Tamera Mowry-Housley

One-half of a child acting duo beloved by scores of teen fans during the 1990s, Tamera Mowry went on to enjoy continued success as an adult on a variety of projects. As a teenager, she and her two-minutes younger sister, Tia, became instant celebrities as the stars of the hit comedy show, "Sister, Sister" (ABC, 1994-95; The WB, 1995-99). After the popular sitcom ended its six-season run, Mowry continued to work with her sister in cable movies like "Seventeen Again" (Showtime, 2000), but also found solo success on such projects as the medical drama "Strong Medicine" (Lifetime, 2000-06). Mowry went on to perform both with and without her sibling to varying degrees of success in teen-themed movies like the supernatural comedy "Twitches" (Disney Channel, 2005) and the slightly older-skewing sitcom "Roommates" (ABC Family, 2009). One of the more successful efforts of her and her twin's post "Sister, Sister" career came with a venture into reality television as the focus of "Tia & Tamera" (Style Network, 2011-13), which proved to be a substantial hit for the cable network. Proving that she and her sister were more than a mere novelty act, Mowry embraced a vibrant career, both with and without her biological mirror image.

Tamera Darvette Mowry was born on July 6, 1978 in Gelhausen, West Germany, two minutes before identical twin, Tia. To the ease of those around them, Mowry sported a beauty mark on her cheek that distinguished her from her twin. Her father, Tim, was a retired army sergeant and her mother, Darlene, also worked for the military but would eventually go on to manage the twins' careers. Other siblings included two brothers, Tahj and Tavior. The family moved around constantly, settling in Fort Hood, TX when Mowry was two years old, followed by Honolulu, HA, and then back to Texas, where the twins competed in beauty pageants. The acting bug bit them shortly thereafter, and they begged their parents to move to California. When the family finally relocated to the Golden State, it was brother Tahj who landed a recurring role on the hit comedy series "Full House" (ABC, 1987-1995). Mowry appeared on the show in 1992 for an episode titled "The Devil Made Me Do It," playing the same character as her sister.

In 1994, producer Irene Dreayer came up with a new show about twin sisters who, after being separated at birth, reunite as teens. Dreayer discovered the Mowry girls and cast them in the starring roles for "Sister, Sister," adding Jackée Harry and Tim Reid to the cast as their parents. The show aired for six seasons and enjoyed a longtime syndication run. Mowry enjoyed working with her twin and their comedic chemistry was evident on screen. While filming "Sister, Sister," the Mowry twins starred alongside brother Tahj in the movie "Seventeen Again" (2000), which told the story of a grandmother who drinks a special formula that regresses her to a teenager again. She followed that project with the movie "Something to Sing About" (2001), acting alongside Irma P. Hall and another ABC sitcom alum, Darius McCrary from "Family Matters" (ABC, 1989-1998) fame. Education was always a big part of Mowry's life. She attended Birmingham High School in Van Nuys and along with her sister in 2001, graduated from Pepperdine University in Malibu with a degree in Psychology. They spent that summer at the university's campus in Florence, Italy.

The twins hit the big time in 2002 by joining the cast of "The Hot Chick." The comedy starred "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ) alum Rob Schneider and Rachel McAdams, but it was the twins who lit up the screen. Mowry took on a solo project in 2004 when she joined the cast of "Strong Medicine," on which played Dr. Kayla Thorton for several episodes, proving she could be a viable dramatic actor. Her sister later made a guest appearance alongside her in an episode titled "My Sister, My Doctor, Myself" (2006). In 2005, Mowry and her sister filmed the movie "Twitches" (Disney Channel), about twin witches who are separated at birth. Mowry played Camryn Barnes/Apolla. Mowry made a return to TV comedy in 2006 when she voiced the character of Esther in four episodes of the hit animated series, "Family Guy" (Fox, 1999- ).

Mowry reteamed with her sister for more magic, misunderstandings and mistaken identities in the sequel "Twitches Too" (Disney Channel, 2007), prior to venturing out on her own as a regular cast member on the sitcom "Roommates" (ABC Family, 2009). As Hope Daniels, one of four twenty-something roommates sharing life and love in an L.A. rental, the show was an attempt by Disney to reach out to a slightly older-skewing demographic than their usual teen audience. The gamble failed to pay off, resulting in the show's cancellation after 13 episodes. Mowry returned opposite Tia for the romantic comedy "Double Wedding" (Lifetime, 2010) as one of two twins who discover they are both in a serious relationship with the same man. They partnered once again - this time as themselves - for the reality series "Tia & Tamera" (Style Network, 2011-14), which tracked progress of Mowry's upcoming nuptials as Tia coped with her first pregnancy. It seemed the twins were on to something, as the show boasted record-breaking ratings for the cable network with its premiere episode.