Karyn Parsons decided to go into acting at the age of 13. She had her first TV role in the NBC drama The Bronx Zoo (1987), but she made her big break as Will Smith's cousin Hilary Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince Of Bel air (1990). During the show's six year run she starred in movies such as Class Act (1992) and Major Payne (1995). After the Fresh Prince she starred in the short-lifted sitcom Lush Life, co-starring Lori Petty, which only lasted three episodes before it was cancelled. In 1998 she starred in her first lead role in the award-winning movie Mixing Nia (1998). She guest-starred in TV sitcoms before starring in 13 Moons (2002), in which she met her husband, Director Alexandre Rockwell, whom she married in 2003. After their wedding they had a child and now live in New York.