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Girlfriends
Background:
American actress Golden Brooks has appeared in many films and television series,
and has worked with such actors as Queen Latifah, Angelina Jolie, Gary Sinise,
Alicia Silverstone and Andie MacDowell. She is maybe best-remembered by TV
audiences for her roles as Maya Wilkes in the UPN sitcom “Girlfriends”
(2000-2006) and CeCe Jennings in the hit show “Linc’s” (1998). She was handed a
Black Reel nomination for her bright starring turn in the independent film
Motives (2004).
Outside the limelight, Brooks volunteers with the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and
AIDS Project Los Angeles. She also actively participates in the Robey Theater
Company, with actors such as Danny Glover. Brooks has a cat named Saeku.
Competitive Skater
Childhood and Family:
In San Francisco, California, Golden A. Brooks was born on December 1, 1970. She
excelled in skating and won many trophies when she was younger. A classically
trained dancer, Golden both studied and taught ballet, jazz and modern dance.
She studied literature and sociology at UC Berkeley and earned her Masters
degree in Creative Writing from Sarah Lawrence College.
Linc’s
Career:
Golden Brooks had appeared in an episode of TV series “The Adventures of Pete &
Pete,” as Heather, and in the 31-minute short Drive by: A Love Story (1997),
playing young Tuli, before coming to the fore in 1998 with the popular series “Linc’s,”
directed by Debbie Allen and created by Tim Reid. In the award-nominating show,
Brooks played the role of CeCe Jennings, a besieged single mother with a dream
of doing better for herself and her son. Later that same year, Brooks made her
big screen acting debut with a small part opposite Angelina Jolie, Rosanna
Arquette and William Forsythe in the drama Hell’s Kitchen, helmed and directed
by Tony Cincipirini, and had a guest spot in one episode of “Promised Land,” the
following year.
Brooks’ next silver screen outing arrived with a costarring role alongside
Xander Berkeley in director-writer Mike Figgis’ Timecode (2000), in which she
was cast as Onyx Richardson. A series of guest appearances in series like “The
Parkers” (2000), “The Jamie Foxx Show” (2000) and “Moesha” (2001) followed.
However, Brooks’ career did not gain another boost until she landed the regular
role of Maya Wilkes, Joan’s sharp-tongued secretary, in the UPN comedy show
“Girlfriends” in 2000, a gig she holds until now.
The actress was cast as Mekhi Phifer’s sister in the film Imposter (2002), a
sci-fi /thriller starring Madeline Stowe, Vincent D’Onofrio and Gary Sinise, and
had a starring role opposite Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore in the
drama/thriller Motives (2004). For her fine performance as Allannah James in the
latter film, Brooks earned a 2005 Black Reel nomination for Best Actress.
After a recurring role in “Enterprise” (2004), Brooks found herself acting with
Queen Latifah, Alicia Silverstone and Andie MacDowell in the comedy film Beauty
Shop (2005). More recently, she played the supporting role of Suzette in the
comedy/drama Something New (2006), for director Sanaa Hamri. Among her costars
were Sanaa Lathan, Katharine Towne and Stanley DeSantis.
Awards:
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