Everybody Hates Chris

Background:

Actress Tichina Arnold first gained attention for her work on the daytime soap operas “Ryan's Hope” (1987-1988) and “All My Children” (1989-1990), where she played Zena Brown and Sharla Valentine, respectively. The first role earned Arnold nominations at the Daytime Emmy Awards and the Soap Opera Digest Awards. The New York native acquired further recognition with her supporting portrayal of Gina's sassy best friend, Pam, on the Fox hit sitcom “Martin” (1992-1997), from which she netted her first Image Award. However, Arnold is perhaps best known for her role of Rochelle on the popular sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris” (UPN, 2005-2006; The CW, 2006-2009). She picked up her next Image Award for her performance on the series. She has also appeared in several films, such as “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986), “Big Momma's House” (2000), “Wild Hogs” (2007), “Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story” (2008), “Drillbit Taylor” (2008) and “Dance Flick” (2009). Arnold is also a singer and formed a band called KNOW Pressure, which has played regularly in Los Angles.

Arnold established her own company of designer headgear, “China Moon Rags,” in 1998. Celebrities who have worn her designs include Tisha Campbell, Janet Jackson, Vivica A. Fox, Regina King, Christina Aguilera and LisaRaye McCoy. The production stopped after the birth of her daughter, Alijah Kai (born 2004). Arnold also sits on the advisory board for the National Parent Association (PTA), the largest volunteer child advocacy association in the United States.

The Me Nobody Knows

Childhood and Family:

The daughter of a police officer and a sanitation department employee, Tichina Rolanda Arnold was born on June 28, 1971, in Queens, New York. She was educated at the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York. She discovered a love for performing at an early age and by age 11, had landed her first stage role in “The Me Nobody Knows” at Brooklyn's Billie Holiday Theater. Tichina has one sister.

Tichina was married to professional boxer Lamon Brewster from 1992 to 1995. On March 16, 2004, she gave birth to her first child, daughter Alijah Kai Haggins, who is fathered by music producer Carvin Haggins. She and her daughter now reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

Martin

Career:

Young Tichina Arnold made her New York stage debut in “The Me Nobody Knows” (1982) at the Billie Holiday Theater in Brooklyn. She went on to perform in various stage productions, such as “Hair” and “Romance and Hard Times.” In 1983, she made the jump to television with a supporting role in the film “The Brass Ring,” opposite Dina Merrill, Sylvia Sidney and April Lerman. It was followed by a performance on the PBS television film “House of Dies Drear” (1984), starring Howard E. Rollins Jr., Shavar Ross and Gloria Foster. She made her feature film debut in “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986), a musical adaptation of the off-Broadway musical comedy of the same name by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman. Directed by Frank Oz and starring Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin and Levi Stubbs, the film received positive response from critics and was nominated for Oscars for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song and Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical and Best Original Score - Motion Picture.

Arnold gained her first big break on television when she was cast as young heroine Zena Brown on the ABC soap opera “Ryan's Hope” in February 1987. She remained with the show until it ended in January 1989. For her good acting, Arnold received a 1988 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Ingénue in a Drama Series and a 1989 Soap Opera Digest nomination for Outstanding Female Newcomer: Daytime.

In 1988, Arnold portrayed Evelyn Ruth on the independent film “Starlight: A Musical Movie,” which was directed by Orin Wechsberg and starred Kario Salem, Jean Taylor and Kathryn Eames. She then played the supporting role of Vera Cook on Savage Steve Holland's romantic comedy “How I Got Into College” (1989), starring Lara Flynn Boyle, Anthony Edwards and Corey Parker. Also in 1989, she guest starred in an episode of the NBC hit sitcom “The Cosby Show” but did not return to the daytime realm until she joined the cast of the ABC soap “All My Children.” In the series, she played nursing student Sharla Valentine from 1989 to 1991. Meanwhile, Arnold appeared as Leona in an episode of “Law & Order” called “Out of the Half-Light” (1990) and worked with Bette Midler, Woody Allen and Bill Irwin in the Paul Mazursky helmed comedy “Scenes from a Mall” (1991).

