Karen Malina White facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Karen Malina White
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White in 2006
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| Born |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Education | Howard University (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Kaneesha Carter – Lean on Me Charmaine Brown – The Cosby Show, A Different World |
Karen Malina White is an American actress who has starred in many films and television shows. She is famous for playing Kaneesha Carter in the 1989 movie Lean on Me. She also played Charmaine Brown in The Cosby Show and its spin-off A Different World. You might also know her as Nicolette Vandross from Malcolm & Eddie. Karen Malina White is also the voice of Dijonay Jones in the animated Disney show The Proud Family and its newer version, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.
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About Karen Malina White
Karen Malina White was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She went to the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. After high school, she continued her studies at Howard University. She graduated with honors, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. While at Howard University, she was even crowned "Miss Howard University." This is also when she got her very first acting job!
Her Acting Career
In 1989, Karen Malina White acted alongside famous actor Morgan Freeman in the movie Lean on Me. She considers this her first big role. Her performance in the film earned her a nomination for a Young Artist Award in 1990.
TV Show Roles
During the 1990s, Karen Malina White appeared in many popular TV shows. She played Charmaine Brown in the last two seasons of The Cosby Show (1990–1992). She then continued this role in A Different World (1992–1993). She also appeared as Jewel, who was Jazz's wife, in two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Later, she became a regular cast member on the show Malcolm & Eddie, playing Nicolette Vandross.
Karen Malina White has also had guest roles in many other TV shows. These include Animal Kingdom, Better Things, Snowfall, Veep, and I Didn't Do It. She also appeared in shows like 9-1-1, The Middle, Mike & Molly, and Young Sheldon.
Voice Acting and Recent Work
From 2001 to 2005, Karen Malina White was the voice of Dijonay Jones in the animated Disney Channel series The Proud Family. The show's creator, Bruce W. Smith, designed the character while Karen was reading lines for the show's first presentation! In 2022, she returned to voice Dijonay Jones in the new show The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. For this role, she was nominated for an Annie Award for her amazing voice acting.
Karen Malina White also played Shirley Hughes in the series Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. This role allowed her to use American Sign Language, which she has been learning since she was 15 years old. She shared that this role helped her express strong feelings during a challenging time. The show became one of Netflix's most-watched series ever.
In 2023, Karen Malina White appeared in a commercial for FanDuel with former American football player Rob Gronkowski.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Lean On Me | Kaneesha Carter | |
| 1995 | Statistically Speaking | - | Short film |
| 1996 | Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Mary | |
| 2004 | Fronterz | - | |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Dijonay Jones (voice) | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Ties That Bind | Madison | Short film |
| 2007 | I Gotta Be Better Than Keanu | Acting Teacher | |
| 2011 | Aurora Borealis | Head Nurse | Short film |
| Kissed by the Devil | June Henderson | Short film | |
| Cheaper to Keep Her | Koren | Video | |
| 2012 | Who's Watching the Kids | Susan | |
| A Bitter Pill | Nurse Kathy | Short film | |
| Love Overboard | Tina | Video | |
| Where Do We Go from Here | Florence Theresa Ford | Short film | |
| 2013 | Jump In: The Movie | Camryn Davis | |
