Ajai Sanders (born Angela Marrine Wilson; October 1, 1967), is an American actress and

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a comedy, comedic performance to a live audience in which the performer addresses the audience directly from the stage. The performer is known as a comedian, a comic or a stand-up. Stand-up comedy consists of One-line joke ...

, best known for her supporting role as Gina Deveaux in the sitcom '' A Different World'' from 1991 until the series original ending in 1993.

Biography

Born Angela Marie Wilson, Sanders grew up in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. She attended Hillcrest High School, graduating in 1985. Sanders moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and began working as a stand-up comic; eventually this work led to what initially was to be a one-time role on ''A Different World''. The guest role was expanded after director

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

proved impressed by the qualities Sanders brought to the character, whose appearances were expanded to five that season and 18 the following season, after which she was added to the show's opening credits.Ken Parish Perkins. "Ajai Sanders stands up to any naysayers," ''The Dallas Morning News'', May 19, 1992. Sanders has made guest appearances on the

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

s ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

'', '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'', '' The Parent 'Hood'', ''The

Wayans Brothers ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The series also starred John Witherspoon and Anna Maria H ...

'', '' The Jamie Foxx Show'', and ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' () is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with her upper middle class famil ...

''. She also guest-starred in a 2001 episode of the

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

show, '' The Division''. Sanders had a major role in the independent urban comedy, ''

High Freakquency ''High Freakquency'' is a 1998 comedy directed by Tony Singletary about life at an urban radio station. The film's tagline is ''Where Comedy Is In Heavy Rotation''. Synopsis 24-7 Radio finds itself at the top of the charts, yet all is not well i ...

'', in which she was credited as Ajai Richards. She had a smaller role in the Michael Keaton Christmas comedy, '' Jack Frost'', and also appeared in the 2000 urban independent drama, ''The Playaz Court''. She is currently hosting a talk show called Multiple Personalities with Ajai Sanders on Business Bully TV.

Personal

Sanders has been married once and has no children. In May 2002, Sanders married Micheal Brownlee in Denton, Texas. They later divorced in August 2016.

Filmography

*2011: '' Are We There Yet?'' as Tamera "Tam" Hensley (season 2, episode 16, 2011) *2001: '' The Division'' as Adeen (1 episode, 2001) *2001: ''

'' as Lisa (1 episode, 2001) *2000: '' The Playaz Court'' as Yolanda *1998: '' Jack Frost'' as Renee Thompson *1998: ''

'' as LaShanda *1997: '' The Jamie Foxx Show'' as Irene (1 episode, 1997) *1997: ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans. The series also starred John Witherspoon and Anna Maria Hors ...

'' as Amber (1 episode, 1997) *1995: ''

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

'' as Candance (2 episodes) as Jana (1 episode) (3 episodes, 1995) *1995: '' Hangin' With Mr. Cooper'' as Denise (3 episodes, 1995) *1993: ''

'' as Thomasina (1 episode, 1993) *1991–93: '' A Different World'' as Gina Deveaux (38 episodes)

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Ajai 1967 births Living people Actresses from New Jersey Actors from Trenton, New Jersey People from Dallas African-American female comedians Comedians from New Jersey American stand-up comedians American women comedians 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American television actresses African-American actresses American film actresses Hillcrest High School (Dallas) alumni 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people