After leaving “All My Children,” Arnold enjoyed her next big breakthrough when she joined Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II and Thomas Mikal Ford on the Fox sitcom “Martin.” The show became one of the network's highest rated shows during its run from August 1992 to May 1997 and Arnold won a 1996 Image Award in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance.

In 1997, while still working on the series, Arnold revisited the big screen in the comedy film “Fakin' Da Funk,” which starred Pam Grier and Dante Basco and was directed and written by Tim Chey. The following year, she guest starred in an episode of “The Jamie Foxx Show” and played Susie in the television film “Perfect Prey,” starring Kelly McGillis, Bruce Dern and D.W. Moffett. She closed out the 1990s with guest spots in “Pacific Blue” and “Norm” (as Mrs. Murphy) and a stint alongside MC Lyte and Michael Colyar in the independent award winding film “A Luv Tale” (1999), by director Sidra Smith.

Entering the new millennium, Arnold appeared on the HBO Emmy Award nominated film “Dancing in September” (2000), which starred Nicole Ari Parker and Isaiah Washington. She was reunited with former “Martin” costar Martin Lawrence in the surprise hit comedy film “Big Momma's House” (2000), starring Lawrence as Malcolm Turner, before beginning the reoccurring role of Nicole Barnes on the UPN sitcom “One on One” in 2001. In 2002, she starred as Aisha on the dramatic film “Civil Brand,” opposite LisaRaye McCoy, Lark Voorhies, Monica Calhoun, N'Bushe Wright, Mos Def, Da Brat and MC Lyte, worked with Dick DeCoit and Cylk Cozart in the science fiction movie “Yo Alien” and guest starred in Showtime's “Soul Food.” In 2004, she appeared as Kiara in an episode of the CBS short lived sitcom “Listen Up” called “Thanksgiving.”

In 2005, Arnold was cast as Rochelle in the television sitcom “Everybody Hates Chris,” which starred Tyler James Williams as the protagonist. The series ran from September 2005 to May 2009. In 2006, Arnold won an Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series and was nominated for Teen Choice Awards for TV - Choice Actress: Comedy and TV - Choice Parental Unit, which she shared with her onscreen husband, Terry Crews. She then received Image nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007 to 2010. While on the show, the actress was nominated for a BET Award for Best Actress in 2006 and 2007.

Arnold returned to features in 2005 when she costarred as Desiree in Charles Randolph-Wright's “Preaching to the Choir,” which won Best Film and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2005 American Black Film Festival. She then had a featured role on the television film “Getting Played” (2006), starring Vivica A. Fox, Bill Bellamy, Carmen Electra, and Stacey Dash, was again reunited with Martin Lawrence for the film “Wild Hogs” (2007), and provided the voice of Nicole on an episode of “The Boondocks” (2007). In 2008, she starred as Lena Baker in Ralph Wilcox's “Hope & Redemption: The Lena Baker Story” and appeared as a photography teacher in the Judd Apatow produced film “Drillbit Taylor,” starring Owen Wilson.

After “Everybody Hates Chris” left the airwaves, Arnold appeared in the pilot of the Lifetime's sitcom “Sherri” (2009), had a recurring role on the short lived Fox sitcom “Brothers” (3 episodes, 2009) and portrayed Ray's mom in the comedy “Dance Flick” (2009), which was directed by Damien Dante Wayans. Recently, in 2011, she played the recurring role of Sylvia in the sitcom “Raising Hope,” which debuted on Fox on September 21, 2010. She also guest starred in “Let's Stay Together” (as Dr. Knotts) and “Are We There Yet” (as Vicky Howard).

Arnold is rumored to be portraying Pamela James in the upcoming film “The Skank Robbers” (2011), scripted by Jamie Foxx. The movie will star Foxx, Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence. She will also play Judi in the upcoming television comedy series “Happily Divorced,” opposite Fran Drescher, Rita Moreno and John Michael Higgins.

Awards:

• Image: Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, “Everybody Hates Chris,” 2006

• Image: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, “Martin,” 1996