name	Tia Mowry
birth name	Tia Dashon Mowry
birth date	July 06, 1978
birth place	Gelnhausen, West Germany
death date
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1990–present
spouse
children	1 child, Cree Taylor (born June 28, 2011) }}

Tia Dashon Mowry-Hardrict (born July 6, 1978) is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tia Landry on the ABC/WB sitcom ''Sister, Sister'' (opposite her identical twin sister Tamera Mowry). Currently, she portrays medical student Melanie Barnett Davis on the former CW now BET comedy-drama series ''The Game''.

Family and early life

Mowry was born in Gelnhausen, West Germany to Darlene Mowry (née Flowers), who managed her children's careers even when they were in the group Voices and also worked as a security guard, and Timothy Mowry, who was in the U.S. Army at the time of her birth and later became a custody officer/jailer with the City of Glendale Police Department when the family moved to California.

Darlene, who is Bahamian American, and Timothy, who is British American, met in high school in Miami, Florida. Both joined the U.S. Army, and both would eventually reach the rank of Sergeant. During a live taping of The Wendy Williams Show in 2010, Mowry announced that for years, she and her twin sister believed they were of Italian descent on their father's side; however, after researching their family tree on Ancestry.com, they quickly discovered that he was instead of British descent. Her family is "close-knit" and "deeply religious", as the sisters became born again Christians when they were eight.

She also has two younger brothers, actor Tahj Mowry and Tavior Mowry, who is not an actor. Tia is two minutes younger than her twin sister, Tamera.

Career

Tia Mowry and her sister began entering pageants and talent shows while their family was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. At age 12, they convinced their mother to move to California with them so they could pursue acting. She agreed, on the condition that they land an acting job within the first month of their stay. In 1990, their family moved to California permanently, settling in Los Angeles, and she and her sister began appearing in commercials and other small roles.

She is well known for playing Tia Landry, a twin separated at birth and reunited with her sister as a teenager in the show ''Sister, Sister''. The series was developed for them after a producer spotted them on the set of ''Full House'', a show on which their brother made regular appearances. ''Sister, Sister'' was initially on ABC but was cancelled by the network after two years and picked up by The WB, where it ran for another four years. During its run, they appeared on an episode of their brother Tahj Mowry's show ''Smart Guy''. They also did voice-over work for the Kids' WB cartoon series ''Detention''.

After the show ended, both Mowry and her sister studied psychology at Pepperdine University. She also went to Europe to study humanities and Italian for a period. Both she and her sister appeared in the Rob Schneider comedy film ''The Hot Chick'', playing cheerleaders. Mowry also did voiceovers for the ''Bratz'' cartoon series as the voice of Sasha. In 2005, Mowry and her sister both starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie ''Twitches'' and reprised their roles in its sequel, ''Twitches Too'' and before co-starred in the 2000 movie ''Seventeen Again''. She also appeared on an episode of her sister's television show, ''Strong Medicine'', in January 2006, playing the role of Keisha, the twin sister of Tamera Mowry's character, Dr. Kayla Thornton. Mowry has a starring role in the BET television series ''The Game'' as Melanie Barnett. Mowry has been nominated for a Teen Choice Award and a ''NAACP Image Awards'' for best actress in a comedy.

In the ''Blues Clues'' episode ''Blue's Birthday'', Mowry and her sister make a cameo appearance as two of the celebrities wishing Blue a happy birthday in her birthday card. Their only line is said in unison: "Happy Birthday, Blue!"

Beginning July 2011, the Style Network began airing, Tia & Tamera, a reality show which follows the day to day lives of the twins; Tia being pregnant and Tamera engaged planning her wedding.

Personal life

Mowry met actor Cory Hardrict while filming the film ''Hollywood Horror''. They dated for six years, and became engaged on Christmas 2007. On April 20, 2008 Tia and Cory married at the Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore in Santa Barbara On January 11, 2011, ''People'' announced that Mowry and Hardrict were expecting their first child. She also made the announcement herself on 106 & Park. The pregnancy was documented on the show ''Tia & Tamera'' on the Style Network. The baby, a boy, named Cree Taylor Hardrict was born June 28, 2011. Mowry has a reality show on Style, ''Tia and Tamera'', alongside with her sister, Tamera Mowry

Mowry is the head coach of the Entertainment Basketball League celebrity team. She coaches the Atlanta team whose players include her husband, Cory Hardrict, and co-star, Pooch Hall. She recently coached at the battle of the sexes game in Chicago against the Sky of the WNBA.

Filmography

colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"	Film
Year	Film	Character	! Notes
2002	''The Hot Chick''	Venetia
2003		Sasha
2005	''Bratz: Rock Angelz''	Sasha (Voice)	Direct-to-video release
2006	''Bratz: Passion 4 Fashion – Diamondz''	Sasha (Voice)	Direct-to-video release
2010	''The American Standards''	Kate
2010	''Double Wedding''	Deanna Warren	Lifetime TV movie Also Producer
Television
! Year	! Title	! Role	! Notes
1991	''Dangerous Women''	Judith Ann Webb	Unknown episodes
		Tia Landry	119 episodes
	''Are You Afraid of the Dark?''	Janice Robinson
''The Adventures of Hyperman''	The Bad Emma (Voice)	Episode: "Have a Hyper Christmas!/The Good, the Bad and the Emmas"
1997	''Smart Guy''	Rochelle	Episode: "Brother, Brother"
1999		Lemonjella LaBelle (Voice)	13 episodes
2000	''Seventeen Again''	Sydney	Television movie
			Lead Role, Disney Channel Original Movie
	Kim	Episodes: "Hope & Faith""The Honeymooners"
	''Strong Medicine	Brandy
	Sasha (Voice)2005–2007	(both film & Bratz (TV series) versions)
2007	''Twitches Too''	Alex Fielding	Lead Role, Disney Channel Original Movie
2006–present		The Game (U.S. TV series)>The Game''	Melanie Barnett Davis	Lead Role
2011		''Tia & Tamera''	Herself	Reality Television Series

Awards and Nominations

NAACP Image Awards

1996: Nominated – Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

'''1999: Won – Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

'''2000: Won – Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

2008: Nominated – Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for ''The Game''

2009: Nominated – Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Sereies for ''The Game''

2011: Nominated – Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special for ''Double Wedding''

Teen Choice Awards

2007: Nominated – Choice TV Actress: Comedy for ''The Game''

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

'''1995 – Won – Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

'''1996 – Won – Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

'''1997 – Won – Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

1998 – Nominated – Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

'''1998 – Won – Hall of Fame Award (shared with Tamera Mowry)

Young Artist Awards

1995 – Nominated – Best Youth Comedienne in a TV Show for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

1996 – Nominated – Best Performance by a Young Actress – TV Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry''

1997 – Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Comedy – Leading Young Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

2001 – Nominated – Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy) – Leading Young Actress for ''Seventeen Again'' (shared with Tamera Mowry)

References

External links

Interview with TheStarScoop, January 2007

Tia Mowry cast bio on The CW

''Christianity Today'' interview

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Gelnhausen Category:African American actors Category:American Christians Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American voice actors Category:American people of Bahamian descent Category:American people of Caribbean descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American television actors Category:Identical twin actors Category:Military brats Category:The Voices members Category:Twin people from the United States

es:Dashon Tia Mowry fr:Tia et Tamera Mowry it:Tia Mowry pl:Tia Mowry pt:Tia Mowry vi:Tia Mowry

Name	Tianjin
Official name	Municipality of Tianjin • 天津市
Native name
Settlement type	Municipality
Total type	Municipality
Map caption	Location of Tianjin Municipality within China
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates region	CN-12
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	People's Republic of China
Established title	Settled
Established date	ca. 340 BC
Parts type	Divisions - County-level - Township-level
Parts	13 districts, 3 counties240 towns and villages
Government type	Municipality
Leader title	CPC Ctte Secretary
Leader name	Zhang Gaoli
Leader title1	Mayor
Leader name1	Huang Xingguo
Area total km2	11760
Area urban km2	174.9
Area metro km2	5606.9
Population total	12938224
Population as of	2010 census
Population density km2	auto
Population urban	4342770
Population metro	10290987
Population urban density km2	auto
Population metro density km2	auto
Population demonym	TianjineseTianjiner
Timezone	China standard time
Utc offset	+8
Postal code type	Postal code
Postal code	300000 – 301900
Area code	22
Blank name sec1	GDP
Blank info sec1	2010
Blank1 name sec1	- Total
Blank1 info sec1	CNY 910.8 billion(US$ 141.3 billion) (22nd)
Blank2 name sec1	- Per capita
Blank2 info sec1	CNY 62,403(US$ 9681) (3rd)
Blank3 name sec1	HDI (2008)
Blank3 info sec1	0.875 (3rd) – high
Blank4 name sec1	Licence plate prefixes
Blank4 info sec1	津A, B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M津E (taxis)
Blank name sec2	City flower
Blank info sec2	Chinese rose
Website	www.tj.gov.cn www.tj.gov.cn/english }}

(; ; Tianjinese: ; Postal map spelling: Tientsin) is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government. Tianjin borders Hebei Province and Beijing Municipality, bounded to the east by the Bohai Gulf portion of the Yellow Sea.

As a dual-core city, Tianjin is divided into the old city and the Binhai New Area. Binhai New Area is a new growth pole in China, and it maintains an annual growth rate of nearly 30% of the GDP. As of the end of 2010, 285 Fortune Global 500 companies have established branch offices in Binhai. It is a base of China's advanced industry, financial reform, and innovation.

In terms of urban population, it is the sixth-largest city of the People's Republic of China, and its urban land area (Binhai New Area is not included) ranks fifth in the nation (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen have greater area). Tianjin's urban area is located along the Hai River, which connects to the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers via the Grand Canal in Tianjin.Tianjin was once home to foreign concessions in the late Qing Dynasty and early Kuomintang (KMT) era. The municipality incorporates the coastal region of Tanggu, home to the Binhai New Area and the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA).

History

The land where Tianjin lies today was created in historical times by sedimentation of various rivers entering the sea at Bohai Gulf, including the Yellow River, which entered the sea in this area at one point.

The opening of the Grand Canal of China during the Sui Dynasty prompted the development of Tianjin into a trading center. Until 1404, Tianjin was called "Zhigu" (直沽), or "Straight Port". In that year, the Yongle Emperor renamed the city ''Tianjin'', means "the Heavenly Ford", to indicate that the Emperor (son of heaven) forded the river at that point. This is because he had indeed forded the river in Tianjin while on a campaign to scramble for the throne from his nephew. Later on, a fort was established in Tianjin, known as "Tianjin Wei" (天津卫), the Fort of Tianjin.

Tianjin was promoted to a prefecture in 1725. Tianjin County was established under the prefecture in 1731.

