take Chloe 2002 Bad Company Nicole Second String Larissa Fullerton TV movie 2004 Barbershop 2: Back in Business Loretta 2005 American Gun Sarah 2007 I Know Who Killed Me Agent Julie Bascome Trudie Ericson TV movie 2009 Women in Trouble Maggie 2010 Eyes to See Marie Short 2012 David E. Talbert's Suddenly Single Samantha Stone Video Flight Deana Coleman 2013 White House Down Alison Sawyer And Then There Was You Natalie Gilbert 2014 Small Time Linda Girlfriends' Getaway Vicki Holmes TV movie 2015 Back to School Mom Dee Riley A Girl Like Grace Lisa Girlfriends Getaway 2 Vicki Holmes TV movie 2016 7 Days Herself Short film 2017 You Get Me Principal Spider-Man: Homecoming Doris Toomes 2018 Lalo's House Sister Francine Short 2021 Coming 2 America Grace 2022 Caught in His Web Detective Holland TV movie 2023 Black Girl Missing Cheryl TV movie 2024 Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted by Love Ava Denis TV movie2025Taken at a Truck Stop: A Black Girl Missing MovieKaiTV movie 2026 Terry McMillan Presents: Tempted 2 Love Ava Denis TV movie
Television