Erika Alexander

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Pingku (talk | contribs) at 10:21, 29 November 2022 (→‎Acting career: tweak). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Erika Alexander
Alexander at Comic-Con in 2012
Born (1969-11-19) November 19, 1969 (age 54)
Winslow, Arizona, U.S.
EducationPhiladelphia High School for Girls
Occupation(s)Actress, writer, producer, activist
Years active1986–present
Spouse
Tony Puryear
​
​
(m. 1997; div. 2017)​
Awards1996 – NAACP Image Award; Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Living Single)
1998 – NAACP Image Award; Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Living Single)
Websitehttp://www.erikaalexander.com

Erika Rose Alexander (born November 19, 1969) is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur and activist best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1990–1992), and Maxine Shaw on the FOX sitcom Living Single (1993–1998).[1] She has won numerous awards for her work on Living Single, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.[2] Her film credits include The Long Walk Home (1990), 30 Years to Life (2001), Déjà Vu (2006) and Get Out (2017).

Early life

Alexander was born in Winslow, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona until the age of eleven, when she and her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3] She is one of six children born to Robert and Sammie Alexander, a school teacher and children's book author. Alexander graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls.[4]

Acting career

After graduating from high school, Alexander enrolled in a six-week acting class at the New Freedom Theatre.[4] During the fifth week, Alexander got a major role in her first movie.[4] Alexander made her film debut appearing in the independent drama My Little Girl in 1986.[4] In 1989, Alexander played the role of Hidimbi in Peter Brook's miniseries adaptation of The Mahabharata.[4] She got her big break starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 civil rights epic drama film The Long Walk Home.

Alexander performed in the play The Forbidden City with Gloria Foster, who then talked about her with her friend, Camille Cosby, wife of Bill Cosby.[4][5] She later was cast as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show starring from 1990 to series finale in 1992. Alexander later went to star in the ABC comedy-drama series Going to Extremes, which centered on a group of American students at a medical school on a fictitious Caribbean island named Jantique.[6] The series was canceled after one season in 1993.

In 1993, Alexander began starring as the acid-tongued attorney Maxine Shaw in the Fox sitcom Living Single, a role she played for five years to 1998.[7] For this role, she won two NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 1996 and 1998. She appeared in Toni Braxton's music video for "You're Makin' Me High" in 1996. In 1998, she starred opposite Cicely Tyson in the CBS miniseries Mama Flora's Family with her former Living Single co-star Queen Latifah. based on novel by Alex Haley,[8] and well as appeared in the drama film 54. In 2001, she starred in the comedy film 30 Years to Life receiving Black Reel Award for Best Independent Actress for her performance.[9]

In 2002, Alexander returned to television playing probation officer Dee Mulhern in the Showtime drama series Street Time, which ran for two seasons. She had recurring roles in Judging Amy, In Plain Sight, Low Winter Sun and Let's Stay Together. Alexander also guest-starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Half and Half, ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, House, Suits and Grey's Anatomy. From 2012 to 2015, she had a recurring role as Carol Larabee, Mike and Vanessa's neighbor, in the ABC comedy series Last Man Standing. Tisha Campbell-Martin replaced her in this role in the seventh season.[10]

Alexander appeared in a number of films during the 2000s and 2010s. In 2006 she played the role of Shanti, a technical science engineer in the science fiction action film Deja Vu opposite Denzel Washington. She starred opposite Benjamin Bratt and Jeremy Ray Valdez. in the 2009 drama film La Mission, and in 2014 had supporting role in the comedy-drama Elsa & Fred starring Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer. In 2017 she played Detective Latoya in the critically acclaimed horror film Get Out.[11]

From 2016 to 2017, Alexander starred as Constance Irving in the Amazon original drama, Bosch. She had a recurring roles in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series Queen Sugar in 2016 and Freeform fantasy drama Beyond from 2017 to 2018. In 2018, she was cast in a recurring role as Perenna in the CW superhero series Black Lightning. In 2019, she received NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series.[12] Later in 2019, she began starring in the Hulu drama series, Wu-Tang: An American Saga.[13][14]