In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded ''The Arrow'', a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong flying the British flag and suspected of piracy, smuggling and of being engaged in the opium trade. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. In response, the British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku forts (大沽砲台) near Tianjin in May 1858. At the end of the first part of the Second Opium War in June of the same year, the Treaties of Tianjin were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade. The treaties were ratified by the Emperor of China in 1860, and Tianjin (known as ''Tientsin'') was formally opened to Great Britain and France, so to the outside world. Between 1895 and 1900, Britain and France were joined by Japan, Germany and Russia, and even by countries without other Chinese concessions such as Austria-Hungary, Italy and Belgium, in establishing self-contained concessions in Tianjin, each with its own prisons, schools, barracks and hospitals. These nations left many architectural reminders of their rule, the notable ones being churches and thousands of villas. Today those villas provide an exotic flavour to Tianjin.

The presence of foreign influence in Tianjin was not always peaceful; one of the most serious violent incidents to take place was the Tianjin Church Incident (天津教案). In June 1870, the orphanage hold by the Wanghailou Church (望海楼教堂), ''Our Lady of Victories'', in Tianjin, built by French Roman Catholic missionaries, was accused of the kidnapping and brainwashing of Chinese children. On June 21, the magistrate of Tianjin County initiated a showdown at the church that developed into violent clashes between the church's Christian supporters and non-Christian Tianjin residents. The furious protestors eventually burned down Wanghailou Church and the nearby French consulate and killed eighteen foreigners including ten French nuns, the French consul, and merchants. France and six other Western nations complained to the Qing government, which was forced to pay compensation for the incident.

In June 1900, the Boxers were able to seize control of much of Tianjin. On June 26, belligerent European forces heading towards Beijing were stopped by Boxers at nearby Langfang, and were defeated and forced to turn back to Tianjin. The foreign concessions also came under siege for several weeks.

In July 1900, the Eight-Nation Alliance attacked and occupied Tianjin. They soon established the Tianjin Provisional Government, composed of representatives from each of the occupying forces (Russian, British, Japanese, German, French, American, Austro-Hungarian, and Italian). Tianjin was governed by this council until August 15, 1902 when the city was returned to Qing control. Eminent Qing General Yuan Shikai headed efforts to remake Tianjin into a modern city, establishing the first modern Chinese police force here. In 1907, Yuan supervised China's first modern democratic elections for a county council.

Tianjin was established as a municipality of China (直辖市) in 1927.

Western nations were permitted to garrison the area to ensure open access to Peking. The British maintained a brigade of two battalions there, and the Italians, French, Japanese, Germans, Russians, and Austro-Hungarians maintained understrength regiments; the United States did not initially participate. During World War I, the German and Austro-Hungarian garrisons were captured and held as Prisoners of War by Allied Forces while the Bolshevik government withdrew the Russian garrison in 1918. In 1920, the remaining participating nations asked the United States to join them, and the US then sent the 15th Infantry Regiment, less one battalion, to Tientsin from the Philippines.

Garrison duty was highly regarded by the troops. General George C Marshall, the "architect of victory" in World War II when he was the United States Army Chief of Staff, served at Tientsin in the 1920s as Executive Officer of the 15th Infantry. The US withdrew this unit in 1938 and a US presence was maintained only by the dispatch of a small US Marine Corps contingent from the Embassy Guard at Peking.

On July 30, 1937, Tianjin fell to Japan, as part of the Second Sino-Japanese War, but was not entirely occupied, as the Japanese for the most part respected foreign concessions until 1941, when the American and British concessions were occupied. In the summer of 1939, there occurred a major crisis in Anglo-Japanese relations with the Tientsin Incident. On June 14, 1939, the Imperial Japanese Army surrounded and blockaded the British concession over the refusal of the British authorities to hand over to the Japanese six Chinese who had assassinated a locally prominent Japanese collaborator, and had taken refuge in the British concession. For a time, the 1939 crisis appeared likely to cause an Anglo-Japanese war, especially when reports of the maltreatment by the Japanese Army of British subjects wishing to leave or enter the concession appeared in the British press. The crisis ended when the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was advised by the Royal Navy and the Foreign Office that the only way to force the Japanese to lift the blockade was to send the main British battle fleet to Far Eastern waters, and that given the current crisis in Europe that it would be inappropriate to send the British fleet out of European waters, thus leading the British to finally turn over the six Chinese, who were then executed by the Japanese. During the Japanese occupation, Tianjin was ruled by the North China Executive Committee, a puppet state based in Beijing.

On August 9, 1940, all of the British troops in Tianjin were ordered to withdraw. On November 14, 1941 the American Marine unit stationed in Tianjin was ordered to leave, but before this could be accomplished, the Japanese attacked the United States. The American Marine detachment surrendered to the Japanese on December 8, 1941. Only the Italian and French concessions (the local French officials were loyal to Vichy) were allowed to remain by the Japanese. Japanese occupation lasted until August 15, 1945, the surrender of Japan marking the end of World War II.

Tianjin holds the annual Meeting of the New Champions of World Economic Forum (also called Summer Davos) from 2008.

In October 2010, the UN Climate Change Conference convened in Tianjin.

Geography

Tianjin is located in Northern China along the coast of the Bohai Gulf, with latitude ranging from 38° 15' to 40° 14' N, and longitude ranging from 116° 43' to 118° 03' E. Surrounded by Hebei on all directions except for the sea and is bordered by Beijing to the northwest, it lies at the northern end of the Grand Canal of China, which connects with the Yellow River and Yangtze River. The municipality is generally flat, and swampy near the coast, but hilly in the far north, where the Yan Mountains intrude into northern Tianjin. The highest point in the municipality is Jiushanding Peak on the northern border with Hebei, at an altitude of 1078 m.

The Hai River forms within Tianjin Municipality at the confluence of the Ziya River（子牙河）, Daqing River（大清河）, Yongding River, North Grand Canal, and South Grand Canal, and enters the Pacific Ocean within the municipality as well, in Tanggu District. Major reservoirs include the Beidagang Reservoir in the extreme south (in Dagang District) and the Yuqiao Reservoir in the extreme north (in Ji County).

The urban area of Tianjin is found in the south-central part of the Municipality with 6 districts and 4,342,770 inhabitants. The built up area is much bigger and is home to 10,290,987 inhabitants on 12 districts including Binhai new district. This makes Tianjin agglomeration the fifth in China after Guangzhou – Dongguan – Shenzhen, Shanghai – Suzhou], Beijing and [[Shantou – Jieyang – Chaozhou conurbation.In addition to the main urban area, the coast along the Bohai is lined with a series of port towns, including [[Tanggu District">Tanggu and Hangu.

Climate

Tianjin features a four season, monsoon-influenced climate, typical of East Asia, with cold, windy, very dry winters reflecting the influence of the vast Siberian anticyclone, and hot, humid summers, due to the monsoon. Spring in the city is dry and windy, occasionally seeing sandstorms blowing in from the Gobi Desert, capable of lasting for several days. Monthly mean temperatures range from from January to July, with an annual average of . With precipitation being generous only during the summer months, and a low annual total of , the city lies within the humid continental zone, with parts of the municipality being semi-arid (Köppen ''Dwa''/''BSk'', respectively)

Extreme temperatures have ranged from .

Administrative divisions

Tianjin is divided into 16 county-level divisions, including 13 districts and 3 counties. ;Urban districts

Heping District

Hedong District

Hexi District

Nankai District

Hebei District

Hongqiao District

Binhai New Area

;Suburban districts

Jinnan District

Dongli District

Xiqing District

Beichen District

;Two rural districts and three rural counties

Baodi District

Wuqing District

Ji County

Jinghai County

Ninghe County

In addition, the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA) is not a formal level of administration, but nevertheless enjoys rights similar to a regular district.

These districts and counties are further subdivided, as of December 31, 2004, into 240 township-level divisions, including 120 towns, 18 townships, 2 ethnic townships and 100 subdistricts.

Politics

The politics of Tianjin is structured in a dual party-government system like all other governing institutions in the mainland China.

The Mayor of Tianjin is the highest ranking official in the People's Government of Tianjin. Since Tianjin is a municipality, the Communist Party of China Municipal Committee Secretary is colloquially termed the "Tianjin CPC Party chief".

Economy

The nominal GDP for Tianjin was 750 billion yuan (US$110 billion) in 2009, a year-on-year increase of 16.5%.

In 2009, per capita GDP was 62,403 yuan (US$9,136). The manufacturing sector was the largest (54.8%) and fastest-growing (18.2%) sector of Tianjin's economy. Urban disposable income per capita was 21,430 yuan, a real increase of 10.3% from the previous year. Rural pure income per capita was 10,675 yuan, a real increase of 10.4% from the previous year.

Farmland takes up about 40% of Tianjin Municipality's total area. Wheat, rice, and maize are the most important crops. Fishing is important along the coast. Tianjin is also an important industrial base. Major industries include petrochemical industries, textiles, car manufacturing, mechanical industries, and metalworking. Tianjin Municipality also has deposits of about 1 billion tonnes of petroleum, with Dagang District containing important oilfields. Salt production is also important, with Changlu Yanqu being one of China's most important salt production areas. Geothermal energy is another resource of Tianjin. Deposits of manganese and boron under Tianjin were the first to be found in China.

EADS Airbus has already opened an assembly plant for its A320 series airliners, operational since 2009. AVIC I and AVIC II will be EADS' local partners for the site, to which subassemblies will be sent from plants around the world.

Binhai New Area

Tianjin Airport Industrial Park

Tianjin Airport International Logistics Zone

Tianjin Airport International Logistics Zone is jointly invested by Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone and Tianjin Binhai International Airport. It is located inside the airfreight area of Tianjin Binhai International Airport. It has domestic and foreign excellent airfreight logistics enterprises engaged in sorting, warehousing, distribution, processing, exhibition. It is in the process of constructing the largest airfreight base in northern China.

Tianjin Baodi Economic and Technological Development Area

Tianjin Economic & Technological Development Area (Also mentioned as TEDA)

Tianjin Export Processing Zone

Located in the northeastern part of Tianjin Economy Development Area, Tianjin Export Processing Zone (TEPZ) has a planned area of 2.54 square kilometers, and the development area in Phase I is a square kilometer. The zone enjoys a convenient transport network, and it is located 40 km to Tianjin, 145 km to Beijing and 5 km to Tianjin Port.

Tianjin High-tech Industry Park

Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone

Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone is the largest free trade zone in northern China as well as the only free trade zone in northern China and north-western China. The zone was approved to be established in 1991 by State Council. It is 30 km from Tianjin city proper, less than 1 km away from the wharf and only 38 km away from Tianjin Binhai International Airport.

Tianjin Tanggu National Marine High-Tech Development Area

Tianjin Tanggu Marine High-Tech Development Area was established in 1992, and was upgraded to the national-level high-tech development area by the State Council in 1995, it is the only national-level high-tech development area specializing in developing the marine Hi-Tech industry. By the end of 2008, the zone has 2068 corporations and has 5 industries there including new materials, oil manufacturing, modern machinery manufacturing, and electronic information.

