Karen Malina White
Encyclopedia
Karen Malina White is an American
film
and television
actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Charmaine Brown on the NBC
sitcom The Cosby Show
, and its spin-off
series A Different World. She also provided the voice of Dijonay Jones on the Disney Channel
animated series The Proud Family
.
. She studied at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
. When she graduated high school, White continued her studies at Howard University
where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with cum laude honors. It was in her senior year, that White won Miss Howard University and landed her first role as an actress.
White has a daughter. Contrary to rumors, White is not married to actor Malcolm Jamal-Warner. Warner states, "I'm not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years."
alongside actor Morgan Freeman
. She was nominated for the 1990 Young Artist Award
for Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her performance in the film. During the 90's she made many guest appearances in various television shows. She portrayed Charmaine Brown during Seasons 7 and 8 of The Cosby Show
(1990-1992), and Season 6 of A Different World (1992-1993). White also guest starred as Jewel, Jazz's wife in two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
.
From 2001-2005, she performed the voice of Dijonay Jones on the animated Disney Channel
series The Proud Family
.
White has also appeared in various stage productions.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Charmaine Brown on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
, and its spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series A Different World. She also provided the voice of Dijonay Jones on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
animated series The Proud Family
The Proud Family
The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
.
Early Life
Karen Malina White was born and raised in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. She studied at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts
The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts is a magnet school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Students major in one of six areas: Creative Writing, Instrumental Music, Visual Arts, Theater, Dance, and Vocal Music...
. When she graduated high school, White continued her studies at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with cum laude honors. It was in her senior year, that White won Miss Howard University and landed her first role as an actress.
White has a daughter. Contrary to rumors, White is not married to actor Malcolm Jamal-Warner. Warner states, "I'm not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years."
Career
In 1989, White starred in Lean on MeLean on Me (film)
Lean on Me is a 1989 dramatized biographical written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Morgan Freeman. Lean on Me is loosely based on the story of Joe Louis Clark, a real life inner city high school principal in Paterson, New Jersey, whose school is at risk of being...
alongside actor Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus and won...
. She was nominated for the 1990 Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
for Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her performance in the film. During the 90's she made many guest appearances in various television shows. She portrayed Charmaine Brown during Seasons 7 and 8 of The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show
The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992...
(1990-1992), and Season 6 of A Different World (1992-1993). White also guest starred as Jewel, Jazz's wife in two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
.
From 2001-2005, she performed the voice of Dijonay Jones on the animated Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
series The Proud Family
The Proud Family
The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:...
.
White has also appeared in various stage productions.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | In Our Lives | Jasmine | |
| 1989 | Lean On Me Lean on Me (film) Lean on Me is a 1989 dramatized biographical written by Michael Schiffer, directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Morgan Freeman. Lean on Me is loosely based on the story of Joe Louis Clark, a real life inner city high school principal in Paterson, New Jersey, whose school is at risk of being... |
Kaneesha Carter | Young Artist Award Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist... (nominated) |
| A Man Called Hawk A Man Called Hawk A Man Called Hawk is a prime time television series that ran on the ABC television network between January 1989 and May 1989. The series was a spin-off of the crime drama series Spenser: For Hire, and features the character Hawk, who first appeared in the 1976 novel Promised Land, the fourth in... |
Lisa | Episode: "Beautiful Are the Stars" | |
| 1990–1992 | The Cosby Show The Cosby Show The Cosby Show is an American television situation comedy starring Bill Cosby, which aired for eight seasons on NBC from September 20, 1984 until April 30, 1992... |
Charmaine Brown | |
