Karen Malina White is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Kaneesha Carter in the 1989 drama film '' Lean on Me,'' Charmaine Brown during the two final seasons on ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom co-created by and starring Bill Cosby, which aired Thursday nights for eight seasons on NBC between September 20, 1984, until April 30, 1992. The show focuses on an upper middle-class Africa ...

'' (1990–1992) and its spin-off ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom (and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show'') television series that aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987 to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) a ...

'' (1992–1993), Nicolette Vandross on ''

Malcolm & Eddie ''Malcolm & Eddie'' is an American sitcom that premiered August 26, 1996, on UPN, and ran for four seasons, airing its final episode on May 22, 2000. This series starred Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Eddie Griffin in the lead roles. The program was ...

'' (1996–2000), and as the voice of Dijonay Jones on the Disney Channel animated comedy ''

The Proud Family ''The Proud Family'' is an American animated television series created by Bruce W. Smith that originally ran on Disney Channel from September 15, 2001, to August 19, 2005. A revival, known as '' The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder'', was announ ...

'' (2001–2005).

Biography

White was born September 13,1964, and raised in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. White studied at the

Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts The Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, commonly known as CAPA, is a magnet school in South Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the edge of the Christian Street Historic District. It is a part of the School Distri ...

. After graduating high school, White continued her studies at

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...

, where she graduated '' cum laude'' with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.Hbcu Experience – the Book: A Collection of Essays Celebrating the Black ... edited by Tia C. M. Tyree
/ref> During her senior year, White won the title of "Miss Howard University" and landed her first role as an actress. In 1989, White starred in '' Lean on Me'' alongside actor Morgan Freeman. She was nominated for the 1990

Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...

for Best Young Actress Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her performance in the film. During the 1990s, White made many guest appearances in various television shows. White portrayed Charmaine Brown during Seasons 7 and 8 of ''

'' (1990–1992), and Season 6 of ''

'' (1992–1993). White also guest starred as Jewel,

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 m ...

's wife in two episodes of ''

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 ...

''. From 2001 to 2005, she performed the voice of Dijonay Jones on the animated Disney Channel series ''

''.

Personal life

White has never married and has no children. From 1997 until 2005, White dated actor

Malcolm-Jamal Warner Malcolm-Jamal Warner (born August 18, 1970) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC sitcom ''The Cosby Show'', which earned him a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series a ...

. Contrary to rumors, White was never married nor engaged to Warner. Warner stated in 2009, "I'm not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years."

Filmography

Film and TV Movies

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:White, Karen Malina Howard University alumni Living people Actresses from Philadelphia American film actresses American television actresses American voice actresses African-American actresses Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts alumni 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women Year of birth missing (living people)