Golden Brooks is an American actress. She began her career with starring role in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

comedy series, ''

Linc's ''Linc's'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tim Reid and Susan Fales-Hill. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and was set in a bar in Washington, D.C. It aired on Showtime for two seasons fr ...

'' (1998–2000), and later has appeared in films ''

Timecode A timecode (alternatively, time code) is a sequence of numeric codes generated at regular intervals by a timing synchronization system. Timecode is used in video production, show control and other applications which require temporal coordinatio ...

'' (2000) and ''

Impostor An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...

'' (2001). From 2000 to 2008, Brooks starred as Maya Wilkes in the

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that launched on January 16, 1995. It was originally owned by Chris-Craft Industries' United Television. Viacom (through its Paramount Television unit, which pr ...

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

comedy series '' Girlfriends'', for which she received two

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. It was known as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series until 2000. Currently, Tracee Ellis Ross holds the record for most wi ...

nominations. She also has appeared in films '' Motives'' (2004), ''

Beauty Shop ''Beauty Shop'' is a 2005 American comedy film directed by Bille Woodruff. The film serves as a spin-off of the '' Barbershop'' film franchise, and stars Queen Latifah as Gina, a character first introduced in the 2004 film '' Barbershop 2: Back i ...

'' (2005), '' Something New'' (2006) and ''

The Darkest Minds ''The Darkest Minds'' is a 2018 American dystopian science fiction film directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and written by Chad Hodge. Based on Alexandra Bracken's 2012 young adult novel of the same name, it was produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Levin ...

'' (2018). In 2019, she received critical acclaim for her performance in the

TNT Trinitrotoluene (), more commonly known as TNT, more specifically 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, and by its preferred IUPAC name 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, is a chemical compound with the formula C6H2(NO2)3CH3. TNT is occasionally used as a reagen ...

limited drama series '' I Am the Night''.

Early life

Brooks was born December 1, 1970 in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. A classically trained dancer, she studied and taught

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, and

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

. She studied literature and sociology and is a graduate of

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of Californi ...

where she majored in Media Representation of Minorities with a minor in

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

. She earned a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

Career

In her early career, Brooks was active in the Rodney Theater Company. On television, she has appeared on ''

The Adventures of Pete & Pete ''The Adventures of Pete & Pete'' is an American comedy television series created by Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi for Nickelodeon. It centers around two brothers, both named Pete Wrigley, and their humorous and surreal adventures in suburbia ...

'', ''

Promised Land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...

'', ''

'', and ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from August 28, 1996, to January 14, 2001. The series stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris. Although the show was not a m ...

'' as a girl named Nancy, whom Jamie confuses with Fancy. Brooks also appeared in a number of films, like ''

Hell's Kitchen Hell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton, is a neighborhood on the West Side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is considered to be bordered by 34th Street (or 41st Street) to the south, 59th Street to the north, Eighth Avenue to the eas ...

'', ''

'', and ''

''. From 1998 to 2000, she starred alongside Pam Grier in the

comedy series, ''

''. Brooks is best known for her portrayal of the character Maya Wilkes, Joan's former sharp-tongued secretary and now acclaimed author, on the CW sitcom '' Girlfriends'', in which she starred alongside

Tracee Ellis Ross Tracee Joy Silberstein (born October 29, 1972), known professionally as Tracee Ellis Ross, is an American actress. She is known for her lead roles in the television series ''Girlfriends (2000 TV series), Girlfriends'' (2000–2008) and ''Black- ...

Persia White Persia Jessica White (born October 25, 1972) is a Bahamas-born American actress, singer and musician. White is known for her role as Denise Williams on the short-lived television series ''Breaker High'' and as Lynn Searcy on the UPN/ CW sitcom '' ...

and

Jill Marie Jones Jill Marie Jones (born January 4, 1975) is an American actress and former professional dancer and cheerleader. Jones is best known for her role as Antoinette "Toni" Childs-Garrett on the UPN comedy series, '' Girlfriends'' (2000–2006). Jon ...

from 2000 to 2008. In 2001, she appeared in an episode of ''

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 ...

'', portraying Maya Wilkes. Brooks also directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough," and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back," which featured guest star

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...

. The character of Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, but, in reality, Brooks is actually the eldest of the four actors. For her performance in ''Girlfriends'', Brooks received BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2004, as well as two nominations for the

in 2003 and 2008. Brooks has won

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

for 2004 film '' Motives'', co-starring with

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and television host. Fox began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983). She eventually continued her career with roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of O ...

and

Shemar Moore Shemar Franklin Moore (born April 20, 1970) is an American actor. His notable roles include Malcolm Winters on ''The Young and the Restless'' (1994–2005), Derek Morgan on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–2016), and the lead role of Sergeant II Dani ...

