Erika Alexander
Biography
Erika Rose Alexander is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur, and activist born on November 19, 1969, in Winslow, Arizona. She is best known for her television roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show from 1990 to 1992 and as Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998. Her work on Living Single earned her numerous awards, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Her film credits include The Long Walk Home, 30 Years to Life, Deja Vu, Get Out, American Refugee, Earth Mama, and American Fiction, which earned her an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance.
Career overview
Erika Rose Alexander was born on November 19, 1969, in Winslow, Arizona. She is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur, and activist. Alexander is best known for her television roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show, which she played from 1990 to 1992, and Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom Living Single, which ran from 1993 to 1998. Her work on Living Single earned her numerous awards, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series.
In addition to her television work, Alexander has appeared in a variety of film credits. Her movie appearances include The Long Walk Home in 1990, 30 Years to Life in 2001, and Déjà Vu in 2006. Her later film roles include Get Out in 2017, American Refugee in 2021, and both Earth Mama and American Fiction in 2023. For her performance in American Fiction, she received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Performance.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full filmography
- Is God Is (2026) as Divine
- The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (2026) as Monica Reese-Dinkins
- The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship - A Special Edition of 20/20 (2025) as Self
- The Addiction of Hope (2025)
- Hollywood Black (2024) as Self
- Wildflower (2023) as Mary
- American Fiction (2023) as Coraline
- Earth Mama (2023) as Miss Carmen
- The Jennifer Hudson Show (2022)
- Sherri (2022) as Self - Guest
- Shining Girls (2022) as Abby
- The Big Payback (2022) Director
- The Big Payback (2022) Producer
- Invasion (2021) as Verna
- Run the World (2021) as Barb
- American Refugee (2021) as Helen Taylor
- John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) Producer
- Wu-Tang: An American Saga (2019) as Linda Diggs
- I See You (2019) as Lieutenant Davis
- Black Lightning (2018) as Perenna
- Get Out (2017) as Detective Latoya
- Brave New Jersey (2017) as Helen Holbrook
- Insecure (2016) as Yolanda
- Recovery Road (2016) as Trish's Mother
- Bosch (2015) as Connie Irving
- Secrets of the Magic City (2015) as Ms. Fletcher
- NCIS: New Orleans (2014) as Louanne Bates
- Elsa & Fred (2014) as Laverne
- We the People: From Crispus Attucks to President Barack Obama (2014)
- Suits (2011) as Sarah Leighton
- Last Man Standing (2011) as Carol
- Suburgatory (2011) as Gloria
- La Mission (2009) as Lena
- In Plain Sight (2008) as Theresa Simmons
- Déjà Vu (2006) as Shanti
- In Justice (2006) as Alyssa Hill
- Heist (2006) as Saundra Johnson
- Grey's Anatomy (2005) as Johanna McKay
- Criminal Minds (2005) as Lynne Henderson
- Numb3rs (2005) as U.S. Marshal Tricia Yaegger
- House (2004) as Ms. Fields
- LAX (2004) as Allison
- Tricks (2004) as Laurel
- CSI: Miami (2002) as Tanya Thorpe
- Half & Half (2002) as Maxine Shaw
- Street Time (2002) as Dee Mulhern
- Full Frontal (2002) as Lucy
- Love Liza (2002) as Brenda
- The Cosby Show: A Look Back (2002) as Pam Tucker (archive footage)
- The Zeta Project (2001) as Agent Rush (voice)
- 30 Years to Life (2001)
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) as A.D.A. Kirkson
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) as Kema Mabuda
- Judging Amy (1999) as Fran Winston
- Knitwits Revisited (1999) as Amina (voice)
- Knitwits Revisited (1999) Dialogue
- 54 (1998) as Ciel
- Mama Flora's Family (1998) as Young Flora
- The Daily Show (1996) as Self - Guest
- 7th Heaven (1996) as Lynn Miles
- ER (1994) as Vatima Abika
- Override (1994) as Shawana
- Living Single (1993) as Maxine Shaw
- Going to Extremes (1992) as Cheryl Carter
- Fathers & Sons (1992) as Venell
- He Said, She Said (1991) as Rita, Al's Daugther
- Law & Order (1990) as Doris Carver
- The Long Walk Home (1990) as Selma Cotter
- Common Ground (1990) as Cassandra Twymon
- The Mahabharata (1990) as Madri / Hidimbi
- The Last Best Year (1990) as Amy
- The Mahabharata (1990) as Madri / Hidimbi
- My Little Girl (1986) as Joan
- George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation (1986) as Oney Judge
- The Cosby Show (1984) as Pam Tucker
- 20/20 (1978) as Self
- The Oscars (1953) as Self