| 1992–1993 | A Different World | ||
| 1993 | Herman's Head Herman's Head Herman's Head is an American sitcom that aired on the Fox network from 1991 to 1994. The series stars William Ragsdale as the titular character, Herman Brooks.-Synopsis:... |
Rene | Episode: "There's a Fly Girl In My Soup" |
| 1993–1994 | Getting By Getting By Getting By is an American sitcom produced by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, with the format created by William Bickley and Michael Warren. The show debuted on ABC's TGIF block, running its first twelve-episode season from March 5, 1993 through May 21, 1993. Shortly after the spring season... |
Yolanda | |
| Roc Roc (TV series) Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:... |
Michelle | Episodes: "The Poker Hand That Rocks the Cradle", "God Bless the Child", & "Citizen Roc" (2) | |
| 1993,'96–97 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with... |
Florence | Episodes: "Father Fairest", "Seoul Shake", "Episode: Will She or Won't She?", "Security", & "The Spa" |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their... |
Jewel Robertson | Episodes: "The Ol' Ball and Chain" & "Episode: Mother's Day" |
| 1994, 1995 | My So-Called Life My So-Called Life My So-Called Life is an American teen drama television series created by Winnie Holzman and produced by Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz. It originally aired on ABC from August 25, 1994, to January 26, 1995 and was distributed by The Bedford Falls Company with ABC Productions. Set at the... |
Abyssinia Churchill | Episodes: "Self-Esteem" & "Betrayal" |
| 1995 | Me and the Boys | Janet | Episodes: "The B Word" & "When Stanley Met Shirley" |
| Chicago Hope Chicago Hope Chicago Hope is an American medical drama series created by David E. Kelley that ran from September 18, 1994, to May 5, 2000. It takes place in a fictional private charity hospital.-Premise:The show stars Mandy Patinkin as Dr... |
Jennifer Koosman | Episode: "Hello Goodbye" | |
| The Parent 'Hood The Parent 'Hood The Parent 'Hood is an American sitcom that aired on The WB airing from January 18, 1995 to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas.... |
Nina | Episode: "Track Dreams" | |
| Too Something | Episode: "Meter Feeders" | ||
| Statistically Speaking | Short film | ||
| Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Mary | ||
| 1996 | The Home Court | Leslie | Episode: "Laborer of Love" |
| Living Single Living Single Living Single is an American television sitcom which aired for five seasons on the Fox network from August 29, 1993 to January 1, 1998. The show centered on the lives of six friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.Throughout its run, Living... |
Shayla | Episode: "Woman to Woman" | |
| Dave's World Dave's World Dave's World is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1993 to 1997. The series was based on the writing of Miami Herald columnist Dave Barry.-Plot:... |
Natalie | Episode: "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" | |
| 1996–2000 | Malcolm & Eddie Malcolm & Eddie Malcolm & Eddie is an American television sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996 on the UPN Network, and ran for four seasons. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. This show was canceled after its fourth season, and aired its final episode on May 22, 2000... |
Nicolette Vandross | |
| 2000 | Seven Days | Tracy Donovan | Episode: "Mr Donovan's Neighborhood" |
| 2001–2005 | The Proud Family The Proud Family The Proud Family is an American animated television series that premiered on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001 to August 19, 2005.-Production:... |
Dijonay Jones (voice) | |
| 2002 | Jeremiah Jeremiah (TV series) Jeremiah is an American television series starring Luke Perry and Malcolm-Jamal Warner that ran on the Showtime network from 2002 to 2004. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic future where most of the adult population has been wiped out by a deadly virus.Developed by Babylon 5 creator J... |
Rickie | Episode: "City of Roses" |
| 2003 | The Shield The Shield The Shield is an American television drama series starring Michael Chiklis which premiered on March 12, 2002 on FX in the United States and concluded on November 25, 2008 after seven seasons... |
Episode: "Barnstormers" | |
| 2004 | Boston Public Boston Public Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place... |
Sonia Williamson | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Eight" |
| Fronterz | |||
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie The Proud Family Movie The Proud Family Movie is a Disney Channel Original Movie which premiered on August 19, 2005. It also marked the end of The Proud Family animated Disney series.-Plot:... |
Dijonay Jones | Disney Channel Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in... TV-Movie |
| 2006 | The Ties That Bind The Ties That Bind The Ties That Bind by Jude Watson is the fourteenth in a series of young reader novels called Jedi Apprentice. The series explores the adventures of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi prior to Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.-Plot:... |
Madison | Short film |