Huayuan Area Industrial Development Park

Wuqing Development Area

National Supercomputing Center

The current second fastest supercomputer in the world, Tianhe-1A, is located at the National Supercomputing Center in Tianjin.

Demographics

At the end of 2009, the population of Tianjin Municipality was 12.28 million, of which 9.8 million were residential holders of Tianjin ''hukou'' (permanent residence). Among Tianjin permanent residents, 5.99 million were urban, and 3.81 million were rural. The population will grow to 14 million. (out of which 11,5 million will be urban population)

The majority of Tianjin residents are Han Chinese. There are also 51 out of the 55 minor Chinese ethnic groups living in Tianjin. Major minorities include Hui, Koreans, Manchus, and Mongols.

style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"	Ethnic groups in Tianjin, 2000 census
List of ethnic groups in China>Ethnicity !! Population !! Percentage
Han Chinese	Han	9,581,775	97.29%
Hui people	Hui	172,357
Manchu people	Manchu	56,548
Mongols	11,331
Korean people	Korean	11,041
Zhuang people	Zhuang	4,055
Tujia people	Tujia	3,677

Excludes members of the People's Liberation Army in active service.

Media

Tianjin People's Broadcasting Station is the major radio station in Tianjin. Broadcasting in nine channels, it serves most of North China, part of East and Northeast China, reaching an audience of over 100 million. Tianjin Television, the local television station, broadcasts in nine channels. It also boasts a paid digital channel, featuring home improvement programs. Both the radio and television stations are now branches of the Tianjin Film, Radio and Television Group, established in October 2002.

Major local newspapers include the Tianjin Daily and Jin Wan Bao (literally, tonight newspaper), which are the flagship papers of Tianjin Daily Newspaper Group and Jinwan Mass Media Group, respectively.

Culture

People from urban Tianjin speak Tianjin dialect, which comes under the Mandarin subdivision of spoken Chinese. Despite its proximity to Beijing, Tianjin dialect sounds quite different from Beijing dialect, which provides the basis for Putonghua, official spoken language of the People's Republic of China.

Tianjin cuisine places a heavy focus on seafood, due to Tianjin's proximity to the sea. Prominent menus include the Eight Great Bowls (八大碗), a combination of eight mainly meat dishes. It can be further classified into several varieties, including the rough (粗), smooth (S: 细 / T: 細), and high (高). The Four Great Stews (四大扒) refers actually to a very large number of stews, including chicken, duck, seafood, beef, and mutton.

Tianjin also has several famous snack items. Goubuli (狗不理包子) is a famous and traditional brand of ''baozi'' (steamed buns with filling) that is famous throughout China. Guifaxiang (桂发祥麻花) is a traditional brand of ''mahua'' (twisted dough sticks). Erduoyan (耳朵眼炸糕) is a traditional brand of fried rice cakes.

Tianjin is a respected home base of Beijing opera, one of the most prestigious forms of Chinese opera. Tianjin is famous for its stand up [comedy] and comedians including Guo Degang and Ma Sanli. Ma Sanli (马三立) (1914–2003), an ethnic Hui and longtime resident of Tianjin, is renowned for his ''xiangsheng'' (相声), a hugely popular form of Chinese entertainment similar to comedy. Ma Sanli delivered some of his ''xiangsheng'' in the Tianjin dialect. Tianjin, along with Beijing, is a center for the art of xiangsheng.

Yangliuqing (Green Willows), a town about 15 km west of Tianjin's urban area and the seat of Tianjin's Xiqing District, is famous for its popular Chinese New Year-themed, traditional-style, colourful wash paintings (杨柳青年画). Tianjin is also famous for Zhang's clay figurines (泥人张) which are a type of colourful figurine depicting a variety of vivid characters, and Tianjin's Wei's kites (风筝魏), which can be folded to a fraction of their full sizes, are noted for portability.

Transport

The Tianjin tram network was awarded to a Belgian company in 1904 and opened in 1906. It was the first city-wide tramway system in China. There were 402 bus lines in the city as of 2004.

Construction work on the Tianjin Metro started on July 4, 1970. It was the second metro to be built in China and commenced service in 1984. The total length of track is 7.4 kilometers. The metro service was suspended on October 9, 2001 for reconstruction. This new metro is now called Line 1. It was re-opened to the public in June 2006. The track was extended to 26.188 kilometers and there will be a total of 22 stations. Previously, there were 8 stations. Several new metro lines are planned. Construction work on Line 2 and Line 3 are ongoing.

There is also a light railway line in the city, the Binhai Mass Transit line. The line runs between downtown Tianjin and TEDA (Tianjin Economic Development Area) in the seaside region. The eastern part of the line began service on March 28, 2004. The western part of the line is scheduled to be completed in 2006.

There is also a guided rail tram system in TEDA, called TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram.

Rapid transit

The municipality consists of two rapid transit systems, Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit. They are currently under heavy expansion from 3 lines to 9 lines. 4 lines are currently operating both in the City and the Binhai area.

As of October 2009, the entire network of Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit has 50 stations and 4 lines.

There are two rapid transit operators in Tianjin:

Tianjin Metro. Presently operating 26 stations and two lines.

{| cellpadding="5" style="margin:0 auto; text-align:left;" class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:300px;" colspan="2"| Number & Name ! Terminals ! Interchange ! Opening Year |- | style="background:#f00;"| 1 | style="width:280px;"|Line 1 | Shuanglin – Liuyuan | – | 1970 |- | style="background:#6E00A5"| 9 | style="width:280px;"|Line 9 | Zhongshanmen – Xinlizhen | B1 | 2004 |}

Binhai Mass Transit (BMT). Currently operates 24 stations in two lines.

{| cellpadding="5" style="margin:0 auto; text-align:left;" class="wikitable" |- ! style="width:300px;" colspan="2"| Number & Name ! Terminals ! Interchange ! Opening Year |- | style="background:#FF5084"| B1 | style="width:280px;"|Line B1 | Xinlizhen – Donghai Lu | 9, T | 2004 |- | style="background:gray"| T | style="width:280px;"|TEDA MGRT | TEDA – North of College District | B1 | 2007 |}

Current map of Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit

left|thumb|600px|Current map of Tianjin Metro and Binhai Mass Transit

Rail

There are several railway stations in the city, Tianjin Railway Station being the principal one. It was built in 1888. The station was initially located at Wangdaozhuang (S: 旺道庄 / T: 旺道莊). The station was later moved to Laolongtou (S: 老龙头 / T: 老龍頭) on the banks of the Hai He River in 1892, so the station was renamed Laolongtou Railway Station. The station was rebuilt from scratch in 1988. The rebuilding work began on April 15, 1987 and was finished on October 1, 1988. The Tianjin Railway Station is also locally called the 'East Station', due to its geographical position. In January 2007, the station began another long-term restructuring project to modernize the facility and as part of the larger Tianjin transport hub project involving Tianjin Metro lines 2, 3, and 9 as well as the Tianjin-Beijing High-speed rail.

Tianjin West Railway Station and Tianjin North Railway Station are also major railway stations in Tianjin. There is also Tanggu Railway Station is located in the important port area of Tanggu District, and TEDA Railway Station located in TEDA, to the north of Tanggu. There are several other railway stations in the city that do not handle passenger traffic.

Construction on a Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail began on July 4, 2005 and was completed by August 2008.

The following rail lines go through Tianjin:

Jingshan Railway, from Beijing to Shanhai Pass

Jinpu Railway, from Tianjin to Pukou District, Nanjing

Jinji Railway, from Tianjin urban area to Ji County, Tianjin

Jinba Railway, from Tianjin to Bazhou, Hebei

Starting from Aug. 1, 2008, all trains stopping at the previous Tianjin Temporary Passenger Station will now instead use the newly completed Tianjin Railway Station.

Also, the inter-city trains between Beijing and Tianjin will adopt a new numbering system: Cxxxx (C stands for interCity.). The train numbers range between C2001～C2298:

C2001～C2198: From Beijing South Station to Tianjin, non-stop.

C2201～C2268: From Beijing South Station to Tianjin, with stops at Wuqing Station (武清站) or Yizhuang Station (亦庄站);

C2271～C2298: From Beijing South Station to Tanggu Station of Tianjin.

The new C trains take only 30 min between Beijing and Tianjin, cutting the previous D train time by more than a half. The ticket price as of Aug. 15, 08 is 69 RMB for the first-class seat and 58 RMB for the second-class seat.

Roads and expressways

Some spots in Tianjin, including roads and bridges, have names from Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People (for example, Minquan Gate on Zhonghuan Road). Names harkening back to the era of the Republic of China on the mainland also appear (e.g. Beiyang Road). Many roads in Tianjin are named after a Chinese province or city. Also, Tianjin is unlike Beijing, in that very few roads run parallel to the major four compass directions.

Tianjin has three ring roads. Unlike Beijing, the Inner and Middle Ring Roads are not closed, traffic-controlled roadways and some often have traffic light intersections. The Outer Ring Road is the closest thing to a highway-level ring road, although traffic is often chaotic and sometimes more than chaotic.

Inner Ring Road ''(neihuan)''

Middle Ring Road ''(zhonghuan)''

Outer Ring Road ''(waihuan)''

Tianjin's roads often finish in ''dao'' (道 avenue), ''xian'' (S: 线 / T: 線) line, more used for highways and through routes) and ''lu'' (路 road). ''Jie'' (街 street) is rare. As Tianjin's roads are rarely in a cardinal compass direction, ''jing'' (S: 经 / T: 經) roads and ''wei'' (S: 纬 / T: 緯) roads often appear, which attempt to run more directly north-south and east-west, respectively.

The following seven expressways of China run in or through Tianjin:

Jingjintang Expressway, from Beijing, through Tianjin's urban area, to Tanggu District / TEDA

Jinghu Expressway, from Jinjing Gonglu Bridge to Shanghai (together with Jingjintang Expressway, this is the expressway from Beijing to Shanghai)

Jingshen Expressway, through Baodi District on its way from Beijing to Shenyang

Tangjin Expressway, from Tanggu District, Tianjin, to Tangshan, Hebei ''-- known in Tianjin as the Jintang Expressway''

Baojin Expressway, from Beichen District, Tianjin, to Baoding, Hebei ''-- known in Tianjin as the Jinbao Expressway''

Jinbin Expressway, from Zhangguizhuang Bridge to Hujiayuan Bridge, both within Tianjin

Jinji Expressway, from central Tianjin to Jixian County

The following six China National Highways pass through Tianjin:

China National Highway 102, through Ji County, Tianjin on its way from Beijing to Harbin

China National Highway 103, from Beijing, through Tianjin's urban area, to Tanggu District

China National Highway 104, from Beijing, through Tianjin Municipality, to Fuzhou

China National Highway 105, from Beijing, through Tianjin Municipality, to Macau

China National Highway 112, circular highway around Beijing, passes through Tianjin Municipality

China National Highway 205, from Shanhaiguan, Hebei, through Tianjin Municipality, to Guangzhou

The expressways are sometimes closed due to dense fog particularly in the Autumn and Spring.

