Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon (born November 26, 1966) is an American actress and former fashion model of Haitian decent. She is known for her role as Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood in the TV program NYPD Blue and Francesca Monroe on The Jamie Foxx Show.
Garcelle was born in Haiti. Her mother, Maria Claire, was a teacher who moved Garcelle and her six older children to Massachusetts after a divorce from her father, Axel, four years prior. At age 16, the family moved again to Miami. At 17, Garcelle pursued a modeling career in New York. She got a break on Aaron Spelling's TV show, "Models Inc." (1994). She then joined L.A.'s comedy troupe, The Groundlings. She became engaged to Mike Nilon, a talent agent. She was formerly married to producer Daniel Saunders for 6-1/2 years with whom she had a son, Oliver (B. 1992).
