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Nia Peeples
Peeples in 2013
Born	Virenia Peeples (1961-12-10) December 10, 1961 (age 63) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	1981–present
Television	The Party Machine with Nia Peeples Fame
Spouses	Guy Ecker ​ ​(m. 1984; div. 1986)​ Howard Hewett ​ ​(m. 1989; div. 1993)​ Lauro Chartrand ​ ​(m. 1997; div. 2004)​ Sam George ​(m. 2004)​
Children	2

Virenia "Nia" Peeples (born December 10, 1961) is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the TV series Fame; Pam Fields on the drama Pretty Little Liars; Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless; Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger; and as Grace's mom, Susan, on The Fosters.

Early life

Peeples was born December 10, 1961, in Hollywood, California, the daughter of Elizabeth Joan (née Rubic), a flamenco dancer, and Robert Eugene Peeples. She was raised in West Covina. Her maternal grandparents were immigrants from the Philippines. Her father, who was originally from Mississippi, was of Scottish, English, and Irish ancestry. Peeples attended UCLA during which time she performed as Liberace's opening act in Las Vegas on weekends.

Personal life

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Peeples lives in Malibu, California, and has one son Christopher (b. 1989 with ex-husband Howard Hewett) and one daughter Sienna (b. 1998) with her former husband, Lauro Chartrand.

She operates an internet based organization called Elements of Life, which promotes fitness, inspiration, healthy lifestyle changes and emotional well-being. She worked with business coach Amy Applebaum on its development.

Career

Music

Peeples started her career as part of the performance group The Young Americans. In 1988 she hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Trouble", which climbed to #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her most successful pop single is "Street Of Dreams", which hit #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1991. She made a music video in 1986 for "All You Can Dream", directed by Alan Bloom and conceptualized by Keith Williams, for the purposes of promoting the values of UCLA. On February 4, 2009, Peeples presented Debbie Allen with a Lifetime Achievement Award at The Carnival: Choreographer's Ball 10th anniversary show. Peeples also attends and performs at the annual live Fame Reunion concerts overseas.

Acting

Notably, Peeples portrayed performing arts student Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series Fame. In 1987, she was in the movie North Shore as Kiani. She also hosted the short-lived American version of Top of the Pops in 1987, a weeknight dance music program called The Party Machine with Nia Peeples (1991), and portrayed Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke in the CBS hit series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1999 to 2001. In 2004, she appeared in the Andromeda episode "The Spider's Stratagem", as arms smuggler and love-interest Rox Nava. Peeples joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2007, playing the role of Karen Taylor, and was released from the role in the spring of 2009. In 2010, she was cast in ABC Family's TV series Pretty Little Liars, based on the book series by Sara Shepard. Peeples was featured on the July 7, 2013 episode of Celebrity Wife Swap, in which she traded places with singer Tiffany.

Discography

Albums

• Nothin' But Trouble (1988) – US #97
• Nia Peeples (1991)
• Songs of the Cinema (2007)

Singles

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. New York: Billboard. p. 503. ISBN 9780823085545.
2. ^ "Nia Peeples 2003 Philippine Daily Inquirer Interview - Fame Episode Guide". Retrieved February 9, 2013.
3. "Nia's Elements of Life |". Niaselementsoflife.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
4. ^ "Billboard > Artists / Nia Peeples > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
5. ^ "Billboard > Artists / Nia Peeples > Chart History > The Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
6. "The Carnival: Getting The "Groove On" For 10 Years". Hollywire.com. February 2, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
7. "ABC Family Announces Pick-Up Of Dramas Huge And Pretty Little Liars" (PDF) (Press release). ABC Family. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 7, 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
8. "Nia Peeples, Tiffany". Celebrity Wife Swap. Season 2. Episode 6. July 7, 2013. ABC.
9. "Billboard > Artists / Nia Peeples > Chart History > Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
10. "Billboard > Artists / Nia Peeples > Chart History > Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
11. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 215.
12. "RPM 100 Singles > Nia Peeples". RPM Magazine. Archived from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2013.

External links

• Official website
• Nia Peeples at AllMovie
• Nia Peeples at AllMusic
• Nia Peeples at IMDb

• 20th-century American singers
• 21st-century American singers
• 21st-century American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• American television actresses
• American film actresses
• American dance musicians
• American soap opera actresses
• Living people
• Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles
• American actresses of Filipino descent
• American people of Scottish descent
• American people of English descent
• American people of Irish descent
• 20th-century American women singers
• 21st-century American women singers
• People from West Covina, California
• The Young Americans members
• 1961 births