| 2014 | Freeloader | Aretha | Short film |
| 2016 | Caged | Karen Stevens | Short film |
| Silent Cry Aloud | Dina | ||
| Mule | Nurse Vasquez | Short film | |
| 2017 | Conflict of Interest | Gabriele's Mother | |
| a.m. Sunday | Julia | Short film | |
| 2019 | Unspeakable Indiscretions | Paulette | |
| 2021 | Love, for Real | Marie | TV movie |
| 'Tis the Season to be Merry | Sonia Hendricks | TV movie |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Lisa | Episodes: "The Divided Child" & "Beautiful Are the Stars" |
| 1990–92 | The Cosby Show | Charmaine Brown | Recurring role: Season 7-8 |
| 1992–93 | A Different World | Charmaine Brown | Guest role: Season 5, Main role: Season 6 |
| 1993 | Herman's Head | Rene | Episode: "There's a Fly Girl In My Soup" |
| 1993–97 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Florence | Recurring role: Season 2 & 5, Guest role: Season 4 |
| 1993–94 | Roc | Michelle | Recurring role: Season 3 |
| Getting By | Yolanda | Recurring role: Season 2 | |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Jewel Robertson | Episodes: "The Ol' Ball and Chain" & "Mother's Day" |
| 1994–95 | My So-Called Life | Abyssinia Churchill | Episodes: "Self-Esteem" & "Betrayal" |
| 1995 | Me and the Boys | Janet | Recurring role |
| Chicago Hope | Jennifer Koosman | Episode: "Hello Goodbye" | |
| The Parent 'Hood | Nina | Episode: "Track Dreams" | |
| Too Something | - | Episode: "Meter Feeders" | |
| 1996 | The Home Court | Leslie | Episode: "Laborer of Love" |
| Living Single | Shayla | Episode: "Woman to Woman" | |
| Dave's World | Natalie | Episode: "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" | |
| 1996–2000 | Malcolm & Eddie | Nicolette Vandross | Main role |
| 2000 | Seven Days | Tracy Donovan | Episode: "Mr Donovan's Neighborhood" |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Constance 'Connie' MacRane | Episode: "Relief" |
| 2001–05 | The Proud Family | Dijonay Jones (voice) | Main role |
| 2002 | Jeremiah | Rickie | Episode: "City of Roses" |
| 2003 | The Shield | Dez' Girlfriend | Episode: "Barnstormers" |
| 2004 | Boston Public | Sonia Williamson | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Eight" |
| 2005 | The Bernie Mac Show | Denise | Episode: "The Big Payback" |
| 2007 | Random! Cartoons | Mindy 500 (voice) | Episode: "Hero Heights" |
| 2012 | Suits | Doris Miller | Episode: "The Choice" |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Lydia Lent | Episode: "Vicious Cycle" |
| Southland | Irene | Episode: "Heroes" | |
| 2014 | The Mentalist | Elsie Graham | Episode: "Black Helicopters" |
| How to Get Away with Murder | Carla | Episode: "Let's Go Scooping" | |
| 2015 | I Didn't Do It | Betty LeBow | Recurring role: Season 2 |
| 2016 | Mike & Molly | Paula | Episode: "The Adoption Option" |
| Veep | Kimberly | Episode: "C**tgate" | |
| Shameless | Sylvie Prum | Episode: "Home Sweet Homeless Shelter" | |
| The Middle | Mrs. Roberts | Episode: "Look Who's Not Talking" | |
| 2016–18 | Animal Kingdom | Dina | Guest role: Season 1-3 |
| 2017 | Snowfall | Doris Perkins | Episode: "Make Them Birds Fly" |
| 2018 | Kidding | Latrice | Episode: "Philliam" |
| Raven's Home | Loretta | Episode: "Keepin' It Real" | |
| 2019 | Lodge 49 | Trish | Recurring role: Season 2 |
| 2019–20 | Better Things | Debra | Guest role: Season 3-4 |
| 2020 | Cherish the Day | Samantha | Episode: "Genesis" |
| Mom | Natalie | Recurring role: Season 7 | |
| 2021 | 9-1-1 | Avery Webber | Episode: "First Responders" |
| The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles | LaShae Fair | Episode: "91331: Pacoima – Gold & Shine" | |
| 2022 | Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story | Shirley Hughes | Recurring role |
| Chibiverse | Dijonay Jones (voice) | Episode: "The Great Chibi Mix-Up!" | |
| 2022–present | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder | Dijonay Jones (voice) | Main role |
| 2022–24 | Bruh | Hilda | Recurring role: Season 3, Guest role: Season 4 |
| 2023 | The Kick of Destiny | Agent | Episode: "Agent" |
| Young Sheldon | Officer Larson | Episode: "A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam" |
