Wife of director Antoine Fuqua, Lela Rochon is an American actress who has appeared in movies like Waiting to Exhale, Any Given Sunday and Gang Related. Recently, her husband, Fuqua, was seen kissing model Nicole Murphy in Italy. This probably means Lela Rochon and Antoine Fuqua are getting divorced and are maybe secretly separated for a while.
Lela Rochon and Antoine Fuqua Have Been Married Since 1999
Rochon and Fuqua met over 20 years ago in Hong Kong. They got engaged in 1998 and were married on April 9, 1999. They have two children, a daughter, Asia born in July 2002, and a son, Brando, born in May 2004. Fuqua also has another son, Zachary, from a previous relationship.
Earlier this month, Anthony Fuqua was photographed kissing Nicole Murphy in Italy. Nicole is Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife: married from 1993 to 2006. Nicole has come forward and claimed that the kiss was a friendly gesture. A source close to Fuqua and family, however, said that he saw the couple a month earlier and seemed happily married.
This is not the first time The Equalizer director has been accused of cheating, though. He admitted to having a son, Roman Jimenez from a woman, Ruth Jimenez, in a court document that dates back to 2010. He has also been accused of adultery a few times more.
Lela was previously married to Adolfo Gutierrez Quinones aka Shabba-Doo from 1982 to 1987.
Who are Lela Rochon's Parents?
Lela was born on April 17, 1964, in Los Angeles, California to a nurse practitioner mother, Zelma, and a graphic artist and business owner father, Samuel Staples. She attended Cerritos High School and graduated with a BA in Broadcast Journalism from California State University.
Lela first appeared in the movie Breakin’ as an extra in 1982. She made her debut in 1985 with the movie, Fox Trap and also appeared in the TV movie, A Bunny’s Tale the same year. She appeared in a number of music videos, including Lionel Richie’s ‘All Night Long, Al B. Sure’s ‘Natalie’ and Tupac’s ‘I Get Around.’
She was one of the “Spudettes” from 1986 to 1988 and was featured in more than 30 national spots for Budweiser commercial.
What is Lela Rochon's Net Worth?
Lela’s big break came in 1995 when she was cast in one of the lead roles in the movie, Waiting to Exhale, opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine. For the role, she earned a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture and MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance. The same year, she also appeared in the first season of The Wayans Bros.
In 1996, she appeared in the series, Mr. and Mrs. Loving, and also appeared alongside Jim Belushi and Tupac Shakur in the crime thriller, Gang Related. That year, she was chosen as one of the “50 most beautiful people in the world” by People. She has appeared with A-Listers in movies like Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Knock Off, The Big Hit and Any Given Sunday.
In 2001, she appeared in the main role in police procedural drama, The Division. She hasn’t been much active in the 2000s. She appeared in the 2004 movie, First Daughter, with Katie Holmes. In 2009, she appeared in Brooklyn’s Finest, the movie directed by her husband, Antoine Fuqua.
Currently, she is appearing in a recurring role in the series, David Makes Man. As of 2019, the 55-year-old’s net worth is estimated at $10 million. Her husband, Fuqua’s net worth is approximately $25 million.