Golden Brooks
Encyclopedia
Golden Ameda Brooks is an American
actress. She is best known for her nine-year role as Maya Wilkes on the UPN
/CW
comedy Girlfriends
.
, jazz
, and modern dance
.
Brooks studied literature and sociology, and is a graduate of UC Berkeley. Her concentration was Media Representation of Minorities; her minor was Theater. She earned a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College
. She has a daughter with her former boyfriend D.B. Woodside, Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, born on September 1, 2009.
Girlfriends
, in which she starred from 2000-2008.
She directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough," and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back," which featured guest star Erykah Badu
.
The character Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, but in reality Brooks is the eldest among the actors.
s and television
shows, and has appeared alongside actors such as Queen Latifah
, Alicia Silverstone
and Kevin Bacon
. She appeared in an episode of Pete and Pete, playing big Pete's love interest Heather. She was also featured in the movie Motives co-starring with Vivica Fox and Shemar Moore
. She was featured in the 50 Cent
music video for "Straight to the Bank
."
On television, she appeared in a 2000 episode of The Jamie Foxx Show
as a girl named Nancy, who Jamie confuses with Fancy. In 2001 she appeared in an episode of Moesha
, portraying her Girlfriends character Maya Wilkes.
She currently has several projects in post-production, including the 2009 films Polish Bar and My Place in the Horror.
Brooks voulunteers with the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and AIDS Project Los Angeles
. She is active with actors such as Danny Glover
in the Robey Theater Company.
In April 2011, the straight-to-DVD movie The Inheritance was released. Brooks co-stars in the horror/thriller along with Darrin Dewitt Henson, D.B. Woodside, Keith David
and Rochelle Aytes
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is best known for her nine-year role as Maya Wilkes on the UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
/CW
The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
comedy Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
.
Biography
As a child she was a figure skating competitor and won several trophies. Brooks is also a classically trained dancer; she studied and taught balletBallet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
.
Brooks studied literature and sociology, and is a graduate of UC Berkeley. Her concentration was Media Representation of Minorities; her minor was Theater. She earned a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
. She has a daughter with her former boyfriend D.B. Woodside, Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, born on September 1, 2009.
Girlfriends
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 sitcomSituation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
, in which she starred from 2000-2008.
She directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough," and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back," which featured guest star Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
.
The character Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, but in reality Brooks is the eldest among the actors.
Other achievements
Brooks has been featured in many filmFilm
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows, and has appeared alongside actors such as Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone
Alicia Silverstone is an American actress, author, and former fashion model. She first came to widespread attention in music videos for Aerosmith, and is perhaps best known for her roles in Hollywood films such as Clueless and her portrayal of Batgirl in Batman & Robin .-Early life:Silverstone...
and Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
. She appeared in an episode of Pete and Pete, playing big Pete's love interest Heather. She was also featured in the movie Motives co-starring with Vivica Fox and Shemar Moore
Shemar Moore
Shemar Franklin Moore is an American actor and former male fashion model. His most notable roles are that of Malcolm Winters on The Young and the Restless from 1994 to 2005, Derek Morgan on CBS's Criminal Minds, and as the third permanent host of Soul Train from 1999 to 2003.-Early life:Moore was...
. She was featured in the 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
music video for "Straight to the Bank
Straight to the Bank
"Straight to the Bank" is the first single from 50 Cent's third album, Curtis. The song is produced by Ty Fyffe with additional production from Dr. Dre. Tony Yayo contributes with a laughing effect in the chorus...
."
On television, she appeared in a 2000 episode of The Jamie Foxx Show
The Jamie Foxx Show
The Jamie Foxx Show is an American television sitcom that aired on the WB Network from August 28, 1996 to January 14, 2001. The series starred Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris.-Synopsis:...
as a girl named Nancy, who Jamie confuses with Fancy. In 2001 she appeared in an episode of Moesha
Moesha
Moesha is an American sitcom series that aired on the UPN network from January 23, 1996 to May 14, 2001. The series stars R&B singer Brandy Norwood as Moesha Mitchell, a high school student living with her family in the Leimert Park neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles.-Overview:The show...
, portraying her Girlfriends character Maya Wilkes.
She currently has several projects in post-production, including the 2009 films Polish Bar and My Place in the Horror.
Brooks voulunteers with the Pediatric AIDS Foundation and AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Project Los Angeles is a 5013 non-profit organization, "dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by AIDS disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy."...
. She is active with actors such as Danny Glover
Danny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
in the Robey Theater Company.
In April 2011, the straight-to-DVD movie The Inheritance was released. Brooks co-stars in the horror/thriller along with Darrin Dewitt Henson, D.B. Woodside, Keith David
Keith David
Keith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
and Rochelle Aytes
Rochelle Aytes
Rochelle Aytes is an American actress. She was born in New York City and attended LaGuardia High School. She graduated with a BA in Fine Arts from State University of New York Purchase College.-Career:...
.
Filmography
- Girl 6Girl 6Girl 6 may refer to:*Girl 6, a 1996 film by Spike Lee*Girl 6 , the soundtrack for the film, composed by Prince*“Girl 6” , the title song for the soundtrack...
(1996) - Linc'sLinc'sLinc's is an American comedy-drama based in a bar in Washington D.C.. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and aired on Showtime for two seasons from 1998 to 2000 before being cancelled....
(1998) - TimecodeTimecode (film)Timecode is a 2000 American experimental film directed by Mike Figgis.The film is constructed from four continuous 90-minute takes that were filmed simultaneously by four cameramen; the screen is divided into quarters and the four shots are shown simultaneously...
(2000) - ImpostorImpostor (film)Impostor is a 2002 American science fiction film based upon a short story of the same name, written by Philip K. Dick in 1953.-Plot:The movie takes place in the year 2079. Forty-five years earlier, Earth was attacked by a hostile alien civilization from Alpha Centauri...
(2002) - MotivesMotives (film)Motives is a 2004 thriller starring Vivica A. Fox, Shemar Moore, Golden Brooks, Sean Blakemore and Keshia Knight Pulliam. The sequel, Motives 2, was released in 2007 .-Synopsis:...
(2004) - Beauty ShopBeauty ShopBeauty Shop is a 2005 American comedy film, directed by Bille Woodruff. The film is a spin-off of the Barbershop film franchise, and stars Queen Latifah as Gina, a character which was first introduced in the 2004 film Barbershop 2: Back in Business...
(2005) - Something NewSomething New (film)Something New is a 2006 American romantic drama film directed by Sanaa Hamri. The screenplay by Kriss Turner focuses on interracial relationships and traditional African American family values and social customs.-Plot:...
(2006) - A Good Man Is Hard to FindA Good Man Is Hard To FindA Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by American author Flannery O'Connor. The collection was first published in 1955...
(2008) - Polish Bar (2009)
- The Inheritance (formerly titled My Place in the Horror) (2010)
- The Marriage Lover (2013)