TYLER PERRY’S FOR BETTER OR WORSE returns JULY 13 AT 9/8C
ABOUT –
Tyler Perry’s newest sitcom centers around two of Perry’s favorite characters from the big screen, Marcus and Angela. Marcus and Angela were first introduced to the world in Tyler Perry’s blockbuster hit feature films, “Why Did I Get Married?” and “Why Did I Get Married Too?” For Better Or Worse is a new dramedy that will follow the tumultuous relationship of the lovesick couple. Tasha Smith and Michael Jai White are back to reprise their roles in the half-hour show. Michael plays Marcus, an ex-football player turned sports commentator. Tasha Smith will resume her role as Angela, the edgy and outspoken wife of Marcus, who is intent on giving him hell every step of the way. The show will also follow the lives of those who Marcus and Angela call their friends. For Better Or Worse is groundbreaking television and is the biggest TV show that movie mogul Tyler Perry has ever produced. The sets, high fashion and strikingly good-looking cast come together to create a truly sexy and provocative half-hour of television. Viewers will experience a fresh approach to the traditional sitcom format that will provide all the elements of well-crafted storytelling and the raw intrigue of reality TV. For Better Or Worse explores the controversial and joyous moments associated with marriage and dating in the 21st century world. Like always, viewers will leave with life-changing messages that have become a trademark of the Perry brand of entertainment.
CHARACTER BIOS.
Tasha Smith as Angela Williams
Tasha Smith as Angela Williams
Angela Williams is a spark plug. She runs her life, salon, family, and home with intensity and passion. This successful and affluent businesswoman is not hard to please; but those who can’t please her will have a hard time. A devoted mother and loving wife, Angela has been married to her husband for thirteen years. She demands respect and values trust, perhaps more than anything else. She wants nothing more than to keep drama out of her house… although it seems to live at her doorstep.
As a dedicated and consummate performer, Tasha Smith brings style and intense character portrayals to the screen. Her outstanding performances have garnered widespread reactions from audiences and critics alike. Tyler Perry was so impressed with her stellar work, that he cast her to star in three of his films, including Lionsgate’s Daddy’s Little Girls, opposite Idris Elba and Gabrielle Union; the #1 box office hit Why Did I Get Married?, alongside Janet Jackson and Jill Scott; and its sequel, Why Did I Get Married Too? All three films have grossed over $146 million domestically combined.
On and off the silver screen, Smith seems to naturally command attention. Most recently, she co-starred in the #1 box office hit romantic comedy Couples Retreat, opposite Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Faizon Love. She also recently co-starred in the family sports drama, The Longshots, with Ice Cube and Keke Palmer and was most recently seen in the hit wedding comedy, Jumping the Broom, with Angela Bassett, Paula Patton, Laz Alonso, Loretta Devine, Mike Epps, Romeo Miller and Pooch Hall.
Smith has played a wide range of roles in such feature films as ATL, with T.I. and Mykelti Williamson; The Good Mother, with Angie Harmon and Joel Gretsch; and The Whole Ten Yards, with Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. She has also starred in several independent films, including Miles from Home, with Meagan Good and Ty Hodges; Playa’s Ball, with Allen Payne and Elise Neal; Something Like a Business, with Kevin Hart and David Alan Grier; and Pastor Brown, with Salli Richardson and Ernie Hudson.
Smith is well known for her critically acclaimed portrayal of the drug-addicted Ronnie Boyce in HBO’s Emmy-winning miniseries The Corner, directed by Charles S. Dutton. She has guest-starred on such popular television shows as Nip/Tuck, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, The Game, Girlfriends, All of Us, Without a Trace and Strong Medicine, among others. Smith has also served as the executive producer and host of her own talk show for the Oxygen Network, ; guest-hosted the late night show Later with Greg Kinnear; and appeared as the acting coach on America’s Next Top Model and as a field correspondent on The Tyra Banks Show.
Smith takes the time to share her inspirational life story through motivational speaking and mentors emerging actors through the Tasha Actors Workshop (TSAW). A native of Camden, New Jersey, she recently inked a publishing deal to write her first book. In her free time, the newlywed loves to work out, cook gourmet meals and entertain friends at her home in Los Angeles.
Michael Jai White as Marcus Williams
Michael Jai White as Marcus Williams
A former professional football player, Marcus Williams transitioned from the gridiron to the television studio. Along with two business partners, he packaged and produced “C-Sports Now”, a highly rated sports television show. His career is going well; but baby mama drama, as well as the residue of a lifestyle that attracts parasites, always provides distractions. This fierce competitor simply wants to be the best at what he does: whether it’s being a sportscaster, father, or husband.
Michael Jai White reprises his role as Marcus from the popular Why Did I Get Married? movies in the new TBS series For Better or Worse. He first garnered audience and critical attention with his portrayal of controversial boxing giant Mike Tyson in the HBO special Tyson. With more than two decades years of experience as a martial artist, he holds a black belt in six Karate styles and over 26 competition titles. His well-honed skills have been employed to choreograph complex stunts in films such as On Deadly Ground.
