Karen Malina White
White in 2006
Born	(1965-07-07) July 7, 1965 (age 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	Howard University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1980–present
Known for	Kaneesha Carter – Lean on Me Charmaine Brown – The Cosby Show, A Different World

Karen Malina White (born July 7, 1965) is an American film and television actress. She is best known for her roles as Kaneesha Carter in the 1989 drama film Lean on Me, Charmaine Brown during the two final seasons on The Cosby Show (1990–1992) and its spin-off A Different World (1992–1993), Nicolette Vandross on Malcolm & Eddie (1996–2000),^[1] and as the voice of Dijonay Jones on the Disney Channel animated comedy The Proud Family (2001–2005) and its 2022 Disney+ reboot The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Biography

White was born on July 7, 1965.^{[citation needed]} Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, White 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.^[2] During her senior year, White won the title of "Miss Howard University" and landed her first role as an actress.

Career

In 1989, White starred in Lean on Me alongside actor Morgan Freeman which White considers her first major role.^[3] 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. White portrayed series regular Nicolette Vandross on Malcom & Eddie. White appeared in recurring guest star roles on Animal Kingdom, Bruh, Better Things, Lodge 49, Kidding, Snowfall, Veep, and I Didn't Do It. White appeared as a guest star in 9-1-1, The Middle, Mike & Molly, Herman's Head, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Roc, My So-Called Life, Chicago Hope, Living Single, The Shield, Southland, How to Get Away With Murder, and Young Sheldon.^[4]

White has had several theater roles, most notably playing the role of Camae in Katori Hall's The Mountaintop and Arlene/Lacy in Eight Nights. In 2010, White played a role in The Ballad of Emmett Till - a role which she reprised in an online reading of the play in 2020.^[5]

From 2001 to 2005, she performed the voice of Dijonay Jones on the animated Disney Channel series The Proud Family. White says that series creator Bruce W. Smith designed the character as White was reading lines for an initial presentation of the show.^[6] In 2022, she reprised her role as Dijonay Jones in the revival series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder for which she was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement for Voice Acting in a Television Production.^[7][8]

White played the role of Shirley Hughes on Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, a role which allowed her to utilize American Sign Language which she has been learning since she was 15.^[9] White says that the role provided her an outlet for anger, anxiety, and fear from the COVID-19 pandemic and the social unrest from the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmed Arbery.^[10] Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Show became Netflix's second most-watched series of all time.^[11]

White was a guest speaker in the online acting class Mastering the Business of Acting, a program that teaches acting students the business-side of the acting industry.^[12]

In 2023, White appeared in a FanDuel commercial alongside former American football player Rob Gronkowski.^[13]

Personal life

White has never married and has no children. From 1997 until 2005, White dated actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Contrary to rumors, White was never married nor engaged to Warner. Warner stated in 2009, "I'm not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years."^[14]

Filmography

Film

Television