Writing career

In 2012, she co-created and co-wrote Concrete Park, a science-fiction graphic novel with then-husband Tony Puryear.[15][16][17] In 2018 she penned season eleven of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic Giles alongside Buffy creator Joss Whedon.[18]

Personal life

In 1997, Alexander married artist/screenwriter Tony Puryear, but they divorced in 2017.[19]She actively campaigned for Hillary Clinton and toured college campuses with Chelsea Clinton, during the 2008 Democratic Party primary.[20] She is a co-founder (with Ben Arnon) of Color Farm Media, an entertainment, innovation, and social impact company.[21] In 2020, Color Farm Media released the critically acclaimed documentary John Lewis: Good Trouble,[22] focusing on the Civil Rights leader John Lewis.

Filmography

Film/Movie

Year Title Role Notes
1986 My Little Girl Joan
George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation Oney TV Movie
1990 The Long Walk Home Selma Cotter
The Last Best Year Amy TV Movie
1991 He Said, She Said Rita
1992 Fathers & Sons Venell
1994 Override - TV Movie
1998 54 Ciel
1999 KnitWits Revisited Amina TV Movie
2001 30 Years to Life Joy
2002 Love Liza Brenda
Full Frontal Lucy
2004 Tricks Laurel
2006 Déjà Vu Shanti
Sixty Minute Man Jane TV Movie
2009 La Mission Lena
2014 Elsa & Fred Laverne
Secrets of the Magic City Ms. Fletcher
2015 Faux Show Linda TV Movie
2016 Undone Andrea Rose Short
Brave New Jersey Helen Holbrook
2017 Get Out Detective Latoya
2019 I See You Lieutenant Moriah Davis
2021 American Refugee Helen Taylor

Television

Year Title role Notes
1986 ABC Afterschool Special - Episode: "Teen Father"
1989 The Mahabharata Madri/Hidimbaa Main Cast
1990 Common Ground Cassandra Twymon Episode: "Part I & II"
Law & Order Doris Carver Episode: "Poison Ivy"
1990–92 The Cosby Show Pam Tucker Main Cast: Season 7–8
1992–93 Going to Extremes Cheryl Carter Main Cast
1993–98 Living Single Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw Main Cast
1998 Mama Flora's Family Young Flora Episode: "Episode #1.1 & #1.2"
2001 The Zeta Project Agent Rush (voice) Episode: "Ro's Reunion" & "Absolute Zero"
Judging Amy Fran Winston Recurring Cast: Season 2–3
2002–03 Street Time Dee Mulhern Main Cast
2004 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Kema Mabuda Episode: "Ritual"
LAX Allison Episode: "Thanksgiving"
2005 Half & Half Maxine Shaw Episode: "The Big Performance Anxiety Episode"
7th Heaven Lynn Miles Episode: "Leaps of Faith"
2006 In Justice Alyssa Hill Episode: "The Ten Percenter"
Heist Saundra Johnson Recurring Cast
ER Vatima Abika Episode: "No Place to Hide"
2007 Side Order of Life Colette Episode: "Pilot"
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation A.D.A. Kirkson Episode: "The Case of the Cross-Dressing Carp"
Numb3rs U.S. Marshal Tricia Yaegger Episode: "In Security"
CSI: Miami Tanya Thorpe Episode: "Guerillas in the Mist"
2009 Criminal Minds Det. Lynne Henderson Episode: "The Big Wheel"
2010 In Plain Sight Theresa Simmons Recurring Cast: Season 3
2011 House Ms. Fields Episode: "Two Stories"
2012 Suburgatory Gloria Episode: "The Motherload"
Suits Sarah Leighton Episode: "Discovery"
2012–15 Last Man Standing Carol Larabee Recurring Cast: Season 2–5
2013 Low Winter Sun Louise "LC" Cullen Recurring Cast
2014 Let's Stay Together Blanche Recurring Cast: Season 4
NCIS: New Orleans Navy Commander Louanne Bates Episode: "Carrier"
2015 Grey's Anatomy Johanna McKay Episode: "Crazy Love"
2016 Recovery Road Trish's Mother Episode: "My Loose Thread"
Queen Sugar LeAnne Episode: "By Any Chance" & "In No Uncertain Terms"
2016–17 Bosch Connie Irving Recurring Cast: Season 2–3
2017–18 Beyond Tess Shoemaker Recurring Cast
2018 Insecure Yolanda Recurring Cast: Season 3
2018–19 Black Lightning Perenna Recurring Cast: Season 2
2019– Wu-Tang: An American Saga Linda Diggs Main Cast
2021– Run The World Barb Recurring Cast
2022 Swimming with Sharks Meredith Main Cast
Shining Girls Abby Recurring Cast

