Lisa Bonet

Biography

Lisa Bonet is an American Model, TV/ movie actress.

Childhood- Family

Lisa Michelle Bonet was born on 16th November 1967 to an African American singer Allen Bonet (half Black, half Cheroke) from Texas, & Arlene Joyce Litman, a white Ashkenazi Jewish music teacher.

Mother

Lisa's parents separated when Lisa was still a baby. Lisa was raised by her mother Arlene in Losa Angeles, Arlene's ancestors are Polish and Russian immigrants. Mother Arlene died in 1999 from Ovarian cancer.

Father

[Lisa Bonet's father Allen bonet]

Lisa had an estranged relationship with her father, In an interview to PORTER, she has said [2]

When your primary male figure couldn't care less to show up, that can become a theme in your life

Lisa has seven half-siblings from her father's marriage to Deborah Church. Five half-sisters and two half-brothers. [3] [4]

1. Anjanine Bonet (sister)
2. Chiara Bonet (sister)
3. Kaemon Allen Bonet (brother)
4. Kolin Bonet (brother)
5. Kadhja Bonet (sister) (born 1988) (singer)
6. Aleia Bonet (sister)
7. Bria Bonet (sister)

Allen Bonet died on November 9th of 2018 from heart attack. [2]

Education

• Reseda High School: She studied at the Reseda Charter High School located in Reseda of San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles
• Birmingham High School: She graduated from the Birmingham Community Charter High School, a charter coeducational high school in Lake Balboa district in the San Fernando Valley.
• She attended the Celluloid Actor's Studio in North Hollywood to study acting.

Marriage- Relationships

Lenny Kravitz

[Lisa Bonet with Lenny in her youth]

Eloping & Marriage: On her 20th birthday (November 16, 1987) Lisa ran away with singer & writer Lenny Kravitz (23 at that time) to Las Vegas and got married.

Both Lisa & her first husband Lenny are half black and half Jewish, Lisa believes this shared background made them familiar to each other and knowledge of being both black and jew made them trust each other bit more freely. They have a daughter together- Zoë Isabella Kravitz, born on December 1st of 1988.

Lenny Kravitz wrote the song "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over" on Lisa. In his album "LEt Love rule", Lisa and Lenny co-wrote lyrics in a couple of songs.

Lisa and Lenny had a bitter breakup which officially ended in a divorce in 1993. 

[Lisa Bonet with daughter Zoe]

Bryan Kest

She dated Yoga instructor Bryan Kest around 1992, they started living together. In 1993 Lisa changed her name to Lilakoi Moon, however her professional name still remains Lisa Bonet.

Jason Mamao

[Lisa Bonet with her family: husband Jason, daughter Lola, son Nakoa]

Jason Mamao (Khal Drogo of Game of Thrones fame, and then the Aquaman) has had crush on Lisa since her the Cosby Show Days. Lisa and Jason Momoa met at a Jazz club in L.A in 2004, he needed a lift home and she offered to help, they stopped at a cafe on the way.. they started dating in 2005, they got married on November 15, 2007.

Jason Mamao and Lenny (Lisa's first husband) get along well and Lisa's first daughter likes that her Dad and step-father can get along well.

The couple's first child, a daughter named Lola was born on July 23, 2007. An year later they had a son named Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa born on December 15, 2008.

Lisa is 13 years older than Jason . Lisa is a tiny 5 feet 2 inches while Jason Mamao is a gigantic 6 feet 4 inches. Lisa & Jason appear in the movie Road to Paloma as lovers.

Jason is believed to have said that he did not want his wife to see his role in GOT.

The couple quietly seprated on October 7, 2020. The separation was officially announced in January of 2022. Lisa filed for divorce on 8th of January 2024, citing irreconcilable differences, the divorced was granted just a day later.

Career

Lisa began her acting career at the age of 11. Lisa came to the glamour industry as a child artist, she had been into modeling in her youth as well.

She appeared in the movie Angel Heart(1987) with Mickey Rourke in the male lead, directed by Alan Parker. Her bold appearance in the movie was scandalous, she had shed quite a lot for the movie, some critics consider it a work of art.

Going Topless: Lisa appeared topless in the magazine Interview.  She appeared semi-nude on the cover page of magazine Rolling Stone (1988), she was 2 months pregnant with daughter Zoe at the time. In a homage to the classic pic, her daughter Zoe Kravitz recreated the sem-naked pose for the November 2018 issue of Rolling Stone.

The Cosby Show

Her appearance as Denise Huxtable in The Cosby Show brought her the initial popularity. 

She was fired from "The Cosby Show" in 1992, which in hindsight might have been a blessing.

Spirit of the Forest

In 1989, Lisa worked with multiple artists such as Jon Anderson, The B-52;s, Afrika Bambaataa, Big Country, Brother Beyond, Sam Brown, Kate Bush, Belinda Carlisle, Rita Coolidge, Gal Costa and others under the direction of Storm Thorgerson to make a video to raise awareness about the Rainforest concerns.

Why Bother Voting?

 In 1992 Lisa hosted , an election related show with the intention of raising awareness about importance of voting.

Filmography

Movies

TV Series

Music Videos

Philanthropy & Activism

• Operation Venice Heart: She worked with 'Operation Venice Heart' a non-profit organization that helps troubled incarcerated youth in Los Angeles. The organization visits youth at juvenile centers and listens to them, lending them a shoulder.

Trivia & Interesting facts

• Lisa is a Vegetarian.
• Lisa was mentioned in the song Bob(2003) by Weird Al Yankovic, the song used the palindromic lyrics "Lisa Bonet ate no basil", in parody to Bob Dylan's 1965 song "Subterranean Homesick Blues" [5]
• She believes in Karma [2]
• Car accident: Lisa was involved in a car accident in 2011, she was in her Audi car with her children Nakoa and Lola when the incident happened in Burbank, California. They were hit by a  Toyota Camry. All the three were hurt, but there was no serious injury. Lisa filed a complaint against the driver for reckless driving and hurting
• Marisa Tomei, Lisa's co-star from "A Different World (1987) " is godmother of her daughter Zoë Kravitz. [5]
• She doesn't own a Television, her house has one computer, she doesn't use phone in front of the children. [2] [5]
• She loves animals, has two wolf-Alaskan Malamute hybrids Amba and Zion, and a donkey named Freya in her 5 acre free space around her house. [2]
• The band Felt, released a tribute album "Felt 2: A tribute to Lisa Bonet", their first tribute album was "Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci"
•  

Awards

Quotes

• The black kids called me an Oreo. The white kids didn't talk to me. When I went to temple, I was miserable.
• It's okay to be a freak.
• My life is art. It's how I express God. [5]
• What saddens me is the corruption of youth and beauty, and the loss of soul, which is only replaced by money.  [5]
• It's from our sufferings that we form our consciousness.
• Everyone has their story. Everyone has issues. You have to face your fears. [5]
• I did not have one date in high school.
• Prisons are like the concentration camps of our time. So many go in and never come out, and primarily they're black and Latino. [5]
• I took solace in my relationship with God who, along with my dog, was my best friend growing up. [5]
• About her bold role in Angel Heart, "It's nothing that hasn't been done before or that hasn't been seen before"
• [ON Bill Cosby] There was no knowledge on my part about [Bill Cosby’s] specific actions, but… There was just energy. And that type of sinister, shadow energy cannot be concealed [2]

Sources

1. Lisa Bonet on wikipedia
2. PORTER Interview
3. Allen Bonet geneology
4. Father side's family relations, more
5. IMDB bio
6.