Naturi Naughton

Naturi Naughton was not even born when "Fame" (1980) premiered in theaters, so she could not have predicted that she would one day be a part of the legendary film and television franchise. Before she was an actress, however, Naughton found fame of a different sort in the musical group 3LW until her infamous exit from the band in 2002. Her solo career flourished when she performed in Broadway's "Hairspray" and took on the role of Lil' Kim in the 2008 Biggie Smalls biopic, "Notorious." In the 2009 version of "Fame," Naughton played Denise, a singer who belts out the infectious title track originally performed by Irene Cara. In fact, Naughton's powerhouse vocals surprised everyone, immediately drawing comparisons to another singer-turned-actress seemingly coming out of nowhere to blow away listeners - Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls" (2006) and "American Idol" (Fox, 2002- ) fame.