In addition to Tyson, White’s feature credits include Spawn, in which he played the title character based on the Todd McFarlane comic books; 2 Days in the Valley; Breakfast of Champions, with Bruce Willis; Thick As Thieves, with Alec Baldwin; Universal Solder: The Return, with Jean Claude van Damme; Exit Wounds, with Steven Seagal; and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
White’s television credits include the NBC movie Mutiny, based on factual events during World War II in which he played the lead character. The film was directed by Kevin Hooks and produced by Morgan Freeman. He also appeared in the TNT original movie Freedom Song, starring and executive produced by Danny Glover; the NBC drama Wonderland; and episodes of NYBD Blue, JAG, Living Single and Renegade.
Most recently, White starred in The Dark Knight; the box office smash Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married? and Why Did I Get Married Too?; Undisputed 2; Black Dynamite, which he also wrote and co-produced; and the upcoming Never Back Down 2, which he is also directing.
White was born in Brooklyn and as a pre-teen was relocated to Bridgeport, Connecticut. At age 14, he was mostly on his own and, at six feet tall and weighing in at 190 lbs, was easily mistaken for an adult. Having started karate lessons at age 8, he was a black belt by age 12, and later taught karate in Bridgeport.
White graduated high school with honors and went on to college without a clear idea of the direction he wanted to steer his life. He jumped from university to university and major to major while also squeezing in an acting class or two (at the HB Studios in NY, Yale University and Howard University), but never had considered acting as a career choice.
White discovered he had a gift for reaching troubled children when he taught middle school for three years, which he calls his proudest achievement. Though reluctant to follow acting, he felt he had to get it out of his system. He began auditioning for roles in nearby Manhattan, eventually landing commercials, theater roles and bit parts on soap operas. Faced with the difficult decision to leave teaching, he finally did so with the blessing of his students. In 1992 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
Crystle Stewart as Leslie
Crystle Stewart as Leslie
Leslie is a great combination of beauty and brains. She has a lucrative career as a real estate agent, and is one of Angela’s closest friends. She is an independent, driven woman who maintains a calm point of view. Leslie is not one to jump to irrational conclusions. She and her dog, Fifi, are frequent visitors to Lady Angie’s Salon.
A native from Missouri City, Texas, Crystle Stewart won the title of Miss Texas on her fifth attempt, which led to her being crowned Miss USA. She also excelled in sports and won a silver medal in the 4×400 meter relay during the 1994 Junior Olympics.
The University of Houston graduate is a fourth-generation educator and teacher. She is also the founder of her own company, Inside/Out, which she uses as a platform for public speaking appearances and character development lessons.
As Miss USA, Stewart was a spokesperson for breast and ovarian cancer education, research and legislation, a platform that is close to her heart. Stewart found a lump in her own breast that was eventually diagnosed as benign, but her experience is a testament to the importance of early prevention. She continues as an advocate for several breast cancer organizations. Stewart also donates her time to an organization that assists individuals who have learning disabilities. She plans on continuing her work with autistic children, whom she taught as a special education teacher’s aid at Elkins High School.
Stewart loves retail therapy; especially shopping for make up and she often acts as a “personal make up artist” for her close friends on special occasions and date-nights. She currently makes her home in Los Angeles, California.
Kent Faulcon as Richard Ellington
Kent Faulcon as Richard Ellington
Richard is in the midst of the biggest transition of his life. He’s newly divorced and just left his secure six-figure corporate job to go into business with Marcus and Joseph. While all three partners were close friends in college, Richard’s underlying jealousy of Marcus is surfacing. Richard is dating and plans to marry Keisha, the mother of Marcus’ daughter. Richard, a former baseball player, serves as the producer at “C-Sports Now”.
Kent Faulcon, an actor/writer/director who appears regularly in leading and supporting television and film roles, enjoys a career that provides him with the best of all worlds: the opportunity to work with the most recognized actors and directors in the biggest films in the business and the freedom to work on smaller projects he cares about. Faulcon is a versatile and classically trained Shakespearean actor who has been seen in memorable films like War of the Worlds, Men in Black and Die Hard: With A Vengeance.
As a familiar face on stage and the small screen, Faulcon has had lead and supporting roles in Bones, 24, CSI Miami, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Love That Girl, Boston Legal, Shark, Desperate Housewives and Girlfriends. He’s enjoyed recurring roles on Lincoln Heights, Showtime’s Soul Food series, Charmed, Joan of Arcadia and, more recently, Days of Our Lives. His stage credits include playing Orlando in the L.A. Shakespeare Festival’s As You Like It and Don Pedro in at the John Ford Amphitheatre under the direction of Tony Plana (Ugly Betty).
Faulcon has always found writing and directing to be complementary to his work as an actor. His latest project, Sister’s Keeper (with Eric Roberts and Denise Boutté), is a crowd-pleasing action-drama he wrote and directed and in which he starred. The story of a hardened assassin assigned to kill a beautiful small-town teacher was recently released nationally and internationally on DVD.