Airport

Tianjin Binhai International Airport (ZBTJ) is located in the east of the urban area, in Dongli District.

Places of worship

Our Lady of Victory Church (Wanghailou Church) (望海楼教堂)

St. Joseph’s Cathedral (Laoxikai Church) (西开天主教堂)

Tianjin Jewish Synagogue (天津犹太教堂)

Tourism

Main attractions

Have you ever tried to go hiking in Tainjin? Or would you like to hike on the mountain here? Hiking on the Mount Panshan in Jixian County will be a fantastic experience. The Mount Panshan Scenic Area is located in the northern part of Tianjin Municipality, 110 kilometers (68.4 miles) away from the urban area of Tianjin and 88 kilometers (54.7 miles) away from Beijing.

The best time to set out is in the morning. Firstly, you may take a train to Jixian County and then catch a tourist bus to Mount Panshan or you just hire a car direct to the scenic area. However, taking a train is better since the landscapes along the railway is beautiful. The journey takes approximately two and a half hours. After arriving there, you can choose to lodge in a village-style mountain hotel, and have a meal before you start your hiking tour. You will enjoy the hike, admiring the astonishing peaks, odd rocks and the ancient temples. If you like, you may go on a picnic on the mountain and then finish your tour.

There is another wonderful route for you to follow in Tianjin. You can leave the urban area of Tianjin, travel through Mount Baxian, Jixue Waterfall, Changzhou Village and then arrive at the Jiushanding Scenic Area which is located in the Xiaying Town of Jixian County. This journey can be completed within three days. So do not forget to carry lodging requirements and enough food.

On the first day, at about 20:00, you can set out from the urban area of Tianjin. You may hire a car or you can drive yourself. Just follow Jinzhonghe Street and transfer to the Jinji Expresway at the junction of Waihuan (Outer Ring). At about 23:30 you will arrive at Mount Baxian Scenic Area, where you can pitch your camps and stay overnight.

The second day, get up at 7:00 and start your hiking at around 8:00. After two hours' walking, you will reach the Jixue Waterfall. Then you may have a break there and have a view of the unspoiled scenery there. At noon, have your lunch there before you go on your journey to Changzhou Village. And you spend a night in the village. Or if you cannot get to the village before dark, you will have to pitch your camp in the mountains.

For the third day, you also have to get up early at 7:00 and prepare for the last day's hiking. Then you start your journey at around 8:00 and go directly to the last destination, the Jiushanding Scenic Area. There you can enjoy the wild plants and the charming natural scenery. In particular, you will see the Huangyaguan Great Wall on the mountain just like a huge dragon. Finally, you can return to Tianjin urban area with many happy memories and hopefully a lot of photographs.

This is one of the line of tour, If you have chance, welcome to China TianJin to feel the unique sighting.

Luzutang (Boxer Rebellion Museum)

Guwenhua Jie, Ancient culture street

Tianjin Wen Miao (文庙) (An important Temple of Confucius)

Yuhuangge Taoist Temple (玉皇阁)

Temple of Great Compassion Zen Buddhist Temple

Tianhou Palace (天后宫), Temple dedicated to the goddess Mazu and biggest in the North China region

Former Concessions in Tianjin

Astor Hotel and its Museum 利顺德大酒店及利顺德博物馆

Tianjin Radio and Television Tower

Tianjin Eye, the world's only Ferris wheel built over a bridge and the world's 6th tallest overall

Tianjin World Financial Center () tall

Tianjin Water Park, the largest urban park and recreation area in Tianjin

Tianjin Zoo, home to approximately 3,000 animals of 200 species

Tianjin Museum, the largest museum in Tianjin

Hai River Park (海河公园)

Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium, also known as "The Water Drop"

Five Main Avenues (五大道)

Italian Town (意式风情区)

Shijia Dayuan 杨柳青：石家大院 Shi Family Residence

Memorial to Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao

The Century Clock of Tianjin 天津世纪钟 (Tianjin Shijizhong)

''' ''Sights outside the Tianjin urban area, but within the municipality, including the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area:'''''

Soviet aircraft carrier Kiev Theme Park (前苏联航空母舰主题公园)

Polar marine animals theme park in Tianjin(天津极地海洋动物世界)

TEDA Football Stadium, Home stadium of Chinese Super League team Tianjin Teda F.C.

Taku Forts, Qing Dynasty cannon emplacement

Huangya Pass, a section of the Great Wall of China

Mount Panshan

Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city, a collaborative venture between the governments of China and Singapore

Sports teams

Sports teams based in Tianjin include:

Chinese Super League

Tianjin Teda F.C. (天津泰达俱乐部)

Chinese Yi League

Tianjin Songjiang (天津松江)

China Baseball League

Tianjin Lions

China Women Volleyball League

Tianjin Bridgestone Women Volleyball Team

Education

Colleges and universities

Under the National Ministry of Education:

Nankai University (南开大学) (founded 1919，one of the most prestigious universities in China)

Tianjin University (天津大学) (founded 1895, oldest university in China)

Under the national Civil Aviation Authority:

Civil Aviation University of China (中国民航大学)

Under the government of Hebei Province:

Hebei University of Technology (河北工业大学) (founded 1903, the earliest institute of technology in China)

Under the municipal government:

Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts (天津美术学院)

Tianjin Agricultural College (天津农学院)

Tianjin Conservatory of Music (天津音乐学院)

Tianjin Foreign Studies University (天津外国语大学)

Tianjin Institute of Physical Education (天津体育学院)

Tianjin Medical University (天津医科大学)

Tianjin Normal University (天津师范大学)

Tianjin Polytechnic University (天津理工大学)

Tianjin University of Commerce (天津商业大学)

Tianjin University of Finance & Economics (天津财经大学)

Tianjin University of Science & Technology (天津科技大学)

Tianjin University of Technology (天津工业大学)

Tianjin University of Technology and Education (天津职业技术师范学院)

Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (天津中医药大学)

Tianjin Urban Construction Institute (天津城市建设学院)

Foreign institutions:

The Florida International University Tianjin Center, opened in 2006 as a cooperative venture between the municipal government and the Miami-based university.

The Great Wall MBA Program Oklahoma City University Meinders School of Business, established in 1986 on the campus of Tianjin University of Finance & Economics.

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

High schools

Tianjin No. 1 High School (天津一中)

Nankai High School (南开中学) founded 1904, and one of the most prestigious in China

Yaohua High School (耀华中学) founded 1927

Tianjin Shiyan High School (实验中学)

Tianjin Xinhua High School (新华中学)

Tianjin Foreign Languages School (TFLS) (天津外国语学院附属外国语学校)

Tianjin No. 20 high School (天津市第二十中学)

Tianjin Second Nankai High School (天津市第二南开中学）

Tianjin No. 7 High School (天津七中)

Tianjin No. 3 Middle School (天津市第三中学)

Tianjin No. 5 High School (天津五中）

Tianjin No. 4 High School (天津四中)

No 42 High School (42中学)

No 41 High School (41中学)

Haihe High School (海河中学)

Tianjin High School（天津中学）

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Tianjin is twinned with:

City	! Country	! Sister city since:
Kobe	Japan	June 24, 1973
Fitchburg, Massachusetts	United States
Philadelphia	United States	February 10, 1980
Dallas	United States
	United States
Greenville, South Carolina	United States
Rishon LeZion	Israel
Melbourne	Australia	May 5, 1980
Yokkaichi, Mie	Japan	October 28, 1980
Sarajevo	Bosnia and Herzegovina	May 28, 1981
Nord-Pas-de-Calais	France	October 10, 1984
Milan	Italy	May 9, 1985
	Netherlands	September 12, 1985
	Japan	May 7, 1986
Kutaisi	Georgia
Plovdiv Region	Bulgaria	October 15, 1989
İzmir	Turkey	September 23, 1991
Abidjan	Côte d'Ivoire	September 26, 1992
Ulan Bator	Mongolia	September 27, 1992
Kharkiv	Ukraine	June 14, 1993
	Sweden	September 23, 1993
Incheon	South Korea	December 7, 1993
Łódź	Poland	October 1, 1994
Rio de Janeiro (state)	Brazil	April 18, 1995
	Brazil	October 20, 1997
Haiphong	Vietnam	January 8, 1999
Turku	Finland	August 17, 2000
	Clarence, New York	United States	November 10, 2001
	Thessaloniki	Greece	March 4, 2002
Nampo	North Korea	August 11, 2002
Phnom Penh	Cambodia	November 17, 2008

Astronomical phenomena

At , the previous total solar eclipse was the solar eclipse of October 28, 1277, the next total solar eclipse will be on July 6, 2187.

Total solar eclipses from 1001 to 3000 are:

1277-Oct-28 13:21 CST

2187-Jul-06 17:13 CST

2415-Apr-10 10:49 CST

2636-May-27 05:09 CST

2762-Aug-12 09:43 CST

Annular solar eclipses from 1001 to 3000 are:

1189-Feb-17 11:37 CST

1292-Jan-21 13:30 CST

1665-Jan-16 16:42 CST

1802-Aug-28 15:48 CST

2118-Mar-22 15:33 CST

2439-Jun-12 07:52 CST

2686-Sep-10 07:12 CST

2739-Apr-30 08:41 CST

2894-Dec-18 14:38 CST

Wikisource has an article about solar eclipses as seen from Tianjin from 2001 to 3000.

