Erika Alexander facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Erika Alexander
Erika Alexander at Essence Festival of Culture July 2025.
Born	Erika Rose Alexander (1969-11-19) November 19, 1969 (age 55) Winslow, Arizona, U.S.
Occupation	Actress writer producer activist
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Tony Puryear ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2017)​
Awards	1996 – NAACP Image Award; Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Living Single) 1998 – NAACP Image Award; Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Living Single)

Erika Rose Alexander (born November 19, 1969) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She is also an entrepreneur and an activist. Erika Alexander is well-known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the TV show The Cosby Show (from 1990 to 1992). She also played Maxine Shaw on the sitcom Living Single (from 1993 to 1998).

She has won several awards for her acting. These include two NAACP Image Awards for her role in Living Single. Erika Alexander has also appeared in many movies. Some of her films are The Long Walk Home (1990), Get Out (2017), and American Fiction (2023). For American Fiction, she was nominated for a special acting award.

Early Life and Education

Erika Alexander was born on November 19, 1969, in Winslow, Arizona. She grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, until she was eleven years old. Then, her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

She is one of six children. Her father, Robert, was a schoolteacher. Her mother, Sammie, wrote children's books. Erika Alexander went to Philadelphia High School for Girls.

Acting Career Highlights

Erika Alexander was discovered when she was 14. She was taking an acting class at the New Freedom Theatre. Her first big movie role was Joan in the 1986 film My Little Girl. In 1989, she acted in a very long play called The Mahabharata.

Early TV and Film Roles

In 1990, Erika Alexander starred with Whoopi Goldberg in the movie The Long Walk Home. This film was about the American Civil Rights Movement. After that, she joined the popular TV show The Cosby Show as Pam Tucker. She was on the show from 1990 until it ended in 1992.

In the same year, she also starred in the TV series Going to Extremes. This show was about American students at a medical school on a made-up Caribbean island. The series lasted for one season.

Starring in Living Single

In 1993, Erika Alexander began her role as Maxine Shaw in the sitcom Living Single. Her character, Maxine, was a very popular lawyer. She played this role for five years, until 1998.

For her work on Living Single, she won two NAACP Image Awards. She won these awards in 1996 and 1998. In 1996, she also appeared in Toni Braxton's music video for her song "You're Makin' Me High".

Later Roles and Guest Appearances

In 1998, Erika Alexander played "Young Flora" in the CBS miniseries Mama Flora's Family. She acted alongside Cicely Tyson and her former Living Single co-star Queen Latifah. She also appeared in the 1998 drama film 54. In 2001, she starred in the comedy film 30 Years to Life. She won a Black Reel Award for her performance in this movie.

From 2002 to 2003, Erika Alexander played Dee Mulhern in the TV series Street Time. She also had recurring roles in shows like Judging Amy and In Plain Sight. She made guest appearances on many popular TV shows. These include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, ER, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Minds, House, Suits, and Grey's Anatomy.

In 2006, she played Shanti, a science engineer, in the movie Deja Vu. She acted with Denzel Washington in this film. In 2009, she starred in the drama film La Mission.

From 2012 to 2015, Erika Alexander had a recurring role as Carol Larabee in the ABC comedy series Last Man Standing. In 2017, she played Detective Latoya in the popular horror film Get Out.

From 2016 to 2017, she starred as Constance Irving in the Amazon drama Bosch. She also had recurring roles in Queen Sugar and Beyond. In 2018, she played Perenna in the superhero series Black Lightning. She was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for this role in 2019.

In 2019, Erika Alexander began starring in the Hulu drama series Wu-Tang: An American Saga. She also appeared in the Starz comedy series Run the World starting in 2021. In 2022, she starred in Swimming with Sharks.

Her recent films include the horror-thriller American Refugee (2021) and the drama film Earth Mama (2023). In 2023, she starred with Jeffrey Wright in American Fiction. She received another award nomination for her performance in this movie.

It was announced in May 2025 that Erika Alexander would star in a new TV series called The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins. She will act alongside Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe in this show.

Writing and Producing Work

In 2012, Erika Alexander helped create and write a science-fiction graphic novel called Concrete Park. She wrote it with her then-husband, Tony Puryear. In 2018, she wrote part of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic series called Giles. She worked with Buffy creator Joss Whedon on this. In 2023, she created and co-wrote an audio true-crime series called Finding Tamika. This series won an award.

Erika Alexander is also a co-founder of Color Farm Media. This company focuses on entertainment, new ideas, and making a positive social impact. In 2020, her company released John Lewis: Good Trouble. This was a documentary film about the civil rights leader John Lewis.

Activism

Erika Alexander has been involved in political activities. She actively supported Hillary Clinton during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. She toured college campuses with Chelsea Clinton to campaign.

Personal Life

Erika Alexander was married to artist and screenwriter Tony Puryear from 1997 to 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Erika Alexander para niños