Biography of Shar Jackson

Shar Jackson, born in Boston, MA on September 4, 1976, is of African-American and Native American descent on her mother's side, and of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent on her father's side. She has a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Forensic Science.

Her dream was to become a crime scene investigator, but she continued with her acting career after she discovered she had a fear of dead bodies. She has four children, Donnie, Cassie, Kori, and Kaleb, youngest two from ex-boyfriend Kevin Federline.

Shar began her acting career at a tender age of three when she was enrolled in the famous Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble. While attending school, she began modeling with the John Robert Powers, Ubiquitous, and Barbizon agencies and studied acting under the direction of Bob Feldman.

At the age of 11, Shar having decided to focus solely on acting, was cast in several national commercials and television serials including 'Hangin' with Mr. Cooper' (ABC, 1993), 'My So-Called Life' (ABC, 1994), 'The Steve Harvey Show' (WB, 1996), 'The Parkers' (1999) and 'Girlfriends' (2000).

She also made an appearance on the critically acclaimed but extremely short-lived series 'South Central' (1994) which included reigning superstar Jennifer Lopez. At the age of 13, she received the Award of Distinction from the Directors Guild of America for writing, directing, and producing a school film.

She then went on to act in several big screen movies including 'Good Burger', 'Boom Box', 'Grand Avenue', and 'Cell Block'. She also featured on the ABC reality series 'The Ex-Wives Club' with Marla Maples and Angie Everhart. The show aimed to aid men and women who have recently gone through separation or divorce.

However, her most notable role was of the quirky and boy-crazy 'Niecy Jackson' in the series 'Moesha', which was telecast on UPN from 1996-2001. Shar demonstrated her comedic abilities opposite R&B singer Brandy.

Shar's passion for singing inspired her to form the all girl pop and R&B group 'Mpulz' which was also featured on 'The Princess Diaries' movies soundtrack in 2001. She has been crowned 'Last Celebrity Standing' on MTV's 'Celebrity Rap Superstar' (2007), beating out favorite Playboy Bunny Kendra Wilkinson.

Shar dedicated the award to Lamont Bentley who played her brother Hakeem in Moesha. Bentley passed away in a car accident two years ago, and was obsessed about rap. Shar stated that she took part in the contest to honor him.

Apart from all the creative contributions, in 2004, Shar became a household name for a completely different reason. Her boyfriend Kevin Federline left her for the pop singer Britney Spears.

Shar was pregnant with their second child, Kaleb. Their triangle became major media frenzy as a result of which Shar was flooded with television offers, including that of a reality TV series set to showcase the struggles of being a single parent in showbiz.

Despite all the chaos and the drama that followed this scandal, Shar handles herself with a lot of grace and dignity, and continues to prove her integrity and strength as an entertainer and a single mother. Shar explains her relationship with Kevin as 'Great friends.

He made choices that were different'. The two continue to share custody of their children, and Shar explains that she doesn't have to worry about Kevin being around.

In 2005, she started the S.H.A.R. foundation, acronym for 'Sharing, Helping, And Reconciling Lives'. The aim is to inspire others with her sense of strength and zest for life that turns life's unfortunate situations into empowering experiences.

She leads life following her own golden rule: 'You made a promise. Stick to your promise. Everybody has ups and downs, get through it'.