Big was born November 26, 1966, in St. Marc, Haiti. Last but certainly not least as the youngest of 7 children -- with 5 sisters and 2 brothers -- Garcelle moved with her mother and siblings to Massachusetts, after her parents got divorced.

While her mother attended nursing school in order to support the family, Garcelle attended boarding school before relocating to Miami, Florida, with her family at age 16.

17-year-old Garcelle headed to the Big Apple to pursue a modeling career, after the persuasion of family and friends. Signed with Ford Models, it didn't take long for the exotic beauty to land modeling gigs.

From print ads for Avon, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Clairol, and catalogs for department stores such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, to the layouts in Essence and Ebony magazines, and the catwalk for Calvin Klein and Isaac Mizrahi fashion shows, Garcelle was seen by fans in every medium.

Garcelle caught the acting bug after taking classes in New York, and headed to Los Angeles to appear in front of a motion camera, as opposed to those of photographers. At that point, Garcelle already had acting experience: she had appeared in The Cosby Show, Miami Vice and Dream On, as well as the films Manhunter and Coming to America, opposite Eddie Murphy

In 1992, Garcelle had a guest-appearance on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (and got cozy with Will Smith onscreen on 1999's Wild Wild West), and appeared on Hangin' With Mr. Cooper and Family Matters (in several different roles).

But fiction and reality were fused for Garcelle, after she landed a role on the 1994 sitcom, Models Inc., about a group of model roommates. Her role as stylish Cynthia Nichols could be considered fate, as she dreamt about having a conversation with the show's producer, Aaron Spelling. Garcelle hand-delivered Spelling a photo and resume, and landed the role within 2 weeks (after receiving a call 3 days later).

After Models Inc. had walked its last runway and was canceled, Garcelle went the commercial route with a television ad for Diet Coke and American Express, co-starring Jerry Seinfeld. She even starred in an R Kelly video.

That didn't mean she had to stay in commercials and music videos for long: Garcelle was cast as Francesca "Fancy" Monroe on The Jamie FoxxShow, in 1996. As the object of Jamie Foxxs affection on the WB network, Garcelle took the time to appear in the television series Opposite Sex in 2000, and co-starred with Jon Voightand Gil Bellows in TNT's made-for-TV movie, Second String. Garcelle has also been on the crime scene since 2001, as Assistant District Attorney Valerie Heywood, on the long-running cop drama, NYPD Blue.