Nia Peeples joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in April 2007 as Karen Taylor, a savvy political operative who, after managing Nikki Newman's senatorial campaign, landed a powerful executive position at Newman Enterprises.
Peeples found success in her first starring role on the hit television series Fame. She went on to star in independent films such as The Riff and Inside Out, as well as the big budget feature Blues Brothers 2000, Nielsen-topping mini-series Return to Lonesome Dove and the long-running series Walker, Texas Ranger. She also appeared in the critically acclaimed urban comedy I Don't Buy Kisses Any More and the surf cult classic North Shore, as well as film festival favorite Bruised. She portrayed a villainess in the action-thriller Half Past Dead, in which her fight scenes earned her a nomination for a World Stunt Award. Her most recent projects include Connor's War and a voice-over role in the upcoming animated film Firedog.
Emerging as a singer/dancer on Fame, Peeples carried this momentum into her career as a successful recording artist, whose accomplishments included Top 10 Pop and Club hits, a number one dance hit (Trouble), numerous Billboard and Cashbox awards, and an MTV choreography nomination. She also hosted Friday Night Street Party, the syndicated Nia Peeples' Party Machine and Top of the Pops. In addition, she developed a resume as a songwriter, penning tunes for both herself and other chart-topping artists and contributing songs to projects like A License to Kill, Melrose Place, The Cutting Edge and the animated feature, Firedog.
Peeples remains a popular musical artist, and has recently performed shows in Los Angeles, Chicago and Parma, Italy.
She has proven herself equally creative off-stage, and has written two screenplays, including "Educating Annie" which sold to Peace Arch Entertainment. In 2006, she directed Back in Love, a music video for Unified Tribe, Britain's number one soul band, and her film directorial debut, the short feature Treading Water (which she also co-wrote and produced) garnered an Honorable Mention at the Indie Producer Awards.
In her spare time, Peeples contributes her energy and resources to various non-profit groups, including VEPAG (Vision Entertainment Performance Art Group) which provides music and performance art opportunities to inner city children, as well as IHF (International Humanity Foundation), an international organization committed to the abolishment of child trafficking
In 2005, she traveled to the wilds of Indonesia, where, in the wake of the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated South East Asia, Peeples spent a month at sea in a 75-foot Bugi pirate schooner, delivering emergency supplies and medical care to the isolated villages on the west coast of Sumatra. An avid surfer, she has ridden the waves up and down the coast of California, as well as exploring for surf in more far-flung locales like Hawaii, Baja, Costa Rica and West Africa.
PLACE OF BIRTH: Hollywood, California
DATE OF BIRTH: December 10th, 1961
HEIGHT: 5'2"
MARITAL STATUS: Divorced; Guy Ecker [May 26th, 1984 to 1986]
MARITAL STATUS: Divorced; Howard Hewett [1989 - 1993]
MARITAL STATUS: Divorced; Lauro Chartrand [Nov 22, 1997 to Jun 1st, 2004]
CHILDREN: Two
