Simbi Kali Bio – Meet The 3rd Rock From the Sun Star

Simbi Khali or Simbi Kali Williams is an American actress known for her role in 3rd Rock From The Sun. Fans of the NBC sitcom show, 3rd Rock From The Sun, would surely have a lot to say about the show, which ran from 1996 to 2001 if they are given the opportunity to do so. One of the subjects of conversation is the star actress who portrayed the role of Nina Campbell on the show. Her name is Simbi Khali or Simbi Kali Williams, depending on whether you wish to identify her with her ex-husband’s last name. Simbi Kali is an American actress, singer, and songwriter who has made appearances on several TV shows and movies throughout her acting career. However, she is most recognized for her role in the TV series 3rd Rock From The Sun. Let’s take a look at some basic and not-so-basic information regarding the actress.

Early life and family background

Simbi Kali was born on the 28th of April, 1971, in Jackson, Mississippi, United States of America, under the birth sign of Taurus. Upon her birth, her parents registered her birth name as Simbi Khaliebum Waters.

Her father’s identity is currently unknown and the only information available with regards to her mother is that her name is Amerah Shabazz. Simbi is the youngest of seven children born to her parents. She grew up with four sisters and two brothers. It is worth pointing out that the Kali family moved to the southside of Chicago when Simbi was 2 years old.

Simbi comes from the African-American ethnic group and spots the conventional black hair and dark brown eyes that mark people from her ethnic group. The fact that she was born in the US confers the basic rights of an American citizen on her.

Simbi Kali graduated from the California Institute Of Arts

Simbi exhibited early signs of musical abilities and had her basic educational training at ETA Creative Arts Foundation, located in Chicago. She continued to improve there until she turned 15. She then moved to Alabama to live with one of her sisters, Hamidah Elmore. During her time there, it was also very clear to everyone who came in contact with the teenager that she had tremendous theater skills.

It was time to make another move when she got to Junior year in high school. This time around, Simbi found herself in the US Capital city where she would spend the rest of her high school years with her mother. First, she studied at the Duke Ellington School of The Arts and then proceeded to the California Institute of the Arts for further training on the arts that was quickly becoming second nature to her. Her time in California resulted in a well-earned degree in acting in 1993.

Simbi Kali began acting shortly after college

Prior to her graduation in 1993. Simbi had already made a number of appearances on TV. One of such appearances came in an ad for Pop-Tarts, in 1987. That same year, she also served as a celebrity spokesperson on the well-viewed talent show Star Search.

Simbi, who had been spotted and signed by a talent agent during her time in college, got her first big role on the FOX sitcom Martin. She played the role of Sheneneh’s very outspoken best friend Laquita Lumpkins. Her character Laquita was a recurring one for the first two seasons of the show. She became a mainstay from the third season until the show ended in 1997.

Her responsibilities at FOX didn’t stop her from grabbing the opportunity to star as Nina Campbell, in NBC’s sitcom 3rd Rock From The Sun. The show ran from 1996 to 2001 and helped to boost the actress’ profile.

The 5 feet 6 inches tall actress has made numerous appearances in TV series, feature-length movies and video game characters. Her latest appearance in a TV series came in Better Things (2017 as Museum Director). Some of her feature-length movies include but are not limited to;

• A Thin Line Between Love And Hate (1996 as Adrienne)
• Mississippi Damned (2009 as Anna)
• Girl Minus (2017 as Auntie)
• She played the role of Amanda in the 2018 video game Detroit: Become Human

The actress didn’t abandon singing entirely

“What became of Simbi as a singer?” is one question that has consistently come up whenever her artistic talents come up in a conversation.

In-between her lengthy acting career, Simbi, who first entered people’s consciousness as a singer, was signed by Capitol Records in 1996. Her first album, Simbi Khali, which she titled after herself.

The album didn’t do too badly after a record of about officially sold 10,000 copies. It also featured singles like Strung Out On You and Anywhere You Want. The singer was also a feature in several music videos in the 1990s. Toni Braxton’s You’re Makin Me High was one of such.

Two years after her debut album, Simbi dropped another album titled I Want You. Producer Rodney Jenkins had a hand in making one of the three songs on the album, Our Love Is Stronger. The other songs are Call On Me and I Don’t Mind, which succeeded in making the number one spot on Billboard Hot Top 100. Her affair with Capitol Records ended in 2001 when Simbi signed with Motown Records before releasing her third album Love Is The Answer.

The entertainer has done well for herself financially

Simbi’s career path has taken her through dozens of challenges. These trials have been confidently swept aside and the actress can comfortably live on her accumulated net worth of an estimated $1.5 million as of 2021.

Simbi Kali was married for 11 years

The actress and songwriter had the title of “Mrs”, attached to her name for more than a decade. She had an eleven-year marriage with fellow Hollywood star, Cress Williams. The pair met for the first time at a Los Angeles nightclub in 1994 and exchanged a few words before parting. They met again 5 years later during the shooting of the movie Masquerade.

Clearly, their earlier meeting had left a favorable impression about each other on their minds because it took about 4 weeks for them to announce their engagement. They got married on the 14th of October, 2000, in Malibu, California. The event was a closed, private ceremony that only had close family and friends in attendance.

In typical Hollywood fashion, the marriage broke up 11 years later, in 2011. The only thing of note about the split was that they both parted on good terms without any public feud or any harsh words about each other. Other pertinent details regarding the divorce are sealed from the public.

Cress Williams has since moved on to Kristen Torrian, who he married in June 2013. Simbi on the other hand has not shown any indications of being in a serious romantic relationship.

She is a proud mother of 2

Simbi’s marriage to Cress was not all that bad. The union was blessed with 2 wonderful children, a son and a daughter who are growing up really fast.

Elijah Khali Thomas Williams

Simbi’s first child was born on July 20, 2004. It is not exactly clear where he was born because of the decision of his parents to keep details of his life away from the public. The 20-year-old’s data is not available to the public and as such, it would be difficult to pinpoint what he is exactly up to at the moment.

Amika Khali Williams

Like her older brother, there is not much to say about Simbi Khali’s second child. The only available information with regards to Amika is that she was born just over three years after Elijah, her brother, on August 13, 2007. Currently, Amika is 16 years old and is most likely going through school and figuring out what life holds for her.