. She also has starred in ''

'' (2005) and '' Something New'' (2006). In 2008, Brooks was cast as Kim Kaswell in the Lifetime comedy-drama pilot ''

Drop Dead Diva ''Drop Dead Diva'' is an American legal comedy-drama/fantasy television series that aired on Lifetime from July 12, 2009, to June 22, 2014. The series was created by Josh Berman and produced by Sony Pictures Television. It stars Brooke Elliott ...

'', but later was replaced by

Kate Levering Kate Levering (born January 3, 1979) is an American actress and dancer. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the 2001 musical ''42nd Street (musical), 42nd Street''. She is best known for her role as Kim Kaswell in the Lifetime c ...

. In 2011, she starred in the independent film ''The Inheritance''. In 2012, Brooks joined the cast of ''

Hart of Dixie ''Hart of Dixie'' is an American comedy-drama television series that aired on The CW from September 26, 2011, to March 27, 2015. The series, created by Leila Gerstein, stars Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, a New Yorker who, after her dreams of b ...

'' in season 2 playing Ruby Jeffries, Mayor Lavon Hayes' ex-girlfriend from high school, who runs against him for mayor. In 2014, Brooks stars as one of five leads on the TV One reality series, ''

Hollywood Divas ''Hollywood Divas'' is an American reality television series that premiered on October 8, 2014, on TV One cable network. The show chronicles the lives of five African-American actresses. The series highlights the ups and downs of black actresses ...

''. In 2015, Brooks was cast in a recurring role of

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actor ...

's lead character's ex-wife in the

Starz Starz (stylized as STARZ since 2016; pronounced "stars") is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by Lions Gate Entertainment, and is the flagship property of parent subsidiary Starz Inc. Programming on Starz consist ...

comedy series, ''

Blunt Talk ''Blunt Talk'' is an American sitcom on the Starz cable network starring Patrick Stewart, created by Jonathan Ames, and executive produced by Seth MacFarlane. The series' first two episodes were released online on August 15, 2015, and premiered on ...

''. In 2016, she was cast in a series regular role opposite Damon Wayans Sr. in the Fox pilot ''

Lethal Weapon ''Lethal Weapon'' is a 1987 American buddy cop action comedy film directed and co-produced by Richard Donner, written by Shane Black, and co-produced by Joel Silver. It stars Mel Gibson and Danny Glover alongside Gary Busey, Tom Atkins, Darle ...

''. Brooks was fired from ''Lethal Weapon'' after the project's table read, and

Keesha Sharp Keesha Ulricka Sharp ( née Fletch; born June 9, 1973) is an American actress and film / television director. She began her career appearing on television dramas, before her regular role as Monica Charles Brooks in the UPN/The CW comedy series, ...

, her ''Girlfriends'' co-star, later replaced her in role. In 2017, Brooks was cast as lead character's mother in ''

'', a young adult dystopian thriller directed by

Jennifer Yuh Nelson Jennifer Yuh Nelson ( Yuh; born May 7, 1972) is a South Korean-born American story artist, character designer, television director, illustrator, and film director. She is best known for directing the films ''Kung Fu Panda 2'', ''Kung Fu Panda 3' ...

. She also was cast in the

Paramount Network Paramount Network is an American basic cable television channel owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Media Networks. The network's headquarters are located at the Paramount Pictures studio lot in Los Angeles. The channel was or ...

drama series ''

Yellowstone Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowston ...

'' starring

Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner (born January 18, 1955) is an American actor, producer, film director and musician. He has received various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Screen Actor ...

. Later she was cast in the series regular role on the

drama series '' I Am the Night'' directed by

Patty Jenkins Patricia Lea Jenkins (born July 24, 1971) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She has directed the feature films ''Monster'' (2003), ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), and ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (2020). For the film ''Monster'', she w ...

, playing mother of the lead character. She received critical acclaim for her performance in ''I Am the Night''. "Golden Brooks elevating every scene she's in", said Daniel Fienberg in his review for ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. In 2019, she reunited with her ''Girlfriends'' co-stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones and Persia White in the episode of ABC comedy series ''

Black-ish ''Black-ish'' (stylized as black·''ish'', `black·''ish'', and black''ish'') is an American sitcom television series created by Kenya Barris. It aired on ABC from September 24, 2014, to April 19, 2022, running for eight seasons. ''Black-ish'' ...

''.

Personal life

Brooks has a daughter with

D. B. Woodside David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in ''The Temptations'', Robin Wood in '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', Malcolm Franks in '' Single Ladies' ...

born in 2009.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Golden American film actresses American television actresses Living people Actresses from San Francisco Actresses from Fresno, California Sarah Lawrence College alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 1970 births