Tasha Smith and Sidra Smith: All About the Twin Actresses

Tasha Smith and Sidra Smith are both actors

Tasha Smith and Sidra Smith were born with a best friend for life.

The identical twins were born on Feb. 28, 1971, in Camden, N.J. to Monique Smith. After what they have described as an occasionally tough childhood, the sisters went on to forge careers in the entertainment industry.

“I’ve been to the worst place I could ever be,” Tasha told PEOPLE in 2007. “But I always had a dream—I knew I was going to go to Hollywood and be legit.”

The siblings have worked together and have even pulled a switcheroo on the set of a Tyler Perry sitcom. Tasha has also gushed on Facebook that she’s “so blessed to live life” with Sidra as her sister.

“God has been so good to us! You’re my BFF, confidant, and better half!” she wrote in 2021. “I always say you’re the smart one. You’re brilliant and talented! You inspire me everyday, I love you my sissy! The best is yet to come. Keep shining and thriving my love!!!! I’m right by your side!!”

Here’s everything to know about twin sisters Tasha Smith and Sidra Smith.

They were born in the 1970s

The sisters were born on Feb. 28, 1971. According to a 2013 post on their joint Facebook page, the twins’ mother, Monique, had them “at a VERY young age.”

Tasha is older

Sidra is the younger twin. “I always say she kicked me out so she could chill for 2 minutes,” Tasha joked of her twin sister in a 2018 post on Instagram.

The actresses also have a little sister named Che. Tasha and Sidra’s younger sibling has called them two of the “dopest” sisters.

“When I say #blackgirlsrock they are the epitome of said phrase💯,” Che wrote on Instagram in 2022. “They make my dreams come true and I want to say to the both of you that I LOVE YOU SOOOO MUCH❤️❤️❤️ And I appreciate you both for always coming through for me.”

They have opened up about their upbringing

Tasha and Sidra are from Camden, N.J. Speaking to NPR in 2008, Tasha recalled growing up in a “very rough neighborhood.” She said, “You know, drugs, alcohol, prostitution, you know what I'm saying? Just that urban ghetto I-gotta-to-make-money-however-I can lifestyle.”

Tasha continued, “And it is a blessing that I've gotten a new opportunity in life to be restored, to be able to become something positive, to be able to have a platform, to be an influence to other people that may be living in that environment right now.”

They’ve shared the screen

Tasha and Sidra’s first film together was Twin Sitters. The 1994 movie starred Peter Falcone and David Falcone.

In 2023, Sidra shared a clip from the film on Instagram featuring her and Tasha, writing, “OMG!!!!! This clip of @tasha4realsmith and I in our first movie is HILARIOUS !!😂😂😂😂.”

They’re both in the entertainment industry

Tasha is an actress, director and producer. The older Smith twin’s acting credits include The Whole Ten Yards, Daddy's Little Girls, The Longshots and Why Did I Get Married? Tasha also played Cookie Lyon’s sister Carol Hardaway on the hit show Empire.

Like her sister, Sidra is also in show business. The younger Smith twin is a producer and director, though she did appear in Twin Sitters with Tasha. Sidra produced 2012’s Free Angela and All Political Prisoners documentary. She also produced, wrote and directed the 1999 movie A Luv Tale and created the A Luv Tale series, which debuted in 2021. She also worked as a casting associate on 2003 movie Daredevil, the TV series The Wonderful World of Disney (which ran from 1997 - 2023) in 2003 and TV movie Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story in 2002.

Tasha founded an acting school

Tasha is the founder of the Tasha Smith Actors Workshop (TSAW). Described as an “no-holds-barred, multi-level, acting school,” on the school's account on X (formerly Twitter), TSAW offers group classes online, as well as private coaching and private acting lessons.

“Using my platform at TSAW has helped nurture me as a director,” Tasha previously told Essence.

“The almost 20 years I’ve been teaching acting and my master class has given me an opportunity to work through scenes to create characters, to work on blocking, to get me comfortable with directing actors," she explained to the outlet, adding, "I really am grateful for my school TSAW because I get a chance to do what I’ve been cultivating for so many years and put visuals on it. It’s a blessing and an obsession. I am having the time of my life!”

They’ve pranked Tyler Perry

The identical twins once pulled off a switcheroo on set. During a 2013 interview with HipHollywood, Tasha recalled how she and her sister “punked” Perry on the set of For Better or Worse when Sidra went on the set dressed as Tasha’s character.

“My sister started acting the scene and she was horrible. And then Tyler said, ‘Cut! Cut! Cut!’ And then he looks at my sister and he’s like, 'Okay, action! Alright, let me see what you got! Let me see what you got.’ And she [started] acting again ... And then he said 'Okay, cut! Something is not right.’ ”

Tasha remembered Perry trying to figure out what was wrong. “I jumped from behind the monitor and I’m like, ‘It don’t look right cause it ain’t me!’ ” she said. “And he was just done. So it was so much fun. Everyone knew but him.”

Having a twin is a “bonus” for Sidra

Speaking to Bevy Smith, the host of Bevelations on Radio Andy, in 2021, Sidra admitted that it’s not only a “bonus” having a twin sister in the business, but “just having a twin. Period.”

“Because this twin thing is real,” she explained. “Like when you think about the energy that two people who look just alike have just when they're together or when they’re on two different sides of the earth, or even in the same business that we are in, it just makes it all more strong, more powerful, more dynamic.”

Sidra pointed out that she and Tasha have each other’s backs. “We fight just like any other sibling, but to have her is a blessing,” she said, later adding, “It’s been a blessing from the day we were born, for real.”

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