See also

天津 ("Heaven's port") is also the name of an asterism in the Chinese constellation of Girl Mansion (女宿)

Gao Lingwen, founder of Tianjin's first public school

List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population

American, Austro-Hungarian, British, French, Italian, Belgian, Russian and Japanese Concessions in Tianjin

References

Further reading

External links

Tianjin Government website

Tianjin Expats

Economic profile for Tianjin at HKTDC

Tianjin Guide

Official Tianjing Media Gateway

Tianjin Taoist Association

Historic US Army map of Tianjin, 1945

Official promotional vedio of Tianjin City

Lat. and Long. }} }}

Category:Independent cities Category:Municipalities of the People's Republic of China Category:North China Plain

ace:Tianjin af:Tianjin ar:تيانجين az:Tyantszin zh-min-nan:Thian-tin-chhī bo:ཐན་ཅིན ་གྲོང་ཁྱེར། br:Tianjin bg:Тиендзин ca:Tianjin cv:Тяньцзинь cs:Tchien-ťin cy:Tianjin da:Tianjin de:Tianjin et:Tianjin Shi es:Tianjin eo:Tjanĝino eu:Tianjin fa:تیانجین fr:Tianjin ga:Tianjin gv:Tianjin gl:Tianjin gan:天津 hak:Thiên-tsîn ko:톈진 시 hi:तिआंजिन hr:Tianjin id:Tianjin it:Tientsin he:טיינג'ין kl:Tianjin ka:ტიანძინი kw:Tianjin lv:Tjaņdziņa lt:Tiandzinas hu:Tiencsin ml:ടിയാൻജിൻ mi:Tianjin mr:त्यांजिन ms:Tianjin my:ထျန်းကျင်းမြို့ nl:Tianjin ja:天津市 no:Tianjin nn:Tianjin pa:ਤਿਆਂਜਿਨ pnb:تیانجن pl:Tiencin pt:Tianjin ro:Tianjin ru:Тяньцзинь sah:Тэндьиин sco:Tianjin scn:Tianjin simple:Tianjin sk:Tchien-ťin sr:Тјенцин (град) sh:Tianjin fi:Tianjin sv:Tianjin tl:Tianjin ta:தியான்ஜின் th:เทียนจิน tr:Tientsin uk:Тяньцзінь ur:تیانجین ug:تيەنجىن شەھىرى vi:Thiên Tân zh-classical:天津市 war:Tianjin wuu:天津市 zh-yue:天津 zh:天津市

Show name	Sister, Sister
Format	Teen/family sitcom
Camera	Videotape; Multi-camera
Runtime	22–24 minutes
Creator	Kim BassGary GilbertFred Shafferman
Starring	Tia MowryTamera MowryTim ReidJackée Harry Marques Houston (season 1-mid season 5)RonReaco LeeDeon Richmond (both; recurring, season 5; regulars, season 6)
Executive producer	Suzanne de PasseSuzanne Coston(both; entire run)Sy Rosen (seasons 1–2)Brian Pollack & Mert Rich(season 3)Leslie Ray & David Steven Simon (both; season 4)Rick Hawkins (seasons 5–6)
Country	United States
Language	English
Theme music composer	Tim Heintz, Randy Petersen and Kevin Quinn (entire run)Kurt Farquhar (seasons 5–6)
Opentheme	"Sister, Sister" (main title theme)
Composer	Kurt Farquhar(seasons 1-2 and 4–6)Paul A. Kreiling (season 3)
Company	de Passe EntertainmentParamount Network Television
Distributor	Paramount Domestic Television (1994-2006)CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006-2007)CBS Television Distribution (2007-present)
Network	ABC (1994–1995)The WB (1995–1999)The N (in reruns) (2002–2004)
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
First aired
Last aired
Num seasons	6
Num episodes	119
Status	Ended
List episodes	List of Sister, Sister episodes
Related	''Smart Guy'' }}

''Sister, Sister'' is an American television sitcom about identical twin girls Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell (Tia and Tamera Mowry), who were separated and adopted at birth, when one day they come face-to-face after 14 years apart.

Created by Kim Bass, Gary Gilbert and Fred Shafferman, the series starred twin sisters Tia and Tamera Mowry, along with Jackee Harry, Marques Houston and Tim Reid, with RonReaco Lee and Deon Richmond joining the cast in the fifth season. ''Sister, Sister'' was produced by de Passe Entertainment and Paramount Network Television.

The series ran from April 1, 1994 to June 14, 1995 on ABC, was canceled by the network after the 1994–95 season, reportedly due to low adult viewership (though the series was among the top-rated network shows among pre-teen and teen audiences) and then picked up by The WB and aired on that network from September 5, 1995 and ran until May 23, 1999.

Since ''Sister, Sister'' is no longer on ABC and The WB, it was aired in reruns on Noggin's pre-teen programming block, The N from April 7, 2002 and the series ran until April 23, 2004.

Premise

In the pilot, the twins are reunited during a chance encounter shopping at a clothing store at the mall with their adoptive parents. The premise is similar to the movie ''The Parent Trap'', where a pair of separated-at-birth twins has a chance encounter at summer camp.

Tia Landry (Tia Mowry) is the intelligent twin from inner-city Detroit, where her adoptive mother Lisa (Jackée Harry) works as a seamstress; Tamera Campbell (Tamera Mowry) is the boy-crazy twin from the suburbs, where her adoptive father Ray (Tim Reid) owns a limousine service. After their unexpected encounter in the department store, Ray reluctantly allows Tia and Lisa to move in the house because Lisa was about to take a job in St. Louis, which would have separated the girls. The girls' neighbor is Roger Evans (Marques Houston), an annoying teenager who is infatuated with both of them, and who evolves from a nerdy pest to a handsome gentleman. In the final season when the girls go off to college, Roger disappears from the series without any explanation. By the fifth season, Tia and Tamera ended up with steady boyfriends, Tia with Tyreke Scott (RonReaco Lee) and Tamera with Jordan Bennett (Deon Richmond).

In the sixth season episode "Father's Day", the twins meet their biological father, Matt Sullivan, and learn that he is white and a famous photojournalist. Matt never married their mother, Racelle Gavin, because they never got the chance: she had been asked to paint a mural in Florida and he had been assigned "the opportunity of a lifetime" in the Middle East. Also, Racelle told him that she would later join him in Tel Aviv without telling him of her pregnancy. After six months, Racelle suddenly stopped writing. When the girls' mother died, Matt was not allowed to see them because he couldn't prove he was their father. When he searched for his twin daughters, he never found them because they had been separately adopted.

For the first five seasons, the series would often have Tia and Tamera, either together or separately, breaking the fourth wall by talking directly to the viewer. During the ABC run, Tia and Tamera would address the audience on some of the goings on in the storyline involving them and occasionally other main characters, usually Roger. After the series moved to The WB, the breaking of the fourth wall was limited mainly to certain episodes and usually only in the teaser scenes and featured increasingly less often by the fourth season. For some of the episodes in the fifth season, it was included but was dropped by the middle of the fifth season. The sixth season was the only season that did not include it.

The first two seasons also occasionally used popular Motown (who actually was the former parent of co-producers de Passe Entertainment) and other songs in some scenes, the first season used a mix of original recordings and versions using studio singers, episodes from the second season used the latter; the use of Motown and other music in the series largely ended after the season two episode "Playing Hooky", though characters and music artists performed popular music periodically in later episodes (e.g., Marques Houston's former group IMx, previously Immature, performing their single "Tamika" from the group's 1997 album, The Journey, in the season five episode "A Friend Indeed").

Characters

Main characters

Tia Andrea Landry (Tia Mowry) – is responsible and mature. Tia's a straight-A Student. She graduates from high school at the top of her class and she had aspirations to go to Harvard, but was rejected, and attended Michigan instead. Tia's main boyfriend is Ray's mechanic, Tyreke, who later joins and becomes a police escort at her college. Tia and Tyreke's relationship started in the fifth season, though they break up for a time in the sixth season. Tia is often involved in many of Tamera's schemes, and Tamera sometimes has Tia to pose as her, usually to have Tia take a tough school exam in her place.

Tamera Ann Campbell (Tamera Mowry) – is Tia's total opposite in terms of personality. She is highly impulsive, and less intellectual than her sister, and a big fan of Coolio (as evidenced in the season three episode "Paper or Plastic?"), when she threatens to quit her job as a scab worker at Food Boy when the store's manager and Lisa's ex-boyfriend Terrence denies her the night off on the night of a Coolio concert when she got tickets, and in the season four episode "Slime Party", in which Tamera answers all of the questions in a category on Coolio with ease while appearing on a teen-oriented game show). She has also voiced her penchant for the Hush Puppies shoe brand on several occasions.

Ray Earl Campbell (Tim Reid) – Tamera's father. He runs his own limousine service. His biggest weakness is attractive women, who often seduce him. A recurring joke when he is being seduced is that he often accidentally says something about the woman's body while talking to them, like saying "breast" while trying to say "rest", or "chardonaked" instead of "chardonnay". He dated Lisa for a time during the fourth season, though he and Lisa once accidentally kissed in the season one episode "The Concert", while dancing (only to find out that they were both thinking of their high school crushes while kissing). Though Ray is Tamera's adoptive father, he clearly aligns with Tia's personality as they are both intellectual and have more dignified personalities than Tamera and Lisa. Ray is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and the Republican Party. He once dated Vivica Shaw.

Lisa Landry Sims (Jackée Harry) - is a fashion designer by trade. She is the adoptive mother of Tia, though she is more aligned with Tamera's personality, sometimes even being more impulsive, lustful, and reckless than Tamera. She often cracks jokes throughout the episodes, which are typically at Ray's expense. She is prone to bouts of depression, during which she consumes high quantities of food (though it is also a running joke that Lisa has a hearty appetite even when she is not depressed). Until season three, Lisa ran her fashion design business, "Fashions by Lisa", out of Ray's house. In the third season episode "History a la Carte", Lisa moves her business to a cart in a local mall, which burns down because of a faulty popcorn machine in the season four episode "Sis-Boom-Bah", after which her business is once again run out of Ray's house. Lisa and Tia eventually become Christians and they start going to church with Tamera and Ray. She marries Victor Sims in the finale. Tia and Tamera are Christians in real life.

Roger Evans (Marques Houston) – is Tia and Tamera's annoying neighbor. His advances were ill-received, however, and the repeated chorus by the various members of the household was "Go Home, Roger!" Roger also often made sexual innuendos, often directed at Tia and Tamera. Roger did, however, date Tia and/or Tamera on occasion (only twice by their choice); in the season four episode "When a Man Loves Two Women" in particular, after getting a new cool look, he asks out both Tia and Tamera, along with several other girls at Roosevelt High. Roger eventually matures into the twins' confidante, and at some points even becomes a love interest for a short amount of time. Around the time the series began, Houston was also a member of the R&B; group Immature (later known as IMx); Houston's real life persona was written in as his character's cousin in the season five episode "A Friend Indeed". For a number of episodes in Season 5, Roger appears infrequently with little to no explanation (Marques Houston's mother was suffering from cancer at the time). At the end of Season 5, after Tia and Tamera graduate from high school, Roger isn't seen or mentioned again (it is presumed that he is still in high school while Tia and Tamera are in college, as it is made clear in earlier episodes that Roger is a year younger than them). After a long absence, he was written back into the series as he appears in the final episode as a guest at Lisa's wedding and sings a song for her. At the twins' high school graduation, Roger sings "Never Say Goodbye".

Tyreke Scott (RonReaco Lee) – is Tia's boyfriend during the final two seasons of the series, though he and Tia briefly break up in the sixth season. A high school drop-out, after receiving his GED, he is permitted to graduate with the girls and Jordan, and later attends and gets a job as a security guard at the University of Michigan, where they attend college in the sixth season. He appears in Season 5 as a recurring cast member and is a series regular in Season 6.

