Born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1964, Vivica Anjanetta Fox is the daughter of William, a school administrator, and Everlyena, who worked for a pharmaceutical company. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and she and her three siblings were raised by their single mom as she worked two jobs to support them.
The divorce devastated Everlyena, leading the young Fox to perceive her as weak and a victim. However, in time, this perception has shifted, with Fox acknowledging that her mom was from a different, more conservative generation. "I see my mother now as a survivor," the actor told San Diego Entertainer. "My mother grew up in a time where you stuck by your guy."
One Insta snap from grade school showed a young Fox who was a far cry from her glamorous Hollywood persona. Nevertheless, she looked assured and determined, perhaps confident of the fame and fortune that were soon to come her way. As she explained to Soap Opera Digest, her mother modeled the strong sense of diligence that would shape Fox's adult sensibilities. "Growing up I played basketball, volleyball, track and I was a cheerleader," she recalled. "My mom worked two jobs while raising four kids ... So I'd say I definitely got that work ethic from my mother." Meanwhile, her dad taught her to be resilient in the face of adversity, a valuable life lesson that enabled her to enter the cutthroat Hollywood industry.
