Golden Brooks
| Golden Brooks | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Golden Ameda Brooks December 1, 1970 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Education |
UC Berkeley Sarah Lawrence College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Partner(s) | D.B. Woodside (2006–10; 1 child) |
Golden Ameda Brooks (born December 1, 1970) is an American actress, best known for her role as Maya Wilkes on the UPN/CW comedy series Girlfriends from 2000 to 2008.
Early life
Brooks was born in San Francisco, California.[1] As a child, she competed as a figure skater and won several trophies. Brooks is also a classically trained dancer. She studied and taught ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Brooks studied literature and sociology and is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she majored in Media Representation of Minorities with a minor in Theater. Brooks earned a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College.[1]
Career
In her early career, Brooks was active in the Rodney Theater Company.[1] On television, she has appeared on The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Promised Land, Linc's, and The Jamie Foxx Show as a girl named Nancy, whom Jamie confuses with Fancy. Brooks also appeared in a number of films, like Hell's Kitchen, Timecode, and Impostor.[2]
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 from 2000 to 2008.[3] In 2001, she appeared in an episode of Moesha, portraying Maya Wilkes. Brooks also directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough,"[4] and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back,"[5] which featured guest star Erykah Badu. The character of Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, however, in reality, Brooks is actually the eldest of the four actors.
Brooks has won Black Reel Awards for 2004 film Motives, co-starring with Vivica Fox and Shemar Moore. She also has starred in Beauty Shop (2005) and Something New (2006). In 2008, Brooks was cast as Kim Kaswell in the Lifetime comedy-drama pilot Drop Dead Diva,[6][7] but later was replaced by Kate Levering. In 2011, she starred in the independent film The Inheritance.[8] In 2012, Brooks joined the cast of Hart of Dixie in season 2 playing Ruby Jeffries, Mayor Lavon Hayes' ex-girlfriend from high school, who runs against him for mayor. She is good friends with the title character Zoe Hart and a rival of southern belle Lemon Breeland.[9] In 2014, Brooks stars as one of five leads on the TV One reality series, Hollywood Divas.[10][11]
Personal life
Brooks has a daughter with her former boyfriend D.B. Woodside, Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, born on September 1, 2009.[12][13]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Drive by: A Love Story | Young Tuli | Short film |
| 1998 | Hell's Kitchen | Gold | |
| 1998 | Zero Stress | The Dancer | |
| 2000 | Timecode | Onyx Richardson | |
| 2001 | Asylum | Angela | Short film |
| 2001 | Impostor | Cale's Sister | |
| 2004 | Motives | Allannah James | Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Actress in the Independent Film |
| 2005 | Beauty Shop | Chanel | |
| 2006 | Something New | Suzette | |
| 2008 | A Good Man Is Hard to Find | Rachel | |
| 2010 | Polish Bar | Ebony | |
| 2011 | The Mudman | Mother | |
| 2011 | The Inheritance | Karen | American Black Film Festival Award for Best Actress |
| 2011 | The Perfect Gift | Sandra Harris | |
| 2012 | A Beautiful Soul | Anita Stevens | |
| 2012 | In Sickness and in Health | Hope | Television film |
| 2012 | The Great Divide | Kim | |
| 2015 | The White Sistas | Stone White | Also producer |
| 2015 | My B.F.F. | Sharice Brown | |
| 2015 | Supermodel |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Adventures of Pete & Pete | Heather | Episode: "Crisis in the Love Zone" |
| 1999 | Promised Land | Erica Sims | Episode: "Leaving the Life" |
| 1999 | Linc's | CeCe Jennings | Series regular, 37 episodes |
| 2000 | The Parkers | Chris | Episode: "Since I Lost My Baby" |
| 2000 | The Jamie Foxx Show | Nancy | Episode: "Double or Nothing" |
| 2001 | Moesha | Maya Wilkes | Episode: "That's My Mama" |
| 2002 | Haunted | Rachel Landry | Episode: "Abby" |
| 2004 | Enterprise | Alicia Travers | Episodes: "Storm Front: Part 1" and "Storm Front: Part 2" |
| 2005 | Eve | LaDonna | Episode: "Testing Testing HIV" |
| 2000–2008 | Girlfriends | Maya Denise Wilkes | Series regular, 170 episodes BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2004) Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2003, 2008) |
| 2008 | CSI: Miami | Pam Dashell | Episode: "And How Does That Make You Kill?" |
| 2011 | The Exes | Bree Miller | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 2012–2013 | Hart of Dixie | Ruby Jeffries | Recurring role, 11 episodes |
| 2014 | Hollywood Divas | Herself | TV One reality series |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Golden Brooks Biography". Buddytv.com. 1970-12-01. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "Golden Brooks Credits". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "Golden Brooks | Movies and Biography - Yahoo Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "Hustle & Dough". IMDb.
- ↑ "Snap Back". IMDb.
- ↑ "Lifetime pilot adds two". IMDb.
- ↑ "Breaking News - Development Update: Thursday, August 7". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ "Golden Brooks Gets Scary!? The Inheritance, Career Moves and More! Exclusive Interview!". UrbLife.com. April 11, 2011.
- ↑ Goldberg, Lesley (2012-07-21). "'Hart of Dixie' Enlists 'Girlfriends' Alum as Pal for Zoe (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
- ↑ Tambay A. Obenson (16 May 2014). "TV One Expands ‘Diva’ Franchise w/ Launch of ‘Hollywood D - Shadow and Act". Shadow and Act.
- ↑ "Golden Brooks Talks ‘Hollywood Divas’ Drama - The Michigan Chronicle". The Michigan Chronicle. 8 October 2014.
- ↑ :pm. "It'S A Baby Girl For Actors Golden Brooks And D.B. Woodside » Black Celebrity Kids". Blackcelebkids.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
- ↑ Michaud, Sarah (2014-03-31). "Golden Brooks, D.B. Woodside Welcome a Daughter - Babies, D.B. Woodside, Golden Brooks". People.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
External links
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