Considering how rare it was, seeing African American actresses in the spotlight with their natural hair will always be refreshing. Tempestt Bledsoe known for her role as Vanessa Huxtable on The Cosby ...

(L to R) Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Theo, Keshia Knight Pulliam as Rudy, Bill Cosby as Cliff, Tempestt Bledsoe as Vanessa, Phylicia Rashad as Clair, and Lisa Bonet as Denise on 'The Cosby Show' ...

The Cosby Show has a complicated legacy. The sitcom ran for eight seasons between 1984 and 1992, accumulating six Emmy wins during its time on NBC. The series followed the Huxtable family, an upper ...

The Huxtable's fourth child, Vanessa, was played by Tempestt Bledsoe. Bledsoe continued to act, going on to host her own daytime talk show as well as a home makeover show. She appeared on VH1's ...

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, The Cosby Show broke new ground and won over millions with its heartwarming, hilarious look at the Huxtables, an upper-middle-class Black family in Brooklyn.