Jeanne Nicole Griffin, commonly known as Nikki Griffin, was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and relocated to Frankfurt, Germany with her parents, Jeanne and Eugene "Gene" Griffin, at the tender age of two. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in her life, as the family spent the next six years abroad before making the move back to the United States.
After their return, the family settled in Virginia for a brief year before finally making Wilmington, North Carolina their permanent residence. Nikki's father, an employee of the Army Corps of Engineers, and her mother, a dedicated nurse, played a significant role in shaping her early life.
At the age of ten, Nikki began her modeling career, spending three consecutive summers working in New York City, represented by Wilhelmina (Wee Willys) and then Ford Kids. Although she stopped growing at the age of 15, never reaching the ideal model height, she continued to pursue her passion by traveling to London to assist other aspiring models.
Upon graduating from New Hanover High School, Nikki attended college in North Carolina, but unfortunately, she never found her academic pursuits enjoyable. Her big break in the entertainment industry came in 2000 when she landed a role in the Freddie Prinze Jr-Jessica Biel film, Summer Catch, even though her scene was ultimately cut from the movie.
This experience, despite its brevity, still earned her a SAG card, and she soon realized that moving to Los Angeles was necessary to further her acting career. In 2001, Nikki packed up her car and made the cross-country drive to Hollywood.
Her first major success came when she won her first lead role as the love interest of the Duke cousins. She went on to secure an arc as Jess Sathers, a drug-dealing party-girl from the right side of the tracks, on the hit show, The OC, and also appeared in the third installment of the Fast and Furious franchise, Tokyo Drift.
In 2012, Nikki explored her passion for editorial writing, publishing several articles in Geek Magazine, as well as online at Marvel.com. Most recently, she has transitioned into the role of talent manager at the management group that launched her own acting career, a move she describes as "very full-circle." With her extensive experience both in front of and behind the camera, Nikki is now dedicated to providing support to established actors, as well as discovering new talent.
