Sharisse Jackson was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 31, 1976. Jackson is of African American and Cherokee descent on her mother's side, and of Puerto Rican and Mexican descent on her father's side. Shar Jackson has been acting since the age of three when she enrolled in the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble. While she attended private school, Jackson began modeling with the Ubiquitous, John Robert Powers and Barbizon agencies. Concurrently, she studied acting with Bob Feldman and, at the age of 11, decided to focus solely on acting. Through the Al Fann Theatrical Ensemble, she was quickly cast in several national commercials and landed guest-starring roles on such series as Roc (1991), My So-Called Life (1994), Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) and The Steve Harvey Show (1996). On the big screen, she has been featured in Good Burger (1997), Boom Box (1990), Grand Avenue (1996) and CB4 (1993). However, she is best known for playing "Niecy Jackson" on Moesha (1996).