Life in Film: Gabrielle Union

This actress always shines bright on the big screen.

She's All That - Back in 1999, Gabrielle Union made her feature film debut as Chastity in She's All That. The movie was based on the Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew. It also starred Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger.(Photo: Courtesy Miramax Films)

1 / 12

She's All That - Back in 1999, Gabrielle Union made her feature film debut as Chastity in She's All That. The movie was based on the Shakespeare play The Taming of the Shrew. It also starred Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger.(Photo: Courtesy Miramax Films)

LOVE & BASKETBALL - Release Date: 4/21/00

2 / 12

Love & Basketball - Union scored a slam dunk on the big screen in the all-star cast of Love & Basketball. The romantic drama that mixed love, passion and a love of hoops was released in 2000 and also starred Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps and Alfre Woodard. (Photo: Courtesy 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks)

THE BROTHERS - Release Date: 3/23/01

3 / 12

The Brothers - In 2001, Union held her own as Denise Johnson in the original bromance dramedy The Brothers. The film starred Morris Chestnut, D.L. Hughley, Bill Bellamy and Shemar Moore. Union and Chesnut portrayed lovers in the movie. (Photo: Courtesy Columbia Pictures)

BRING IT ON - Release Date: 8/25/00

4 / 12

Bring It On - Union's breakout film role was as cheerleading queen Isis in Bring It On. Gabrielle got to show off her athletic moves and proved she could play a hood girl who could always bring it whenever necessary. (Photo: Courtesy Universal Pictures)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy Universal Pictures

BAD BOYS II - Release Date: 7/18/03

5 / 12

Bad Boys II - Starring as Syd, Union got to go toe-to-toe with two of Hollywood's biggest funnymen, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, in the funny, action-packed detective thriller. This 2003 sequel was the follow-up to the 1995 original. (Photo: Courtesy Columbia Pictures)

ADVERTISEMENT
DELIVER US FROM EVA - Release Date: 2/7/03

6 / 12

Deliver Us From Eva - In Deliver Us From Eva, Union portrayed the meddlesome Eva Dandridge, whose family keeps busy by pairing her with a hunky playboy played by LL Cool J. Released in 2003, the film also starred Meagan Good and Duane Martin. (Photo: Courtesy Baltimore Spring Creek Productions)

SOMETHING THE LORD MADE - Release Date: 2004

7 / 12

Something the Lord Made - In the 2004 HBO movie Something the Lord Made, Union played Clara Thomas, the wife of real-life heart surgeon pioneer Vivien Thomas (Mos Def). The film was nominated for two Golden Globe awards. (Photo: Courtesy HBO)

DADDY'S LITTLE GIRLS - Release Date: 2/14/07

8 / 12

Daddy's Little Girls - Union entered the world of entertainment mogul Tyler Perry for the 2007 release Daddy's Little Girls. She played an attorney named Julia who aimed to help a good father (Idris Elba) get custody of his daughters from their deadbeat mom. (Photo: Courtesy LionsGate Films)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy LionsGate Films

THE PERFECT HOLIDAY - Release Date: 12/12/07

9 / 12

The Perfect Holiday - In The Perfect Holiday, Union reteamed with her sexy co-star Morris Chestnut. She played a divorcée named Nancy whose daughter enlists Santa to help her mom find a new husband. Also starred Queen Latifah and Katt Williams. (Photo: Courtesy Capital Arts Entertainment)

Think Like a Man - Based on Steve Harvey's New York Times bestselling book, Think Like A Man boasts an all-star ensemble cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Hart, Meagan Good and Michael Ealy. Union reteamed with Morris Chestnut a third time for this relationship dramedy when it arrived in theaters in March 2012. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

10 / 12

Think Like a Man - Based on Steve Harvey's New York Times bestselling book, Think Like A Man boasts an all-star ensemble cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Hart, Meagan Good and Michael Ealy. Union reteamed with Morris Chestnut a third time for this relationship dramedy when it arrived in theaters in March 2012. (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

ADVERTISEMENT
Tyler Perry's Good Deeds - Released February 2012, Union played Natalie in Tyler Perry's film Good Deeds. In it, Perry is an affluent man who develops feelings for a single mom before his wedding to another woman. The cast also included Thandie Newton and Phylicia Rashad.  (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

11 / 12

Tyler Perry's Good Deeds - Released February 2012, Union played Natalie in Tyler Perry's film Good Deeds. In it, Perry is an affluent man who develops feelings for a single mom before his wedding to another woman. The cast also included Thandie Newton and Phylicia Rashad. (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

11. What's in a Name? - The newstation that Mary Jane works for goes by SNC, which stands for Satellite News Channel. SNC was actually a station that competed with CNN in the early '80s before it was shut down.   (Photo: BET)

12 / 12

Being Mary Jane - Union teams up with Mara Brock and Salim Akil along with BET for this movie-turned-TV series. She plays Mary Jane Paul, a TV journalist who struggles to balance her career, relationships and family. The film, which premiered at the Urbanworld Film Festival in October 2012, will be spun-off into a series set to air on BET this year. (Photo: BET)