| Karen Malina White | |
| Birth Place: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Education: | Howard University (BFA) |
| Known For: | Kaneesha Carter – Lean on Me Charmaine Brown – The Cosby Show, A Different World |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years Active: | 1980–present |
Karen Malina White 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 .
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.
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 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]
White has never married and has no children. "I'm not married. People probably started saying that because we were in a relationship for seven and a half years."[14]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Lean On Me | Kaneesha Carter | |
| 1995 | Statistically Speaking | - | Short |
| 1996 | Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored | Mary | |
| 2004 | Fronterz | - | |
| 2005 | The Proud Family Movie | Dijonay Jones (voice) | TV movie |
| 2006 | The Ties That Bind | Madison | Short |
| 2007 | I Gotta Be Better Than Keanu | Acting Teacher | |
| 2011 | Aurora Borealis | Head Nurse | Short |
| Kissed by the Devil | June Henderson | Short | |
| Cheaper to Keep Her | Koren | Video | |
| 2012 | Who's Watching the Kids | Susan | |
| A Bitter Pill | Nurse Kathy | Short | |
| Love Overboard | Tina | Video | |
| Where Do We Go from Here | Florence Theresa Ford | Short | |
| 2013 | Jump In: The Movie | Camryn Davis | |
| 2014 | Freeloader | Aretha | Short |
| 2016 | Caged | Karen Stevens | Short |
| Silent Cry Aloud | Dina | ||
| Mule | Nurse Vasquez | Short | |
| 2017 | Conflict of Interest | Gabriele's Mother | |
| a.m. Sunday | Julia | Short | |
| 2019 | Unspeakable Indiscretions | Paulette | |
| 2021 | Love, for Real | Marie | TV movie |
| Tis the Season to be Merry | Sonia Hendricks | TV movie |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | A Man Called Hawk | Lisa | Episode: "The Divided Child" & "Beautiful Are the Stars" |
| 1990–92 | The Cosby Show | Charmaine Brown | Recurring Cast: Season 7-8 |
| 1992–93 | A Different World | Charmaine Brown | Guest: Season 5, Main Cast: Season 6 |
| 1993 | Herman's Head | Rene | Episode: "There's a Fly Girl In My Soup" |
| 1993–97 | Hangin' with Mr. Cooper | Florence | Recurring Cast: Season 2 & 5, Guest: Season 4 |
| 1993–94 | Roc | Michelle | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| Getting By | Yolanda | Recurring Cast: Season 2 | |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Jewel Robertson | Episode: "The Ol' Ball and Chain" & "Mother's Day" |
| 1994–95 | My So-Called Life | Abyssinia Churchill | Episode: "Self-Esteem" & "Betrayal" |
| 1995 | Me and the Boys | Janet | Recurring Cast |
| Chicago Hope | Jennifer Koosman | Episode: "Hello Goodbye" | |
| The Parent 'Hood | Nina | Episode: "Track Dreams" | |
| Too Something | - | Episode: "Meter Feeders" | |
| 1996 | The Home Court | Leslie | Episode: "Laborer of Love" |
| Living Single | Shayla | Episode: "Woman to Woman" | |
| Dave's World | Natalie | Episode: "Do You Want To Know A Secret?" | |
| 1996–2000 | Malcolm & Eddie | Nicolette Vandross | Main Cast |
| 2000 | Seven Days | Tracy Donovan | Episode: "Mr Donovan's Neighborhood" |
| 2001 | Strong Medicine | Constance 'Connie' MacRane | Episode: "Relief" |
| 2001–05 | The Proud Family | Dijonay Jones (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2002 | Jeremiah | Rickie | Episode: "City of Roses" |
| 2003 | The Shield | Dez' Girlfriend | Episode: "Barnstormers" |
| 2004 | Boston Public | Sonia Williamson | Episode: "Chapter Seventy-Eight" |
| 2005 | The Bernie Mac Show | Denise | Episode: "The Big Payback" |
| 2007 | Random! Cartoons | Mindy 500 (voice) | Episode: "Hero Heights" |
| 2012 | Suits | Doris Miller | Episode: "The Choice" |
| 2013 | Golden Boy | Lydia Lent | Episode: "Vicious Cycle" |
| Southland | Irene | Episode: "Heroes" | |
| 2014 | The Mentalist | Elsie Graham | Episode: "Black Helicopters" |
| How to Get Away with Murder | Carla | Episode: "Let's Go Scooping" | |
| 2015 | I Didn't Do It | Betty LeBow | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2016 | Mike & Molly | Paula | Episode: "The Adoption Option" |
| Veep | Kimberly | Episode: "C**tgate" | |
| Shameless | Sylvie Prum | Episode: "Home Sweet Homeless Shelter" | |
| The Middle | Mrs. Roberts | Episode: "Look Who's Not Talking" | |
| 2016–18 | Animal Kingdom | Dina | Guest Cast: Season 1-3 |
| 2017 | Snowfall | Doris Perkins | Episode: "Make Them Birds Fly" |
| 2018 | Kidding | Latrice | Episode: "Philliam" |
| Raven's Home | Loretta | Episode: "Keepin' It Real" | |
| 2019 | Lodge 49 | Trish | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2019–20 | Better Things | Debra | Guest Cast: Season 3-4 |
| 2020 | Cherish the Day | Samantha | Episode: "Genesis" |
| Mom | Natalie | Recurring Cast: Season 7 | |
| 2021 | 9-1-1 | Avery Webber | Episode: "First Responders" |
| The Zip Code Plays: Los Angeles | LaShae Fair | Episode: "91331: Pacoima – Gold & Shine" | |
| 2022 | Shirley Hughes | Recurring Cast | |
| Chibiverse | Dijonay Jones (voice) | Episode: "The Great Chibi Mix-Up!" | |
| 2022–present | Bruh | Hilda | Recurring Cast: Season 3 |
| Dijonay Jones (voice) | Main Cast | ||
| 2023 | The Kick of Destiny | Agent | Episode: "Agent" |
| Young Sheldon | Officer Larson | Episode: "A Stolen Truck and Going on the Lam" |