Philadelphia native Karen Malina White first caught audiences’ attention when she took on the role of Charmaine Brown on The Cosby Show in 1989. She would also make waves in the hood classic, film Lean on Me with Morgan Freeman as the smart, young student who was going places in life until she got with a guy who ended up getting her pregnant. “You don’t know nothing about Mr. Clark!” Remember that scene? Yeah, me too!
It’s hard to believe that that little girl that was going out with “Lance” on The Cosby Show is over the age of 55 now. Wow, how times flies!
It all started for the talented actress when she was born in Philly where she studied at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts. After graduating high school, White continued her studies at Howard University, where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. During her senior year, White won the title of “Miss Howard University” and landed her first role as an actress.
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In 1989, White starred in Lean on Me alongside actor Morgan Freeman. She was nominated for the 1990 Young Artist Award 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 The Cosby Show (1990-1992), and Season 6 of A Different World (1992-1993). White also guest-starred as Jewel, Jazz’s wife in two episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. From 2001 to 2005, she performed the voice of Dijonay Jones on the award-winning animated Disney Channel series The Proud Family.
She also guest-starred on other TV shows too, like I Didn’t Do It on the Disney Channel, Chicago Hope, My So-Called Life, How to Get Away with Murder and more.
Despite what you heard, White has never married and has no children. From 2000 until 2007, White dated actor…
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… Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Contrary to rumors, White was never married nor engaged to Warner. Warner states, “I’m not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years.”
Now, she continues to act in shows and in theater. As a matter of fact, she’s a part of the Antaeus Theater Company and has starred in numerous productions.
But don’t worry about her finding the right guy. White is a self-proclaimed Scrabble game lover and double-dutch enthusiast who can make one hell of a bag of popcorn. With her talent and beauty, its safe to say you’ll see more of Ms. White soon.