Jordan Bennett (Deon Richmond) – Jordan is Tamera's boyfriend during the final two seasons of the series. He goes to college with the girls. He is goofy at times, and is just as impulsive as Tamera. He can be sexist at times, as well as Tamera can be toward men. Like Tyreke, he appears in Season 5 as a recurring cast member and is a series regular in Season 6.

Minor characters

Tia and Tamera's real life little brother, Tahj Mowry, has appeared in three episodes of the series. He played Tia's cousin, Tahj, in "Get a Job", a kid visiting a "Mall Santa" in "Christmas", and appeared in a cross-over role in "Child's Play", in which he played T.J. Henderson, his character from fellow WB sitcom ''Smart Guy''.

Sarah (Brittany Murphy) – Sarah is Tia and Tamera's best friends, one of a revolving door of friends Tia and Tamera would have during the series—who appears in the first season. She seems to have less trouble than other people in knowing which twin was Tia and which was Tamera as seen in the season one episode "Cheater, Cheater", in which she asks Tia why she was in Tamera's class, when Tamera asked her to take the test for her. The teacher was right behind her, and they get caught. In one episode, she is seen smoking with her friends in her car in "Smoking in the Girl's Room". After Season 2 Sarah isn't seen or mentioned again.

Terrence Winningham (Dorien Wilson) - Terrence is the manager of the local Food Boy supermarket who dated Lisa during season two and early season three and was very briefly engaged to her in the season two episode "I Do?"; he is introduced in the episode "Joey's Choice". Like Ray, many women are attracted to him, but unlike Ray, he seems to attract more pretty women. One of the reasons he and Lisa broke up was because of his weakness for gorgeous women. In "Field Trip", she catches him flirting with a sexy clerk at a beauty shop. The character is one of only two recurring characters from the show's ABC run to appear on the show during the show's run on The WB, Anna Slotky's Denise Mondello is the other. After the season three episode "Big Twin on Campus," Terrence is never seen or mentioned again.

"Stinky" Steve Peiser (Victor Togunde) – is the manager of Rocket Burger, the fast food restaurant Tia and Tamera work at during season two and early season three; Steve appears only in the second season, however. Tia and Tamera coin a song that is a play on the song "Whatta Man" by En Vogue and Salt-n-Pepa, that plays on the nickname given to him (behind his back) by Tia and Tamera and other Rocket Burger employees "Stinky Steve". In the episode "Dream Lover" in which that occurred, Tia has a recurring romantic dream about Steve that disturbs her.

Rhonda Coley (Bianca Lawson) – Rhonda is the popular girl in Tia and Tamera's high school who always made fun of Tia and Tamera, especially their fashion choices and on her last time on the show, over summer break she changed her appearance. After the third season, with the exception of the season four premiere episode, "You Are So Beautiful" -- in which, the girls find out that Rhonda evolved over the summer becoming mannish-looking (the character was played by Larry Wrentz in that episode), Rhonda is not seen or mentioned again.

Denise Mondello (Anna Slotky) – Denise is one of Tia and Tamera's friends who appears in the show's second and third seasons. Denise, like Tia and Tamera, was employed at Rocket Burger. In the season two episode "Single White Teenager" (the characters first appearance in production order, though she appeared in an earlier episode in season two), Denise was paired with Tamera as a science partner while Tia was sick, and later started to dress like Tia and Tamera as well, even claiming she was going to start being called by her middle name of Tonya in order to match theirs, causing panic by Tia and Tamera, only to find out that it was a joke. The character is one of only two recurring characters from the show's ABC run to appear on the show during the show's run on The WB, Dorien Wilson's Terrence Winningham is the other.

Steve (Steve Monroe) – Steve is one of the twins' guy friends in the third season, who is depicted as being not very bright and is revealed in the episode "The Tutor" to be a player on Roosevelt High's basketball team.

Ernie (Arvie Lowe, Jr.) – Ernie is one of Tia and Tamera's guy friends in the third season, and is revealed to be a drama club member in the episode "Private School".

Jimmy "Soupy" Campbell (Sherman Hemsley) – "Soupy" is Ray's father, who was introduced in the season three episode "Grandpa Campbell", who was often in shady dealings. He states in that episode that he got the nickname "Soupy" not because his surname is Campbell (which would be a play on the Campbell's soup brand), but because of the tight situations he gets himself into, claiming "[he is] always in hot water". Ray did not have a good relationship with his father initially, and often disapproved of his decisions, but they started to have somewhat of an understanding by the end of his first appearance on the show. "Soupy" appears in two additional season three episodes "Christmas" and "Summer Bummer", and makes his final appearance in the season five episode "Shoeless", with Soupy acting as "the fairy godfather" to Tia's Cinderella as she couldn't go to Jordan's graduation party.

Carl Mitushka (Fred Willard) – Mr. Mitushka is the vice principal of Roosevelt High and the founder of a conservatory for young musicians. In his last two appearances, he tries a bit hard to "be cool" with the students. The character appears in the season three episodes "The Piano Lesson", "The Candidate" and "The Audition".

Patrice (Vernee Watson-Johnson) – Patrice is Lisa's best friend from the inner-city neighborhood that Lisa and Tia previously lived and is the mother of Tia's childhood friend Darnell, who is introduced in the season four episode "Boy from the Hood". Patrice, who has known Lisa since childhood, has a personality similar to Lisa, which sometimes irritates Ray as much as Lisa's antics typically do.

Mike (Jamil Walker Smith) – Mike is a student at Roosevelt High, seen only during the fourth season, who is also one of the very few male friends Roger is seen to have, presemably as he is most likely in the same year.

Marlon Baker (Aaron Lohr) – Marlon is a student at Roosevelt High, seen only during the fourth season, who is a jock and plays on Roosevelt High's hockey team as seen in the episode "Some Like It Hockey". He often makes fun of various students, most often Tia and Tamera. The character's portrayer, Aaron Lohr, previously appeared on ''Sister, Sister'' as a different character, an older teenager whom Tia goes out on a double date with (joined by Tamera and Roger) in the season one episode "Wedding Bells and Box Boys".

Clark (Christopher "Kid" Reid) – Clark is the manager of the bookstore/coffeeshop Book 'Em, Joe and is Tia's boss at the hangout during the fifth season, who is shown to be sarcastic.

Diavian Johnson (Alexis Fields) – Diavian is the twins' best friend in the seasons five and six.

Victor Sims (Richard Lawson) – Victor is one of Ray's friends, who later becomes Lisa's love interest and later her husband in the series finale. Due to the series ending, we will never know if Victor adopted Tia.

Vivica Shaw (Rolanda Watts) – Vivica is Ray's ex-girlfriend, who Ray broke up with because she was cheating on him. Vivica was constantly trying to mess Ray up out of anger. Because he made her lose her other date so she was dateless. She was supposed to have moved to Chicago, but she started a limo business to get him back. It is also obvious that Vivica and Lisa are rivals. In the same episode where she started the limo business she was arrested, because none of her three drivers (Kim, Mo'nique, and Chant'e) had a license.

Steven (Chad Haywood) – Diavian's boyfriend in Season 5, who is shown not to be very bright.

Matt Sullivan (Tony Carrero) – Matt is Tia and Tamera's birth father. He appeared in one episode as their teacher and they came to his museum. He started talking about Racelle Gavin and they said they knew her, and he showed them a picture of her. Eventually, he figured out that Racelle Gavin was their mother which meant he was their father. But Tamera didn't go for it because he was white and she was mad that he wasn't there for them. But he tried to explain that he was trying to find them. At the end, Tamera was really happy with him. And in the end Matt accidentally took a wacky picture and Lisa said " Matt, you'll fit into this family just fine ".

Little Ray – Little Ray is a stray cat, an orange tabby breed, that Lisa adopted during the first season and named him after Ray. Ray hates Little Ray. Little Ray is shown in the second season, riding with Ray, then Ray tells him to get out and jumps out the window, but at the end of the episode he comes back. Little Ray is not seen or mentioned again.

Special guest appearances

702

Flex Alexander

Jon B.

Reginald Ballard

Milton Berle

BLACKstreet

Orlando Brown

Kobe Bryant

Maia Campbell

Nikki Cox

Cylk Cozart

Terrell Davis

Ja'net Dubois

Michael Clarke Duncan

Donald Faison

Kirk Franklin

Tyrese Gibson

Nicci Gilbert (member of the R&B; Group Brownstone)

La'Myia Good (formerly of the R&B; girl group Isyss)

Mýa

Sherman Hemsley

Taraji P. Henson

D. L. Hughley

IMx

Shar Jackson

Wesley Jonathan

Vernee Watson-Johnson

Montell Jordan

Khalil Kain

Casey Kasem

Charmin Lee

Lisa Leslie

Phill Lewis

Brian McKnight

Christina Milian

Kel Mitchell

Barbara Montgomery

Mari Morrow

Next

Ashley Olsen

Mary-Kate Olsen

Kyla Pratt

Beverly Peele

John Ratzenberger

Daphne Maxwell Reid

Reynaldo Rey

Bumper Robinson

RuPaul

Merlin Santana

Molly Shannon

Kellita Smith

Jeremy Suarez

Ethan Suplee

Antwon Tanner

William Thomas, Jr.

Kenan Thompson

Gabrielle Union

Barry Watson

Jason Weaver

Persia White

Vesta Williams

William Allen Young

Episodes

Season		Episodes	Original air dates		! colspan="2"
			! First air date	! Last air date	! Ranking	! Avg. ratings share
	style="text-align: center; top"
	style="text-align: center; top"
	style="text-align: center; top"
	style="text-align: center; top"
	style="text-align: center; top"
	style="text-align: center; top"

Theme song and opening sequences

Theme song

The series' original theme song was written and composed by Tim Heintz, Randy Petersen and Kevin Quinn. Season one was the only season using the full version, with the short middle instrumental portion, vocalizations and the line "Living underneath one roof, no it won't be trouble-proof" dropped in season 2, though the short instrumental and vocalizations were restored in season 3. A new theme song was used starting in Season 5, composed by Heintz, Petersen, Quinn and Kurt Farquhar, who composed the music score for most of the series (save for Season 3, when the score was composed by Paul A. Kreiling), and performed by Tia and Tamera Mowry. The season 5 version of the theme began with the end of the original theme prior to the start of the theme song. An instrumental version of the final theme was used as a closing theme for the final two seasons, though with the exception of the episode "Designer Genes", it was generally played over a blooper reel during the closing credits.

Opening titles

The opening sequence used in the first two seasons, designed by Twin Art, opens with the sound of two spanks and crying babies over a black screen as animated crying babies appear with the word "separated" between them, then showing Ray and Lisa each holding babies representing Tamera and Tia with the word "adopted" appearing between both. The main cast are shown in front of a white background with various animations around them, ending with Tia, Tamera, Ray and Lisa at a couch with an animated roof over it (pushed overhead by Ray), which morphs into the title logo. The sequence was shortened with the theme song in season two and modified to include Marques Houston as Roger, who became a contract cast member that season (Houston, as Roger, is shown peeking from an animated door which Tia and Tamera promptly close on him).

