Nicole Leach

Last updated
Nicole Leach
Nicolle Rochelle Profile New Orleans April 2009.jpg
Rochelle in 2009
Born
Nicolle Rochelle
Occupation(s)Actress, singer, dancer
Years active1988–2016
Website www.nicollerochelle.com

Nicolle Rochelle, often credited professionally as Nicole Leach, is an American actress, dancer, and jazz singer, best known for her appearances on television including Shining Time Station , The Babysitters Club , and made for television movies The Vernon Johns Story starring James Earl Jones and after school special Summertime Switch.

Contents

Early life

Rochelle grew up in West Orange and Montclair, New Jersey. She attended Montclair High School, and graduated early after three years and went on to earn her Linguistic Anthropology degree from Brown University. [1]

Career

Rochelle has appeared in several TV shows, usually under the name "Nicole Leach", including the first season of Shining Time Station with former Beatles member Ringo Starr as the granddaughter of the workshop's operator, several episodes of The Babysitters Club series, and four episodes of The Cosby Show as a friend of the youngest Huxtable child. She also had guest roles on Nickelodeon's Clarissa Explains It All as "Olivia DuPris", Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego , Third Watch , and Law & Order .

Rochelle has performed on and off-Broadway in such shows as Dangerous Games, Fame on 42nd Street , Miracle Brothers, and a 2004 production of Limonade Tous le Jours starring Alan Alda. In 2003 she played Katherine in Shakespeare in the Park's Henry V . In 2005, she played the title role in the musical Nefertiti in Fort Lauderdale. Rochelle starred in role of the new Josephine Baker in the musical A la recherche de Josephine, produced by Jérôme Savary, in Paris and touring Europe and the US from 2006 to 2010.

Starting in 2010, Rochelle has toured internationally with the French electro-swing group "Ginkgoa" [2] , French musician/singer/songwriter Julien Brunetaud with their blues/jazz group "Nikki & Jules", [3] and been invited to sing with bands across the world from Austria to Germany, Ukraine to Hungary, Argentina, Switzerland to the US, and is currently releasing her new artist/activist project called "Modern GEAIsha", hip-hop fusion music with a message, [4]

Benefit

In 1995, while still in high school, Rochelle participated in a musical to benefit the fight against HIV/AIDS. [1]

On April 9, 2018, Leach was arrested and charged for disorderly conduct after jumping a barrier fence during a protest at Montgomery County courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania for the first day of Cosby's sexual assault retrial. She was topless and her body was covered with the writing "Women’s Lives Matter" and the names of the comedian's accusers. Leach jumped over when Cosby was close to the courthouse's entrance just before 9am ET, with security apprehending her afterwards. Cosby, along with spokesperson Andrew Wyatt, was blind and had a slight reaction while Wyatt was shocked in surprise. Leach had planned to attend other trial protests that day but was recommended by authorities not to and said that her intention was to make Cosby uncomfortable and that because she used to look up to him that his actions towards others had "felt personal to me." [5] [6]

Filmography

Film and television
YearTitleRoleNotes
1989–1991 Shining Time Station Tanya CupperStarring role, season 1
1990 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie MargaretSegment: "Lover's Vow"
1990 Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift Tanya CupperTV movie
1990–1992 The Cosby Show Danielle4 episodes
1990–1993 The Baby-Sitters Club Jessica RamseyMain cast
1993 Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The ShadowEpisode: "Where the Wandering Wilderbeests Went"
1993 Clarissa Explains It All Olivia DuPris4 episodes
1994The Vernon Johns StoryBaby DeeTV movie
1994Summertime SwitchChristineTV movie
1996 NYPD Blue Shirelle McClintockEpisode: "The Backboard Jungle"
1996 Swift Justice LarraineEpisode: "Takin' Back the Streets"
1996 Law & Order Liana RogersEpisode: "Pro Se"
2001 Someone like You Nia
2001 Law & Order MariEpisode "White Lie"
2002The LifeShort film
2002 Third Watch ReginaEpisode: "Thicker Than Water"
2003 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Sarah RendellEpisode: "Shaken"
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Catherine SellesEpisode: "Day"
2006 25 to Life Det. MendozaVideo game; voice role
2006 Chappelle's Show Dave's ExEpisode: "3.1"
2007 Adrift in Manhattan Melanie
2010La maison des RochevilleJosyTV miniseries
2013 Jo Nurse HydrotherapyTV series
2016Research UnitClémence MaillezaisEpisode: "Noces rouges"

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References

  1. 1 2 Jaeger, Barbara. "N.J. child actresses take their roles to heart: Musical benefits the AIDS fight", The Record (Bergen County) , April 28, 1995. Accessed September 17, 2007. "Last year, Leach, a sophomore at Montclair High School, participated in 'Kids Care,' which she said helped raise approximately $25,000 for the AIDS battle."
  2. "Ginkgoa.com (archived)".[ dead link ]
  3. "NicolleRochelle.com (archived)". Archived from the original on 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
  4. "Modern Geaisha.com (archived)".[ dead link ]
  5. Dent, Mark (2018-04-09). "Topless Protester At Bill Cosby Trial Was Ex-'Cosby Show' Actress". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2020-05-08.
  6. Hutchinson, Bill (2018-04-13). "Topless protester who confronted Bill Cosby once saw him as a 'father figure'". ABC News . Retrieved 2020-05-08.