Below is a compiled list of the most interesting facts about Lisa Bonet. Check it out!
Lisa Bonet was born in San Francisco, California, to Arlene Joyce (Litman), a teacher, and Allen Bonet, an opera singer. She has lived most of her life in New York and Los Angeles; in L.A., she attended Reseda High School and Celluloid Actor’s Studio. Her father was African-American and her mother was Ashkenazi Jewish (from a family from Poland and Russia). Her parents divorced when she was young. She began acting in commercials at the age of 11. At age 16, she landed the role of Denise Huxtable in the hit comedy series The Cosby Show (1984). The show made her a popular actress. In the mid ’80s, she met Lenny Kravitz at a New Edition concert in Los Angeles. At the time, Lenny was a struggling, unknown musician who went by the name Romeo Blue. It wasn’t long after they started dating that Lisa and Lenny’s relationship was all over the tabloids. The two lovers were said to be soulmates, as they shared a neo-hippie persona and biracial background (Lenny is also half-black, half-Jewish). In 1987, Lisa and Lenny got married (they went to Las Vegas and eloped), and they had a daughter named Zoë in 1988. By 1989, Lenny had landed a record deal and recorded his first album, “Let Love Rule.” Lisa co-wrote a couple of songs on the album and was said to have been the inspiration for most of the album. Lisa even directed Lenny’s first video for “Let Love Rule.” But Lisa and Lenny’s relationship was full of problems from the start, including intense scrutiny from the media and Lenny’s reported infidelities. It was around this time that Lisa made a deliberate attempt to shed her “goody-two-shoes” Cosby daughter image by making the controversial movie Angel Heart (1987), in which she had racy nude and sex scenes. The backlash from making Angel Heart (1987) is rumored to have prompted Lisa’s exit from The Cosby Show (1984). But with Bill Cosby’s help, Lisa landed in another comedy series, A Different World (1987), in which she starred as a student at a historically black university. But perhaps because of her personal problems, Lisa began showing up late for work (or sometimes not at all), and she was fired from the series. She and Lenny separated in a bitter breakup and eventually divorced in 1993. Lenny’s second album, “Mama Said,” filled with songs about heartache, is said to be mostly about Lisa. After her divorce from Lenny, Lisa faded from the high-profile stardom she had experienced when she was in a relationship with him, while Lenny became more famous than his ex-wife. No longer an in-demand actress, Lisa occasionally made B movies, many of which went straight to video. In 1992, Lisa started dating yoga instructor Bryan Kest. They began living together and it was around that time that Lisa legally changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, although she still uses the name Lisa Bonet for her entertainment career. Lisa has said that she has deliberately cut back on acting so that she could spend more time with her family. However, she did make a brief return to the spotlight in 1998 by co-starring with Will Smith in the big-budget hit movie Enemy of the State (1998), and had an important role in High Fidelity (2000). Lisa has since become friends with her ex-husband Lenny again. And, in an “aren’t we all just one big happy family” situation, her best friend is Cree Summer, a former co-star on A Different World (1987) who released an album produced by her long-time friend Lenny Kravitz. It was Lisa who suggested that Lenny produce the album, and Lisa directed a promotional video for the album. As of 2007, Lisa lives in the Los Angeles area with her children.
Interesting Facts about Lisa Bonet
- Had her name legally changed to Lilakoi Moon in 1995.
- When she appeared semi-nude on the May 1988 cover of Rolling Stone magazine, (captured by Matthew Rolston) she was 2 months pregnant with daughter Zoë. As an homage to this striking image, Zoë Kravitz recreated the pose for the November 2018 Issue of Rolling Stone on which she also appeared semi-nude.
- The Lenny Kravitz song “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” was written about her.
- Has three children: a daughter Zoë Kravitz (Zoë Isabella Kravitz; b. December 1, 1988) with her then-husband, Lenny Kravitz; a daughter Lola Iolani Momoa (b. July 23, 2007) and a son Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa (b. December 15, 2008) with her second husband, Jason Momoa.
- Has had a hip-hop album tribute to her by the duo Felt (Slug of Atmosphere and Murs of Living Legends) entitled Felt 2: A tribute to Lisa Bonet. The first was entitled Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci.
- Gave birth to her first child at age 21, a daughter Zoë Kravitz (aka Zoë Isabella Kravitz) on December 1, 1988. Child’s father is her first husband, Lenny Kravitz.
- Gave birth to her second child at age 39, a daughter Lola Iolani Momoa on July 23, 2007. Child’s father is her then-boyfriend [now second husband], Jason Momoa.
- Does not own a television in her home nor allows it.
- Was mentioned in the 2003 song “Bob” by ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, which uses palindromic lyrics to parody the 1965 song “Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan: “Lisa Bonet ate no basil”.
- Former A Different World (1987) co-star Marisa Tomei is godmother of her daughter Zoë Kravitz.
- (November 3, 2017) Married her boyfriend of 12 years, Jason Momoa, in an intimate celebration in early October. They have two children together: 10-year-old daughter Lola and 8-year-old son Nakoa-Wolf.
Personal Quotes by Lisa Bonet
Having Zoe saved my life. It was my wake-up call. There were so many things I didn’t want to pass on to her.
Lisa Bonet
Success made me self-sufficient, but it also took away my anonymity. I’m just this quiet nobody, and all of a sudden people are nervous around me. That was kind of weird.
Lisa Bonet
The Cosby years were a major part of my life, but it is the past; I don’t really concentrate on it.
Lisa Bonet
Let those who know know, and let me keep what little privacy I can.
Lisa Bonet
My mother, brave woman, lost her whole family when she decided to marry a black man in the ’60s. When the marriage fell apart, she had to come back to her family.
Lisa Bonet