Seasons 3 and 4 used a computer-animated sequence by Pittard-Sullivan, with the main cast's video headshots in a stop-motion effect, opening with two babies drifting away from each other into two backgrounds: one, the city (which is actually the pre-September 11, 2001 Manhattan skyline, despite the fact the series was set in Detroit) and the other, a country road with the word "separated" between them, then showing Ray and Lisa each holding babies in a similar manner as the previous sequence with a rotating "adopted", then showing the cast in front of different backdrops (some which include cutouts of objects). It ends with the cast (sans Marques Houston) walking into each other, then getting themselves together over changing cloud backdrops, one which features two roadsigns, before the title logo appears. The cast's surnames are animated and in a variant of the show's logotype. This was the only time the intro remained exactly the same, though by season four, the intro became a bit outdated as Tia and Tamera dropped the wavy hair, tams and plaid outfits for trendier fashions and Roger stopped wearing braids.

The final two seasons used a music video-style sequence, designed by Paramount Digital Design; Marques Houston remained in the sequence despite his appearances on the series decreasing midway through the fifth season, and Houston was replaced in the sequence by RonReaco Lee and Deon Richmond for the sixth season. Because virtually the same sequence was used as the season before, viewers may notice that in the final part of the second version of the sequence before the title logo when the cast dances together that Richmond and Lee do not appear in the black-and-white shots and are digitally inserted in the regular shots with Tia and Tamera Mowry, Tim Reid and Jackée Harry.

Syndication

U.S. broadcast and cable syndication

After being picked up by The WB in 1995, reruns of the first two seasons of ''Sister, Sister'' were broadcast in early primetime as part of the network's then-newly launched Sunday night lineup during the 1995-1996 season, in addition to the first-run episodes of the series that aired on the WB's Wednesday night schedule. The series has been aired on various broadcast television networks in the U.S. after the series finale on The WB Television Network. From September 1998 to September 2002, Paramount Domestic Television (now CBS Television Distribution) distributed the series to Fox, WB and UPN network affiliates around the United States, airing depending on market.

Noggin's television programming block, The N, for tweens and pre-teens, has aired ''Sister, Sister'' from April 7, 2002 (along with ''24Seven'', ''Smart Guy'', ''Degrassi: The Next Generation'', ''Clarissa Explains It All'', and ''Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'') until the show ran since April 23, 2004.

Disney Channel aired edited versions of the series from September 9, 2002 until May 28, 2007. From June 11, 2007 to April 9, 2010, reruns of the show ran on ABC Family, which is a sister channel to Disney Channel via the Walt Disney Company division Disney/ABC Television Group. When the series first debuted on ABC Family, it replaced ''Step by Step'', but was knocked off two weeks later then returned in the early morning.

The series has also aired on BET from July 2009 to January 10, 2010, initially airing on weekdays, before moving to Saturday mornings when the series returned after a brief break; the series was slated to return to BET on Saturday mornings starting in October 2010, but other than a special marathon that aired in September 2010, this did not occur. The show also aired on WGN America from September 11, 2007 until May 2009, first on weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, then moved to a weeknight graveyard slot. Incidentally, the series aired in first-run form on WGN from the show's move to The WB in 1995 until the series ended in 1999, shortly before WGN ceased to carry WB network programming on its national superstation feed (''Sister, Sister'', along with ''7th Heaven'', ''The Parent 'Hood'' and ''The Wayans Bros.'' are the only WB series to air in both first-run broadcast and off-network syndication on WGN America). As of August 2009, Gospel Music Channel began airing the series. The series also began airing on Centric since early 2011, first airing as a part of the network's weekday lineup, but now airs sporadically in marathon stunts.

Disney Channel airings had most episodes edited for content deemed by the channel as unsuitable for its pre-teen audience; the edited Disney Channel versions were also the syndication package of the show that aired on sister network ABC Family, with the exception of the season two episode "Tattoo" that was omitted from Disney Channel airings. GMC also airs episodes with content the channel deems inappropriate usually muted or removed entirely, ranging from mild suggestive dialogue said by Roger to tame phrases such as "shut up", "butt", "dumb" and "pervert"; whereas the airings on other channels were the original syndicated prints.

International syndication

In Australia, the series was aired on Nickelodeon; in the United Kingdom, ''Sister, Sister'' was aired on Nickelodeon, and on Channel 4 between 1995 and 2000 as the channel had the terrestrial rights to the show. In the U.K, Nickelodeon aired Sister Sister again in 2009 but only showed episodes from the first four seasons. It does not currently air in either countries anymore. It also airs on RTÉ Two's The Den in Ireland at 11:30am on Saturdays.

In Brazil, ''Sister, Sister'' used to air on Nickelodeon in the late 1990's and early 2000's. On October 21, 2009 it debuted on open television Rede Record, but was taken off on October 30, 2009, the cause for this is unknown.

DVD releases

CBS DVD (distributed by Paramount) has released the first and second seasons of ''Sister, Sister'' on DVD in Region 1. There is no word on future releases of the four remaining seasons.

!DVD Name	!Ep #	!Region 2
The 1st Season		October 28, 2008
The 2nd Season		May 19, 2009

Awards and Nominations

Emmy Awards

:1998 - ''Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series'' - George Spiro Dibie (Nominated) :1997 - ''Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series'' - George Spiro Dibie (Nominated) :1996 - ''Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series'' - George Spiro Dibie (Nominated) :1995 - ''Outstanding Individual Achievement in Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Comedy Series'' - George Spiro Dibie (Won)

Image Awards

:2000 - ''Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Won) :2000 - ''Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series'' - Jackée Harry (Won) :2000 - ''Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series'' - Tim Reid (Nominated) :1999 - ''Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Won) :1999 - ''Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series'' - Jackée Harry (Won) :1999 - ''Outstanding Comedy Series'' (Nominated) :1998 - ''Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series'' - Tim Reid (Nominated) :1996 - ''Outstanding Comedy Series'' (Nominated) :1996 - ''Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Nominated)

Kids' Choice Awards

:1998 - ''Favorite Television Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Nominated) :1998 - ''Favorite Television Show'' (Nominated) :1997 - ''Favorite Television Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Won) :1996 - ''Favorite Television Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Won) :1996 - ''Favorite Television Show'' (Nominated) :1995 - ''Favorite Television Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Won)

Young Artist Awards

:1999 - ''Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Supporting Young Actor'' - Deon Richmond (Nominated) :1997 - ''Best Performance in a TV Comedy: Guest Starring Young Performer'' - Verner, Robin Marie (Nominated) :1997 - ''Best Performance in a TV Comedy: Leading Young Actress'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Nominated) :1996 - ''Best Performance by a Young Actress: Guest Starring Role TV Series'' - Selico, Krista Sherre (Nominated) :1996 - ''Best Performance by a Young Actress: TV Comedy Series'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Nominated) :1995 - ''Best Youth Comedian in a TV Show'' - Marques Houston (Won) :1995 - ''Best New Family Television Series'' (Nominated) :1995 - ''Best Youth Comedian in a TV Show'' - Victor Togunde (Nominated) :1995 - ''Best Youth Comedienne in a TV Show'' - Tia & Tamera Mowry (Nominated)

References

External links

Category:1990s American comedy television series Category:1990s American television series Category:1994 American television series debuts Category:1999 American television series endings Category:American Broadcasting Company network shows Category:Black sitcoms Category:College television series Category:English-language television series Category:Fictional twins Category:High school television series Category:Teen sitcoms Category:Television series by CBS Paramount Television Category:Television shows set in Detroit, Michigan Category:WB network shows Category:Television series revived after cancellation

de:Sister, Sister (Fernsehserie) es:Sister, Sister fr:Sister, Sister nl:Sister, Sister pl:Jak dwie krople czekolady pt:Sister, Sister tl:Sister, Sister (TV series)

name	Tamera Mowry
birth name	Tamera Darvette Mowry
birth date	July 06, 1978
birth place	Gelnhausen, West Germany
death date
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1990–present
spouse	Adam Housley (2011–present)
website	}}

Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley (born July 6, 1978) is an American actress. She first gained fame for her teen role as Tamera Campbell on the ABC/WB sitcom ''Sister, Sister'' (opposite her identical twin sister Tia Mowry). She starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie ''Twitches'' and its sequel, ''Twitches Too''. She has also made a break into dramatic television, and is also known for her role as Dr. Kayla Thorton on the medical drama ''Strong Medicine''. In 2009, Mowry appeared in the ABC Family series ''Roommates''. Beginning July 2011, the Style Network began airing, Tia & Tamera, a reality show which follows the day to day lives of the twins; Tia being pregnant and an engaged Tamera planning her wedding.

Background

Tamera Mowry was born in Gelnhausen, West Germany to Darlene Mowry (née Flowers), who managed her children's careers and also worked as a security guard, and Timothy Mowry, who was in the U.S. Army at the time of her birth and later became a custody officer/jailer with the City of Glendale Police Department when the family moved to California.

Darlene, who is Bahamian American, and Timothy, who is British American, met in high school in Miami, Florida. During a live taping of The Wendy Williams Show in 2010, Mowry announced that for years, she and her twin sister believed they were of Italian descent on their father's side; however, after researching their family tree on Ancestry.com, they quickly discovered that he was instead of British descent. Her family is "close-knit" and "deeply religious", as the sisters became born again Christians when they were eight.

She also has two younger brothers, actor Tahj Mowry and Tavior Mowry, who is not an actor. Tamera is two minutes older than Tia.