Awards and nominations

Year Awards Category Recipient Outcome
1996 NAACP Image Awards NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series "Living Single" Won
1997 Nominated
1998 Won
2002 Black Reel Awards Black Reel Award for Best Independent Actress "30 Years to Life" Won
2017 Phoenix Film Festival Phoenix Film Festival Award for Best Ensemble Acting "Brave New Jersey" Won
2019 NAACP Image Awards NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series "Black Lightning" Nominated
2022 NAACP Image Awards NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Television Series "Run the World" Nominated

References

  1. ^ Shaw-King, Crystal (April 3, 2017). "Erika Alexander on 'Get Out' and Whether or Not a 'Living Single' Reunion Is Really Happening". EBONY. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  2. ^ Means, Coleman R. R. African American Viewers and the Black Situation Comedy: Situating Racial Humor. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis, 2014. p. 134.
  3. ^ Berry, Torriano, and Venise T. Berry, eds. Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema, 2015. p. 24.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Hughes, Mike (August 17, 1995). "'Living Single' Cast Faces New Shot". Gannett News Service. Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey).
  5. ^ Gussow, Mel (April 7, 1989). "A Mother Only a Son Could Love". The New York Times.
  6. ^ Marin, Rick (September 1, 1992). "Going to Extremes".
  7. ^ McCann, Bob. Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, 2010.
  8. ^ "Boca Raton News". news.google.com – via Google News Archive Search.
  9. ^ "Erika Alexander". IMDb.
  10. ^ "Who plays the new Carol Larabee on Last Man Standing? Actress Tisha Campbell-Martin recurs as Chuck's wife". Monsters and Critics. January 17, 2020.
  11. ^ Shaw-King, Crystal (3 April 2017). "Erika Alexander on 'Get Out' and Whether or Not a 'Living Single' Reunion Is Really Happening". www.ebony.com.
  12. ^ Obenson, Tambay (March 31, 2019). "50th NAACP Image Awards: 'Black Panther,' 'black-ish' Dominate".
  13. ^ "'Wu-Tang: An American Saga': Erica Alexander shares "deep" challenges Wu-Tang faced during their early days – Music News". abcnewsradioonline.com.
  14. ^ "'Wu-Tang: An American Saga': Ashton Sanders, Shameik Moore And Erika Alexander Among 6 Cast In Scripted Hulu Drama". shadowandact.com.
  15. ^ Brown, Stacia. Clutch Magazine. "Erika Alexander Co-Writes Graphic with Black Heroine"
  16. ^ "Tony Puryear And Erika Alexander's Concrete Park Returns With Hardcover And New Series!". www.darkhorse.com.
  17. ^ "Erika Alexander Develops Graphic Novel with Black Female Characters". Essence.
  18. ^ Commandeur, Jordan (January 9, 2018). "Joss Whedon & Erika Alexander Send Buffy's Giles Back to School". CBR.
  19. ^ "Erika Alexander Talks Being Single After 20 Years Of Marriage | MadameNoire". 23 April 2021.
  20. ^ Panzar, Javier. “Democrats Counting on Celebrities to Introduce Heavy Subject Matter.” Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2016. Accessed 30 July 2017.
  21. ^ "Color Farm Media".
  22. ^ John Lewis: Good Trouble at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erika_Alexander&oldid=1124564687"