It all began on July 6th, 1978!
Tia and Tamera were born in the late afternoon. It was in Gelhausen, Germany, where their parents were stationed. As both parents were pursuing a military career, the family moved around a lot. At age 2 they moved to Fort Hood in Texas, then Honolulu and in 1986 back to Texas. According to the girls, growing up on army bases was generally fun. There were always lots of other kids around. But they didn't enjoy the constant change of school and environment. They were always leaving friends behind. Fortunately they had each other and this is one of the main reasons they are still so close today. Apart from being sisters they are also best friends.
They are practically always together. The longest time they have ever been apart is 6 hours! Tia was doing a commercial and Tamera had to go to school. When they were younger they always went to slumber parties and sleepovers as a set.

Despite the strong bond between Tia and Tamera, they learned in an early age that being twins can have some drawbacks too. People tend to see identical twins as one person. But the girls won't have that, they want people to recognize them as individuals. At age 11 they were known to correct people when referring to them as 'The Twins', wanting to be called by their names.

Like every sibling they argue sometimes. But basically they are like best friends. They compromise in everything they do, working as a team.

While living in Texas, Tamera started doing pageants. This was her mothers idea to keep her busy in the weekends. At first Tia didn't want to participate, but when she saw how well Tamera did, she joined her sister, and the two succeeded in winning several pageants and later talent shows.

At age 12 they were so determined to become actresses, that they begged their parents to move to California.

Their mother, Darlene Flowers, made a deal with them. She agreed to take the twins to California. If they managed to get an acting job within one month, she would quit her job and the family would move there, so the girls could pursue an acting career.
It turned out to be a month with countless auditions, but near the end of the month the succeeded in getting an acting job. It was a commercial for a major automobile manufacturer. At the audition they were asked to double-dutch, but none of them new how to do that. So they simply went into the street to find anybody who would teach them. They didn't get the hang of double-dutchin' in time for the audition, but their charms convinced the casting director to pick them for the job. He changed the scene to regular jump rope.

So, in 1990 the family moved to Los Angeles, California where the twins attended Brimmingham High School. Soon they began auditioning for small roles and commercials and managed to get several.
Meanwhile their younger brother, Tahj, secured a reoccurring role in 'Full House', and when going with him to a meeting at de Passe Entertainment they met with Irene Dreayer, who came up with an idea for a comedy designed for Tia and Tamera.

Tia and Tamera learned the art of acting at 'The Young Actors Space', established in 1979 by Diane Hill Hardin.

Today, when not busy shooting new episodes for 'Sister Sister' at the Paramount Studios, the girls go to Pepperdine University in Malibu. They once had plans to become child psychologists or criminal lawyers. But right now their first wish is to continue acting as long as society wants to see them. Later on they have plans to form their own film production company that produces family-oriented movies.

The girls are very much into sports. In their spare time, they enjoy rollerblading, ice and street hockey, baseball, horseback riding and double dutch rope jumping. Many of these skills are demonstrated in various episodes of 'Sister Sister'.

They believe it's important for them to try and live a normal life. They merely think of acting as a job. Tia says:
"One of the best things in life is having a job and going to college at the same time."
Balancing an acting career with academics is a real challenge. A typical day starts at 6:00 am with classes from 8 'till 10, then a drive to Paramount for rehearsals on the set 'till 5:00 pm. Then back to Pepperdine for more classes sometime 'til 10:00 pm.

They are wonderful when it comes to fans and always take the time to sign autographs, when people address them. They receive a giant heap of fanmail every week, and try to answer as many as possible, whenever they can find some spare time. One of the things they love about being celebrities is the ability to make an impact on peoples lives - being role models. Also being invited to exclusive parties and star-studded movie premieres are moments the girls enjoy. Another thing is being able to travel. They love going to London and were surprised by their popularity there. They felt they were treated like royalty.