Personal life

Tamera Mowry married Fox News Correspondent Adam Housley after dating for almost six years. Confirmed by Mowry while being interviewed on The Wendy Williams Show, they married on May 15, 2011 and her dress was designed by Carolina Herrera. They married at the Vintage Estate in Yountville, California (Villagio Inn and Spa) in California's Napa Valley.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; ! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film |- align="center |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Film ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- | 2002 | ''The Hot Chick'' | Sissie | |- | 2010 | ''Double Wedding'' | Danielle Warren | Lifetime TV Movie Also Producer |- |- align="center" ! colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Television |- align="center" ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Year ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Title ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Role ! style="background: #CCCCCC;" | Notes |- | 1991 | ''Flesh'n Blood'' | Penelope | 1 episode |- baby| rowspan=2|1992 | ''True Colors'' | Lorae | 44 episodes |- | ''Full House'' | Denise | 1 episode |- | 1994–1999 | ''Sister, Sister'' | Tamera Campbell | 119 episodes |- | 1995 | ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' | Evil Chameleon | 1 episode |- | 1997 | ''Smart Guy'' | Roxanne | 1 episode |- | 1998 | Blues Clues | Herself | One episode |- | 1999 | ''Detention'' | Orangejella LaBelle | unknown episodes |- | rowspan=3|2000 | ''Something to Sing About'' | Lily | Television movie |- | ''How I Loved A Macho Boy'' | Jamal Santos | 3 episodes |- | ''Seventeen Again'' | Young Cat Donovan | Television Movie |- | 2004–2006 | ''Strong Medicine'' | Dr.Kayla Thorton | 37 episodes |- |2005 | ''Twitches'' | Camryn Barnes/Apolla | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2006–2007 | ''Family Guy'' | Esther | 3 episodes |- | 2007 | ''Twitches Too'' | Camryn Barnes/Apolla | Disney Channel Original Movie |- | 2009 | ''Roommates'' | Hope | 13 episodes |- | 2009 | ''The Super Hero Squad Show'' | Misty Knight | 1 episode |- | 2011 | ''Tia & Tamera'' | Herself | Lead Role |- | 2011 | ''Things we do for Love'' | Lead Role |}

Awards and nominations

NAACP Image Awards

1996: Nominated - Outstanding Youth Actor/Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1999: Won - Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

2000: Won - Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

2011: Nominated - Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special for ''Double Wedding''

Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards

1995 - Won - Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1996 - Won - Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1997 - Won - Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1998 - Nominated - Favorite Television Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1998: Won - Hall of Fame Award (shared with Tia Mowry)

Young Artist Awards

1995 - Nominated - Best Youth Comedienne in a TV Show for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

1996 - Nominated - Best Performance by a Young Actress - TV Comedy Series for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry''

1997 - Nominated - Best Performance in a TV Comedy - Leading Young Actress for ''Sister, Sister'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

2001 - Nominated - Best Performance in a TV Movie (Comedy) - Leading Young hi Actress for ''Seventeen Again'' (shared with Tia Mowry)

References

External links

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:People from Gelnhausen Category:African American actors Category:American people of Bahamian descent Category:American people of Caribbean descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American Christians Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:American voice actors Category:Identical twin actors Category:Military brats Category:The Voices members Category:Twin people from the United States

name	Victoria Rowell
birth name	Victoria Lynn Rowell
birth date	May 10, 1959
birth place	Portland, Maine, U.S.
occupation	Actress, presenter, writer
yearsactive	1987–present
spouse	Tom Fahey (1989-1990) (divorced) Radcliffe Bailey (June 27, 2009-present)
awards	Soap Opera Digest Award - Outstanding Scene Stealer1994 ''The Young and the Restless'' }}

Victoria "Vicki" Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her portrayal of ballerina-turned-model Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama ''The Young and the Restless'', and medical examiner/pathologist Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS drama ''Diagnosis: Murder''. From 1993 to 2000, she appeared on both series simultaneously.

Biography

Early life

Rowell was born in Portland, Maine on May 10, 1959. Her biological mother, Dorothy Rowell, was of English descent and a ''Mayflower'' descendant, and her birth father, whose surname was Wilson, was of African-American descent. Rowell knew very little about her father. Dorothy, who suffered from schizophrenia, took a taxi to a hospital to give birth to Rowell, leaving a son and two small daughters unsupervised. When she was 16 days old, Rowell, along with her two sisters, Sheree and Lori, was surrendered to child services.

While living in Maine with foster parents Agatha C. and Robert Armstead, Rowell, then eight, began ballet lessons. She became a member of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, an African-American Greek-Lettered Sorority. After dancing with the American Ballet Theatre II and the Juilliard School of Music Dance Extension program with Antony Tudor, Rowell accepted guest artist teaching posts in New England.

Acting career

In the 1980s, Rowell became an in-demand runway and catalog model. She began to take acting lessons and earned featured roles on television shows such as ''The Cosby Show''. In 1990, she was cast as street urchin-turned-fashion model Drucilla Barber on the long-running soap opera ''The Young and the Restless''. Rowell became a fan favorite and was nominated for three Daytime Emmy awards in 1996, 1997 and 1998. She won 11 NAACP Image Awards for her portrayal of Drucilla. Rowell's first run as Drucilla was from 1990 to 1998. She briefly returned in 2000, then returned on a regular basis from 2002 until early 2007.

Rowell also played Dr. Amanda Bentley on the CBS series ''Diagnosis: Murder'', opposite Dick Van Dyke, replacing Cynthia Gibb. For much of Rowell's stint on ''Diagnosis: Murder'', she was working on that show and on ''The Young and the Restless'' simultaneously. One episode of ''Diagnosis Murder'' centered around murder on the set of ''The Young and the Restless''; Rowell was featured as both Amanda and Drucilla in that episode. During her time on ''Diagnosis'', Rowell enjoyed a wonderful on- and off-screen friendship with Van Dyke, learning every case and medical terms in almost every episode. She was on the show until the series ended in 2001.

Rowell's departure from ''Y&R;'' in April 2007 generated some media coverage and controversy. Rowell expressed her anger about backstage politics at the show, and in particular, how those events impacted her and prevented her from being nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Rowell also indicated that she felt the African-American presence on the show was fading. Rowell told TVGuide.com, "Even iron bends". Sony Pictures Television, which produces ''Y&R;'', ordered then-Head Writer Lynn Marie Latham to kill off Drucilla Barber Winters to prevent the character - and actress - from migrating to CBS Daytime sister show ''The Bold and the Beautiful'', as other departing actresses such as Eileen Davidson had done. Rowell herself said a few months prior to her exit (and before it was revealed that her character would be killed) that she quit ''Y&R;'' because she had asked to be allowed to write for the show and was turned down. She had previously written for ''Diagnosis Murder''. According to Rowell, Michelle Stafford spat on her, and Melody Thomas Scott mocked her by running around pretending to be her with an afro.

Rowell was hired as a guest star to appear on ''Noah's Arc'', a TV series about four gay black men living in Los Angeles. She appeared in Season Two as "Vonda," who is having an affair with a woman while married to her husband.

Rowell has also made appearances in several feature films, including ''The Distinguished Gentleman'', ''Dumb & Dumber'', ''Barb Wire'', ''Eve's Bayou'' and ''Home of the Brave'' (in 2007).

In spring 2009, Rowell signed a six-figure deal with Atria Books for a book about the world of daytime TV. Rowell is currently on a national tour for her newest book, "Secrets Of A Soap Opera Diva", which some say is a thinly veiled look into her own life on Y&R.;

She has been cast in a leading role on the CBS television pilot Peachtree Lines. The drama is an examination of political, social, and cultural issues in Atlanta. Think: The Wire meets The West Wing. Cast: Victoria Rowell, Treat Williams (mayor), Ving Rhames, James Van Der Beek, Jason Dohring, and Jena Malone.

Personal life

Rowell's first marriage was to Tom Fahey in 1989. They had a daughter, Maya, and divorced the following year. Rowell had a long-term relationship with musician Wynton Marsalis; and they had a son, Jasper (Jasper played Rowell's son CJ on ''Diagnosis: Murder'' starting with season 3). In May 2008, Rowell announced her engagement to Radcliffe Bailey, an Atlanta artist, at her annual High Tea at Noon fundraiser. Victoria and Radcliffe married on June 27, 2009, in Dublin, New Hampshire.

Rowell was born Protestant and later baptized in the Catholic Church.

In 1990, Rowell founded the ''"Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan"'', which gives emotional support and financial aid to foster children, especially to those who aspire to become actors and dancers - the road Rowell took. In 2004, she was a special guest on the talk show ''Dr. Phil'', in which she gave an emancipated foster child a chance at a job with Sony, dental care, and a scholarship from her foundation.

Work with foster children

In May 2006, Rowell was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by the University of Southern Maine in recognition of her work for the benefit of foster children. In 2007, Rowell published a memoir of her life that focused on her time in foster care. Entitled ''The Women Who Raised Me'', Rowell discusses all of the foster mothers who cared for her and for her sisters. She also pays tribute to the women in a documentary film, ''The Mentor,'' that she participated in. Rowell says that she began writing the book when ''Y&R;'' turned down her offer to write for the show. She began a national book tour in April 2007.

In March 2008, Victoria was the first recipient of the Gift of Adoption Celebration of Adoption Award, an award given to individuals or groups who are helping to unite children with forever families.

Filmography

''The Cosby Show'' ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' ''Hermans Head'' ''Deadly Games'' ''Diagnosis: Murder'' ''Family Law (TV series) ''Noah's Arc (TV series) ''All of Us'' ''The Young and the Restless'' ''Ghost Whisperer''

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1987	''Leonard Part 6''
1988	''As the World Turns''
1989–1990	|	Paula	2 Episodes
1990	|	Mimi Mumford	1 Episode
1992	''The Distinguished Gentleman''	Celia Kirby
1991–1993	|	Susan Bracken	2 Episodes
1994	''Dumb and Dumber''
1995	|	Courtney Lake	1 Episode
1996	''Barb Wire''	Cora D
1997	''Eve's Bayou''	Stevie Hobbs
1999	''A Wake in Providence''	Alissa
1993–2001	|	Amanda Bentley-Livingston	176 Episodes
2001	Family Law''||	Ms. Wilkes	1 Episode
2001	''Feast of All Saints''	Josette Metoyer
2002	''A Town Without Pity''	Dr. Amanda Bentley
2003	''Without Warning''	Dr. Amanda Bentley
2003	''Black Listed''	Patricia Chambers
2004	''Motives''	Detective Pierce
2005	''A Perfect Fit''	Sheila
2006	Noah's Arc''||	Vonda	2 Episodes
2006	''Home of the Brave''	Penelope Marsh
2007	''Polly and Marie''	Rebecca McCaw
2007	|	Deborah Cooper	1 Episode
1990–2007	|	Drucilla Winters	455 Episodes
2008	''Of Boys and Men''	Aunt Janay
2010	|	Adrienne	1 Episode

Appearances

The Leslie Taylor Show (TV series)

2010 The Mo'Nique Show (TV series)

2010 The Wendy Williams Show (TV series)

2008 Tavis Smiley (TV series)

2007 The Morning Show with Mike & Juliet (TV series)

2007 The View (TV series)

2006 The Tyra Banks Show (TV series)

2003-2004 The Wayne Brady Show (TV series)

1999 Hollywood Squares (TV series)

1998 Late Show with David Letterman (TV series)

1993 Family Feud

References

External links

Victoria Rowell endorsed Petition (J.Donta-Genoacityfan)

Rowell Foster Children Positive Plan

Gift of Adoption Fund

TheLoop21.com's interview with Victoria Rowell

Category:1959 births Category:African American women Category:African American film actors Category:American film actors Category:American soap opera actors Category:African American television actors Category:Living people Category:American people of English descent Category:People from Portland, Maine

de:Victoria Rowell fr:Victoria Rowell it:Victoria Rowell nl:Victoria Rowell