Biography
Naturi Naughton was not even born when "Fame" (1980) premiered in theaters, so she could not have predicted that she would one day be a part of the legendary film and television franchise. Before she was an actress, however, Naughton found fame of a different sort in the musical group 3LW until her infamous exit from the band in 2002. Her solo career flourished when she performed in Broadway's "Hairspray" and took on the role of Lil' Kim in …
Career Milestones
| Began singing with the New Hope Baptist church choir | ||
1999 | Formed the musical group 3LW, which stood for Three Little Women, with Adrienne Bailon and Kiely Williams; released their self-titled debut album and first single "No More (Baby I'm A Do Right)" in 2000 | |
2001 | 3LW embarked on the "MTV Total Request Live" tour along with Destiny's Child, Dream, Nelly, Eve, and Jessica Simpson | |
2002 | 3LW released second album, "A Girl Can Mack," but shortly after, Naughton announced she was no longer a member of the group; Naughton claimed Williams allegedly threw a hot plate of food at her during a heated argument at Kentucky Fried Chicken; group replaced Naughton with Jessica Benson | |
2005 | Played Little Inez on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical "Hairspray" | |
2009 | Cast as musical artist Lil Kim in controversial biopic "Notorious," about slain rapper Notorious B.I.G. | |
2009 | Played an aspiring singer-pianist in the remake of "Fame"; film also starred Kay Panabaker, Megan Mullally, and Kelsey Grammer | |
2010 | Co-starred opposite Bow Wow and Ice Cube in the comedy "Lottery Ticket" | |
2011 | Cast on NBC's 1960s drama "The Playboy Club" as Bunny Brenda, a woman seeking to be the first African-American Playboy Playmate | |