TIA, TAMERA And TAHJ MOWRY Keep Laughter In The Family With Hit TV Shows `Sister, Sister' And `Smart Guy'

Jet, March 1, 1999

Famed siblings Tia, Tamera and Tahj Mowry have stolen the hearts of millions of TV viewers each Sunday night with their hit sitcoms, "Sister, Sister" and "Smart Guy." Known for their uncanny charm and good-natured humor, the ability to generate laughter isa gift the talented Mowrys are keeping in the family.

"It's in our blood," giggles Tia to JET. "It's definitely in our genes and it is a gift from God. All of us have visions and gifts, but we, as individuals, have to pray and ask God to help us to find those gifts and visions. Our gift is to make people laugh, to entertain and to witness at the same time."

Their gift is definitely well-received by legions of television lovers. Since 1993 Tia and Tamera have starred on their own sitcom, "Sister, Sister." The show, in spite of changing networks, has been so popular that it recently went into syndication after it taped its 100th episode.

"I knew we were going to go for five years," explains Tamera to JET about the accomplishment, "because we were praying about it and we had lots of faith. But I never thought six. We look at this as an extra blessing."

Tia portrays Tia Landry, the adopted daughter of clothing designer Lisa Landry (Jackee Harry), while Tamera portrays Tamera Campbell, the adopted daughter of aspiring assemblyman Ray Campbell (Tim Reid). Given away and separated at birth, the girls are reunited at 14. Hitting it off immediately, Lisa and Ray agreed to try to live together for the sake of the twins' happiness. Needless to say, it worked, and it has worked for six successful seasons.

When audiences finish having a ball watching "Sister, Sister," they tune in to watch Tahj Mowry's top-rated sitcom, "Smart Guy."

Tahj, a 12-year-old seventh grader in real life, plays 12-year-old high school genius T.J. Henderson. Residing with his widowed father, Floyd Henderson (John Marshall Jones), and his two siblings, Marcus (Jason Weaver) and Yvette (Essence Atkins), T.J. drives his family bananas at home with his precocious points of view on everything from life to logic to teenagers. He also drives his sister and brother bonkers at high school because he attends it with them.

"He's not a nerd," Tahj tells JET enthusiastically about his character. "He's a regular kid. He's just smart. He plays sports. He's not just cooped up in his house doing schoolwork. It's not a boring role to play. It's cool."

Something else Tahj finds cool is how well both shows have been faring in the ratings. "We're on back-to-back and that's neat," he says. "There aren't many shows with all-Black casts. Our shows are not just all-Black or not all-White. It's a good family show."

Adds Tamera, "We keep our show clean, wholesome and fun. And it's not just for Whites, Blacks, Hispanics or Asians. It's a show for everyone. It reflects real life. God made a melting pot. That's what our show reflects even though we have an all-Black cast."

A close-knit, deeply religious family, the Mowrys always give praises to the Lord. "We make time for Jesus," insists Tamera, the slightly more introverted sister who is older by two minutes and has a mole on her left cheek. ("The executive producer had Tia wear a fake mole on her left cheek for three years to show our similarities as twins on the show.")

Continues Tia, "We give all credit to God because we believe we're in this business for a purpose. When God has a plan for you, nobody can stop it. Nobody can stop your show from being on the air when God is in control of it."

The siblings love having hit TV shows and are looking forward to doing movies. "I'm looking forward to my show going for five years so we can get into syndication, and I can move on to bigger and better things," notes Tahj, a star running back on his football team, who one day hopes to play in the NFL and become a director.

Points out Tia, "We're concentrating on moving on by getting into film. We want to get into comedy and drama. We're also working on a singing career." The sisters sing the opening theme for their show.

Tia and Tamera, part-time juniors at Pepperdine University, are the oldest of Tim and Darlene Mowry's four children. Tavior, an avid sports lover, is the youngest child at 5. Mr. Mowry, a White retired army sergeant, is a police officer in California. Mrs. Mowry, who is Black, has managed her children's flourishing careers since day one. "My husband tells me to handle the business for their careers," says Mrs. Mowry. "He stays away from the limelight. He participates with their athletic events."

The doting, spirit-filled mother views her children's success as--what else?--a blessing. "All of them are funny, and when you get them together, forget it," she laughs. "It's in their genes. They've always been funny. Now, they have the opportunity to put it on the screen."