Imani Duckett

Imani Duckett was born on March 28, 1999 in New York City. She is an actress that is famous for being the daughter of well-known actress, Jasmine Guy.

Background

Imani’s country of birth is the United States of America, she is also known as Imani Guy Duckett. Her mother, Jasmine Guy works as an American actress, singer, and producer. Her father is Terrence Mitchell Duckett. Her parents, Jasmine Guy and Terrence Mitchell Duckett divorced in 2008 when Imani was only 9 years old.

Under that circumstance of the split and divorce, Imani went into Jasmine's custody. Her mother doesn't have any more children besides Imani. She was raised by her mother, an actress who developed the love for acting and dancing in Imani. Always being surrounded by her caring mother was very important for Imani’s development.

Imani’s maternal grandfather is a preacher from Boston, Massachusetts and is of African-American ethnicity. Her maternal grandmother is a White American from Cape Verde. Her grandparents’ mixed coupling is what gives her mom her unique biracial look. Imani has one aunt, Monica Guy who is also an actress, but not as famous as her mother.

Although her mother comes from a religious background, Imani did not follow the same route. Her mother never pushed her to do anything without her own will and approval, so Imani isn't a religious person because she is growing up in a time where religion is not as important as it was in the past.

Education

Imani Duckett attends a high school in Atlanta, the city where her mother went to school and was raised in as a young woman. Along with her high school education, Imani also attends some acting courses and dancing classes so she can become just like her mother.

Her mother attended the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. She believes she inherited the gift for acting and dancing from her mother, Jasmine Guy.

Mother’s Legendary Acting Career

Imani was be always proud to watch her mother act in her famous roles on The Cosby Show, The Vampire Diaries, Drop Dead Diva, and a Different World. Her mother also starred in movies like Harlem Nights, October Baby, and Scary Movie. Since Imani was not born when most of her mother’s work was released, she is grateful for the digital era because she can now access her mom’s full catalog with ease.

The career of her mother started way back in 1988, when she starred as Dina in a musical-drama film entitled School Daze which was directed by legendary director, Spike Lee. Later she appeared in the famous TV show, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She played the part of Kayla, who was the girlfriend of Will Smith.

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In an interview with NPR, Imani’s mother Jasmine was asked about her iconic role as Whitley Gilbert, the snobby college girl from the south. The character on the black sitcom “A Different World” was memorable because it gave America a different look at the faces of young black youth.

Since it was such a legendary role, NPR asked Jasmine about the impact it has had on her life, “Well, you know, when I was doing the role, I didn't realize the power of the show, the power of - the effect that we were having on the nation, the outside community. We had - I mean, now, these numbers seem enormous, you know? Twenty million viewers a week, 30 million viewers a week, you know, with so many more channels and choices, we don't get those kind of numbers. But I felt at the time I was part of something special, especially being a "Cosby" spin-off, which, of course, "The Cosby Show" was iconic at the time that it was on television.”

One impact that can’t be measured by numbers but by feeling is how it morphed behavior in black colleges, “What has been amazing to me is the effect that the show has had on young people going to college and the exposure that we've given to historically black colleges, which I also didn't realize because I grew up in Atlanta, across the street from Morehouse College, actually. I didn't realize that so many people didn't know about historically black colleges and the importance of them in our country. So those things had been revealed to me in the last, you know, 10, 15 years since the show has been off the air. Well, not off the air, but since I haven't been doing it.”

Carving Her Own Path

Imani definitely has a role model for her career in her loving mother. Imani recently made her acting debut in the Atlanta stage play entitled Serial Black Face. The production was directed by Freddie Ashley. She took a part in the play as Latoya, a teenage rebel and the daughter of Vivian living during the time of the 1979 Atlanta Child Murders.

Imani's biography doesn't boast with enormous career experience like he mother because she is just getting started. She is already getting a lot of attention and praise for her acting in the stage play. People see that she has the same gifts as her mother and they are eagerly waiting for her to blossom as she moves through her career.

Personal Life

There is little is known about Imani's personal life because she is such a young woman with minimal life experiences. She enjoys her mother's net worth of $2 million and is a big lover of fashion, which can be seen by her rare appearances with her famous mother in public.

The young lady doesn't like to expose herself in the public and media eye. She doesn't have any social media accounts like most of her peers have. She has never gave a TV interview or the interview for the media. She just wants to focus on acting and her education. It is impressive that she has not got caught up in being a social media addict like the people in her generation because she wants to become a great actress like her mother without any distractions.

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