Lisa Nicole Carson

Lisa Nicole Carson (born 12 July 1969 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress. She is best known for her work on US television, including supporting roles in NBC's "ER" and Fox's "Ally McBeal". Carson appeared in the roles simultaneously, but was controversially fired from both series and has appeared in no other roles since. It has since been revealed that she has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, leading to her retirement from public view. [cite news|url= http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/celebs-on-sunday/features/2008/02/24/calista-flockhart-i-have-zero-ambition-115875-20324817/|title= Calista Flockhart: I have zero ambition|publisher="The Mirror" | accessdate=2008-08-17]

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York, her father is a journalism professor at the University of Florida, and her mother is a kindergarten teacher in New York.cite news|url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n19_v94/ai_21250383?tag=content;col1|title= Lisa Nicole Carson brings sex appeal and excitement to tv and movies|publisher="Jet" | date = 1998-10-05| accessdate=2008-08-17] She spent her adolescence in Gainesville, Florida and attended F. W. Buchholz High School. Her parents split up when she was 14, and her mother moved back to New York alone. A keen singer, in 1986 she entered in "America’s Junior Miss" talent show, taking second place. After graduationg in 1987, Carson returned to New York and decided that she wanted to be an actor. She began her career by appearing in a number of 'After School Specials' and Home Box Office made short films.

Career

Carson appeared in productions at the famed Negro Ensemble Company. Her first notable credit came in 1991, when she appeared in "Law & Order" and in 1992 she had a non-speaking, minor role in the comedy series, "The Cosby Show". [ [http://www.usaweekend.com/98_issues/980517/980517straight_talk_carson.html Lisa Nicole Carson] ] She was a regular on "The Apollo Comedy Hour" before appearing in film in "Let's Get Bizzee" (1993), "Jason's Lyric" (1994) and "Devil in a Blue Dress" (1995). She has appeared in "Love Jones" and alongside Samuel L Jackson in "Eve's Bayou" in 1997. Carson also portrayed Martin Lawrence's girlfriend in the comedy film "Life" (1999). She also performed as an R&B singer in the 1995 television movie "Divas".

On television, she played the recurring character Carla Reese, the on/off girlfriend of Eriq La Salle's Dr Peter Benton in NBC's "ER" between 1996 and 2001. Between 1997 and 2002 she played defense attorney Renee Raddick in Fox's "Ally McBeal", a role for which she received multiple award nominations. Carson was fired from roles, reportedly because of her attitude and her mood swings and the frequent amount of times she came into work inebriated. She has not been credited in any other roles since 2002.

Personal life

In 2000, she was arrested for 'interfering with a lawful business establishment' and 'not leaving the premises' after a disorderly conduct incident at a luxury hotel. [cite news|url= http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-63530166.html|title= THE CURSE OF TV SUCCESS|publisher="The Birmingham Post " | accessdate=2008-08-17] Shortly after, she was hospitalized in a mental health facility which was reportedly due to a drug-related incident. Her family have since blamed her behavior on her developing schizophrenia. Carson has since withdrawn from acting and public life while being treated for schizophrenia.

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