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Lisa Bonet

Lisa Bonet

Actor · Born November 16, 1967 (58) · San Francisco, California, USA

Lilakoi Moon (born Lisa Michelle Bonet), known professionally as Lisa Bonet, is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Denise Huxtable on the long-running NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, and originally starring in its spinoff series A Different World. She earned widespread acclaim and several awards for her role, such as a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1986. She appeared in the psychological horror film Angel Heart (1987), which earned her a nomination for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress. She co-starred in the action thriller film Enemy of the State (1998), the comedy-drama film High Fidelity (2000), the action drama film Biker Boyz (2003), and the thriller film Road to Paloma (2013). She has sporadically worked in TV acting with such roles as Maya Daniels in Life on Mars (2008–2009) and Marisol on Ray Donovan (2016).

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 16, 1967 (58)
From
San Francisco, California, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on Motif · 24 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 32% in 30 days

What are Lisa Bonet's films like?

Across their 11 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Action2 titlesTypical Motif score: 53rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Motif score: 51st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
35%
Bonds
22%
Self
21%
Power
9%
Survival
5%
Society
4%
Ideas
3%
Justice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 7 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 5 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

4 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 4 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 4
Shapeshifter
1 of 4
Threshold guardian
1 of 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
7
Contemplative
5
Melancholic
4
Thrilling
3
Dread
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lisa Bonet's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lisa Bonet's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

24 credits, 16 with a Motif page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Road to Paloma(2014)

    as Magdalena

    Motif score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Drunk History(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as Mary Ellen Pleasant · as Rosa Parks

    Motif score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Ray Donovan(2013)

    Show 4 episodes · as Marisol Campos

    Motif score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • New Girl(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Brenda Brown

    Motif score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Life on Mars(2008)

    Show 5 episodes · as Detective Maya Daniels

    Motif score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Whitepaddy(2006)

    as Mae Evans

    Motif score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Biker Boyz(2003)

    as Queenie

    Motif score: 17th percentile of all films

  • Lathe of Heaven (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    as Heather Lelache

  • The Cosby Show: A Look Back(2002)

    as Denise Huxtable Kendall (archive footage)

    Motif score: 57th percentile of all films

  • High Fidelity(2000)

    as Marie De Salle

    Motif score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Enemy of the State(1998)

    as Rachel Banks

    Motif score: 89th percentile of all films

  • New Eden (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)

    as Lily

  • Dead Connection(1994)

    as Catherine Briggs

    Motif score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Bank Robber(1993)

    as Priscilla

    Motif score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Earth Day Special(1990)

    as Denise Huxtable

    Motif score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • A Different World(1987)

    Show 23 episodes · as Denise Huxtable

    Motif score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Angel Heart(1987)

    as Epiphany Proudfoot

    Motif score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Don't Touch (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    as Carrie

  • Motown Returns to the Apollo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)

    Actor

  • Tales from the Darkside (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1984)

    Show 1 episode · as Justine

  • The Cosby Show(1984)

    Show 132 episodes · as Denise Huxtable

    Motif score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Sound of Sunshine - Sound of Rain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)

    Actor

  • St. Elsewhere (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Carla

  • Battle of the Network Stars (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 93rd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 24 titles from 1976 to 2014; peak year 1987.

Biggest box office

Enemy of the State (1998)

$251M worldwide

Highest rated

High Fidelity (2000)

Motif 91st

Most popular right now

The Cosby Show (1984)

Film career

19762014

Peak 1987 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting24 of 24: 24 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Motif score64th

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s8 · acting1990s5 · acting2000s6 · acting2010s4 · acting

Billing

usually 5th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Lisa Bonet's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 38th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

38thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

17thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Motif score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor

The Earth Day Special (1990)

94th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Ray Donovan (2013)

Motif 93rd · 91% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 47. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Lisa Bonet's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 Motif titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 51 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles25–72 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 31
Profanity4 titlesmedian 75 · intenseMedian of all films: 35
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 41 · moderateMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 44 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Lisa Bonet work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lisa Bonet's Motif titles; Bill Cosby shares the most, 2.