Faulcon has produced, directed, and sometimes starred in several short film projects, including Whiteline, Love on Ave. A and Karma. His one-act play Eleventh Hour of the Dinosaur was featured as a staged reading at Playwrights’ Horizons in New York City, where Faulcon was a member of the theater’s African-American Writers Unit. His screenplay Reel Men, about the life of film great Oscar Micheaux, received thunderous praise at its staged reading (performed by Delroy Lindo and Lisa Gay Hamilton) at The Nuyorican Poets Café in New York. The script was later optioned by a major studio.
Jason Olive as Joseph Jetsen
Jason Olive as Joseph Jetsen
Joseph Jetsen enjoyed a successful career as a professional tennis player before joining Marcus as one of the owners of “C-Sports Now”. He serves as Marcus’ right hand man on the anchor desk, as well as in their friendship that they’ve maintained since college. Joseph has been living with Leslie for three years. Getting married is not on his agenda; he has seen his share of bad marriages and wants no part of it. Joseph is the level-headed, rational partner in the “C-Sports Now” ownership trio.
Jason Olive attended the University of Hawai’i on an English Scholarship. There he received a bachelor’s degree in English literature and minored in theatre. A student athlete, he was also a First Team All-American in volleyball and recipient of the University’s top athletic honor, the Jack Bonham Award, as well as the State of Hawaii’s top academic leadership honor, the Governor’s Award for Academic Excellence. While attending college, Olive also embarked on an illustrious career as a fashion model. He holds the distinction of being one of the first African-American male supermodel and has appeared in numerous A-list campaigns, editorials and magazine covers.
Olive embarked on his acting career in 1998, appearing in commercials for multiple apparel lines and many other products. In a break out performance, Olive played a lead role in the period piece Feast of All Saints, a film adapted from Anne Rice’s novel by acclaimed director Peter Medak. In 2003, he finished a nine-month stint on ABC’s All My Children as Dr. Frank Hubbard. After leaving the show, Olive played Kate Hudson’s “fashionably friendly friend” in the feature film Raising Helen, directed by Garry Marshall. Olive, then appeared as a series regular on the critically acclaimed HBO comedy series The Comeback, produced by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King.
In 2007, Olive completed four films, including lead roles in A Jersey Christmas, directed by Eric Weber, and Reversion directed by Mia Trachinger, which was an official selection of the Sundance Film Festival and won the Indie Film Contest Awards. Olive returned to his love of volleyball to film Beach Kings, directed by Paul Nihipali.
Olive returned to comedy playing a guest lead in Tyler Perry’s hit comedy show House of Payne and recurring roles on The Game and CW’s revamp of Melrose Place. He was recently on the FOX comedy Traffic Light.
Olive was seen earlier in the year on the big screen in Greg Araki’s new critically acclaimed film Kaboom, which was bought by IFC after it premiered to a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival and was awarded the inaugural Gay Palm award. Kaboom was also an official selection for the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. This year also saw the release of the feature film 818, directed by Robert Lee King, which premiered at the Miami Film Festival.
Kiki Haynes
KiKi Haynes as Keisha
Kiki Haynes, a native of New Jersey, is a talented actress who has graced the pages of national magazines, print ad campaigns, commercials and in the worlds of theatre, film and television.
Haynes began her acting career in 2000 after landing a role in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled. Other film credits include Shaft (2000), directed by John Singleton, and Brown Sugar (2002), directed by Rick Famuyiwa. She then went on to book guest-starring roles on daytime TV’s As the World Turns (2002) and 100 Centre Street (2002).
In 2003, Haynes made the decision to move to Los Angeles. Upon her arrival, she continued her success by immediately booking a role in the hilarious comedy Nora’s Hair Salon (2004), directed by Jerry Lamothe, and a guest-starring role on Strong Medicine. Other film credits include Tournament of Dreams (2007), starring Tony Todd; Restraining Order (2006), starring James Avery and N’Bushe Wright; Double Duty (2009), starring Tom Sizemore and Karen Black; My Girlfriend’s Back (2010), starring Malik Yoba and Oba Babatunde; and the romantic comedy Cream Soda (2010). Haynes also starred in the hit stage play The Bachelorette Party, written and directed by Don B Welch, and co produced by Fred Thomas Jr. and Will Smith. The show completed a 10 city nation-wide tour in 2007 and closed in Los Angeles in 2008 with a record of 126 performances. Haynes has also appeared in national commercials for several international brands.
Source: http://www.tbs.com/shows/forbetterorworse/
3 Responses to TYLER PERRY’S FOR BETTER OR WORSE returns JULY 13 AT 9/8C
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Yes, Great Job to Tyler Perry and the entire cast & crew!! The colorful wardrobe for this show is fabulous! Check out a few Wrap Party Pics from For Better or Worse! http://sonyasspotlight.com/?cat=16
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rosheda says:
on the episode just say no what was that blue and black dress that tasha smith had on i would like to get it??????????
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wow does Crystal and Denise Vasi look like twins..love this show..great cast, writing and directing. Great job Tyler Perry.
Excited about being Head Wardrobe Stylist on an upcoming show 🙂