Nia Peeples

Virenia Peeples (born December 10, 1961) is an American R&B and dance music singer and actress. Peeples is known for playing Nicole Chapman on the TV series Fame; Pam Fields on the drama Pretty Little Liars; Karen Taylor Winters on The Young and the Restless; Sydney Cooke on Walker, Texas Ranger; and as Grace's mom, Susan, on The Fosters.

Early life Peeples was born December 10, 1961, in Hollywood, California, the daughter of Elizabeth Joan (née Rubic), a flamenco dancer, and Robert Eugene Peeples. She was raised in West Covina. Her maternal grandparents were immigrants from the Philippines.

In 2013, Peeples lost vision in her right eye due to trigeminal nerve damage.

Career Music Peeples started her career as part of the performance group The Young Americans. In 1988 she hit #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Trouble",

Her most recent recording is a country song called "If You Want Me to Stay," released on July 3, 2013. Available on Nia Peeples' own YouTube account and streaming services.

Acting Notably, Peeples portrayed performing arts student Nicole Chapman on the hit TV series Fame. In 1987, she was in the movie North Shore as Kiani. She also hosted the short-lived American version of Top of the Pops in 1987, a weeknight dance music program called The Party Machine with Nia Peeples (1991), and portrayed Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke in the CBS hit series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1999 to 2001. In 2004, she appeared in the Andromeda episode "The Spider's Stratagem", as arms smuggler and love-interest Rox Nava. Peeples joined the cast of The Young and the Restless in 2007, playing the role of Karen Taylor, and was released from the role in the spring of 2009. In 2010, she was cast in ABC Family's TV series Pretty Little Liars, based on the book series by Sara Shepard. Peeples was featured on the July 7, 2013 episode of Celebrity Wife Swap, in which she traded places with singer Tiffany.

Discography Albums Nothin' But Trouble (1988) – US #97 Nia Peeples (1991) Songs of the Cinema (2007)

Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album US USR&B USDan AUS CAN 1988 "Trouble" 35 71 1 — — Nothin' But Trouble "High Time" — — 10 — —1989 "I Know How (To Make You Love Me)" — — 28 — —1991 "Street of Dreams" 12 73 — 74 23 Nia Peeples1992 "Kissing the Wind" 76 — — 86 76 "Faces of Love" 88 — — — 59 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1981 A Single Light Deaf Girl TV movie 1984 Fame Nicole Chapman Short 1987 North Shore Kiani1989 DeepStar Six Scarpelli Swimsuit Maria Detney TV movie Nasty Boys Serena Cruz TV movie 1990 Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer Cathy Redding TV movie 1992 I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore Theresa Garabaldi 1993 Return to Lonesome Dove Agostina TV movie 1994 My Name Is Kate Annie TV movie Improper Conduct Bernie XXX's & OOO's Sasha Townes TV movie 1995 Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14 Allie Thompson TV movie Mr. Stitch Dr. Elizabeth English TV movie 1996 Terminal Janet Reardon TV movie Bloodhounds II Nikki Cruise TV movie 1997 Tower of Terror Jill Perry TV movie Odd Jobs Assassin TV movie 1998 Blues Brothers 2000 Lt. Elizondo Poodle Springs Angel TV movie Heroes: The Mystique, the Movies, the Men Special Guest Host TV movie 2000 Alone with a Stranger Beth Jenkins The Riff Heather Anderson 2001 Bruised Michelle Short 2002 Half Past Dead 49er Six The Chang Family Saves the World Pearl Empress TV movie 2005 Inside Out Maria Sub Zero Kelli Paris Video 2006 Connors' War Amanda Video Special Unit Tara TV movie House Broken Ms. Hawkhauser TV movie 2007 Arwin! Ms. Hawkhauser TV movie 2009 The Outside Joanne Blakey Citizen Jane Evelyn TV movie 2011 Battle of Los Angeles Capt. Karla Smaith Video 2012 Werewolf: The Beast Among Us Vodama Video 23 Minutes to Sunrise Rachel 2013 Dante's Hell Animated Beatrice (voice) Short 2014 Lap Dance Kelly 2015 Lavalantula Olivia West TV movie 2017 Alaska Is a Drag Lucy Mnemosyne Claudia 2018 Mistrust Kristen Rhodes 2019 The Untold Story Catarina Dying for a Baby Blanche TV movie Badland Wives Madam Rosie TV movie

Television Year Title Role Notes 1981 The Music Shoppe Darcie Main cast 1983 Tales of the Gold Monkey Zita Henriques Episode: "The Sultan of Swat" Hardcastle and McCormick Waitress Episode: "Flying Down to Rio" Days of Our Lives Mallory Regular cast General Hospital Carla Escobar Regular cast Fame Nicole Chapman Main cast: season 4–6 1984 T.J. Hooker Episode: "Gang War" 1985 Dance Fever Herself Episode: "Don Stroud, Nia Peeples, Nicholas Campbell" 1987–1988 Top of the Pops Herself/host Main host: season 24 1988 Soul Train Herself Episode: "Johnny Mathis/Nia Peeples/Tracie Spencer" 1989 Matlock Morgan Gerard Episode: "The Starlet" 1989–1990 Nasty Boys Serena Cruz Main cast 1991 The Party Machine with Nia Peeples Herself/hostess Main host 1992 Soul Train Herself Episode: "Nia Peeples/Eric B. & Rakim" 1993 The New WKRP in Cincinnati Sierra Smith Episode: "Treasure of Sierra Smith" & "Chicago Story" Return to Lonesome Dove Augostina Vega Main cast 1994 Highlander: The Series Nefertiri Episode: "Pharaoh's Daughter" Touched by an Angel Angela Evans Episode: "Fallen Angela" ABC Afterschool Specials Herself Episode: "I Hate the Way I Look" 1995 Marker Lisa Episode: "The Pilot" & "Snowballs in Hawaii" Courthouse Veronica Gilbert Main cast The Puzzle Place Herself Episode: "Gotta Dance" 1997 Crisis Center Lily Gannon Main cast Early Edition Sister Mary Episode: "Angels and Devils" 1998 Real Life Maya Episode: "Unaired Pilot" 1999–2001 Walker, Texas Ranger Sydney Cooke Main cast: season 7–8 2002 Where Are They Now? Herself Episode: "Dance" 2004 Andromeda Rox Nava Episode: "The Spider's Stratagem" The Division Sandra Prestiss Episode: "Zero Tolerance: Part 1 & 2" 2005 Barbershop Det. Hahanna Recurring cast 2007–2009 The Young and the Restless Karen Taylor Regular cast 2010–2017 Pretty Little Liars Pam Fields 2013 Celebrity Wife Swap Herself Episode: "Nia Peeples/Tiffany" 2014 Longmire Adele Chapman Episode: "Wanted Man" 2016 Unsung Herself Episode: "Howard Hewett" 2017–2018 The Fosters Susan Mullen Recurring cast: Season 5 2020 Pretty Little Wine Moms Re-Watch Nia Episode: "The Pilot" Nia Episode: "Wet Suits, Mary Poppins and Pretty Little Wine Moms"