Nia Peeples

California born and bred, multitalented actress Nia Peeples made the most of the versatility afforded by her exotic beauty and contrasting girl-next-door wholesomeness, and racked up an impressive number of television credits throughout her career. After guest roles on series including "Hardcastle & McCormick." "T.J. Hooker" and "Tales of the Gold Monkey" (all ABC, 1982) and a recurring role on the network's daytime drama "General Hospital," the petite dark-haired exotic beauty shot to fame on "Fame." For three seasons (1984-87) on the popular syndicated series, Peeples auspiciously showcased her vocal and dance talents as well as her acting skills through her portrayal of sensitive but strong-willed performing arts student Nicole Chapman. Beautiful and brainy but down-to-earth and kind, her likable characterization of the high school girl and impressive performance in the musical numbers that frequently punctuated the drama series won the esteem of viewers, and when Peeples' character was killed off in a drunk driving accident, the audience response was overwhelming. This 1987 departure closed a chapter in the actress' career, and opened another, with Peeples making her film debut that same year in the trivial but enjoyable surf drama "North Shore." Charming and well-spoken, the actress was drafted to host CBS' broadcast of the long-running British music series "Top of the Pops" (1987-88). Her impressive presenting skills were later put to use on the dance music series "MTV's Friday Night Street Party," the Arsenio Hall-produced late night nightlife program "The Party Machine with Nia Peeples" (1991) and later, the vastly different PAX TV dramatization series "It's a Miracle" (for the 1998-99 season).