Essence Atkins Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Essence Atkins is a model and actress. She is known for appearing in the sitcoms Smart Guy, Half & Half, and Are We There Yet? Essence has more than 300k followers on Instagram and more than 200k followers on Twitter. She started her career in 1986 with an appearance on the show The Cosby Show.

Born Name

Essence Uhura Atkins

Nick Name

Esscence

Sun Sign

Aquarius

Born Place

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Residence

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Nationality

Education

Essence grew up in St. Albans and studied at Professional Children’s School in Manhattan which unlike regular schools allowed her to maintain her intensive dance training schedule in ballet and modern dance.

Through her dance school, Essence bagged the opportunity to audition for The Cosby Show. After finishing school, she started working as an actor and discontinued her dance training.

Occupation

Actress, Model, AIDS activist

Family

• Father – Jeffery Atkins
• Mother – Sandy Nelson
• Siblings – None; her parents got divorced soon after Essence was born.

Manager

She is signed with –

• Kathy McComb Management
• Don Buchwald & Associates

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 2 in or 157 cm

Weight

52 kg or 115 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Essence Atkins has dated –

1. Ron Truppa (2001–2003) – Essence dated actor turned entrepreneur Ron Truppa in the early 2000s when he was still struggling as an actor.
2. Eric Benét (2004–2005) – She briefly dated Halle Berry’s second ex-husband Eric who is a famous R&B and neo-soul singer, songwriter, and musician. They possibly met on the sets of the sitcom, Half & Half when Eric was cast for a one episode guest appearance while Essence had one of the lead roles.
3. Jamie Mendez (2008–2016) – After years of dating many actors, Essence stated that she got tired of relationships with men who lacked a stable professional life and were usually broke or struggling. She decided to register on Match.com but she did not share her photograph and discretely got in touch with suitable profiles. On Valentine’s Day 2008, Essence met Kansas State University’s former football safety turned business owner, Jamie Mendez III. He is Puerto Rican. The couple got married in September 2009 and had a son named Varro Blair Mendez on Christmas day in December 2011 through an emergency C-section after Essence went through 40 hours of labor. After 7 years of marriage, Essence announced her divorce with Jamie in September 2016.
4. Marlon Wayans – Actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter, Marlon Wayans created a sitcom named after him which was also loosely based on his real life. He cast Essence as a co-lead in that show. Since the duo has a long history of working together, people often speculate if they are a couple or if they would consider dating. Essence clarified during a radio interview, that in their hearts, they already know if a romance has the potential to last long-term or not which may not be possible between Marlon and Essence. She does not want to risk ruining her professional relationship with Marlon due to a momentary fling and hence, they continue to remain, just good friends and respectful colleagues, a relationship that Essence would like to sustain forever.

Race / Ethnicity

Black

She is African-American.

Hair Color

Black (Natural)

She frequently dyes her hair in different shades of brown and blonde.

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Broad Forehead
• Round, prominent eyes with visible eyelids
• Small, sharp nose and symmetrical lips

Religion

Christianity

Best Known For

• Playing comedic roles in television sitcoms of which two of her most popular characters are that of Dee Dee Thorne in Half & Half (2002–2006) and Suzanne Kingston-Persons in Are We There Yet? (2010–2012) opposite Terry Crews.
• Also popularly remembered for her character of Kisha Davis in the horror comedies, A Haunted House (2013) and A Haunted House 2 (2014)

First Film

At the age of 28, Essence was cast to play the lead role of a 17-year-old teenager in Nikita Blues (2001). This was her first theatrical film appearance.

First TV Show

Essence had a 1 episode guest appearance as Paula Young on The Cosby Show in 1986 which was one of the biggest sitcoms in the 1980s on American television.

Personal Trainer

• To stay fit, Essence trains under the guidance of a close friend, actress & celebrity trainer, AJ Johnson who is also the Godmother to Essence’s son.
• Over the years, the actress has stayed particular about never missing out on her morning cardio. Essence is fond of running and skipping as a source of stress release. Making time for either of these two activities in the morning helps her to retain her focus for the remaining part of the day.
• She exercises all her dietary practices in moderation and stays mindful of her water consumption. Essence eats animal meat as well as enjoys drinking alcohol but never consumes either of the two things in excess.

Essence Atkins Favorite Things

• Dish She Likes To Cook – Arroz con Gandules, rice with pigeon peas (Puerto Rican Dish)
• Era Of Music – Anything from the 1980s such as Journey, Sade, and Madonna

Source – BlackNews

Essence Atkins Facts

1. In school, Essence was primarily training to be a ballet dancer, but a call for an audition on the notice board of her school corridor for The Cosby Show set her on a completely different track in life.
2. Her middle name is inspired by the character of Lieutenant Uhura in Star Trek.
3. Essence’s mother was taken by surprise when she was born because she was expecting a boy and had not thought of any girls’ names. Her father came up with the name Essence stating that she would be the sum of all the good and beautiful aspects of her mother.
4. The actress loves reading novels and likes to read before bedtime.
5. Essence stated that she faced a lot of criticism for registering on Match.com and some people even labeled her as ‘desperate’. She frequently looks back at this time with a laugh because after 2015, the tables have turned and most people are registered on several dating applications.
6. She was one of the multi-starrer cast members of K-Ci and JoJo’s music video of This Very Moment (2002).
7. Actress Gabrielle Union is her best friend.
8. Essence was cast as the daughter of John Marshall Jones’ character in the 90s sitcom called Smart Guy (1997–1999) even though she is only less than 10 years younger than him.
9. AIDS became a frightening phenomenon for the first time in the 1980s which deeply effected Essence. Hence, the actress has been actively promoting awareness and information about the disease since many years and was a part of Greater Than Aids commercial in 2015.
10. To find out more about the actress, follow her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Featured Image by Essence Atkins / Instagram