Golden Brooks

Golden Ameda Brooks (born December 1, 1970) is an American actress. She began her career with starring role in the Showtime comedy series, Linc's (1998–2000), and later has appeared in films Timecode (2000) and Impostor (2001).

Golden Brooks
Left to right: Mara Brock Akil with Persia White, Brooks, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Jill Marie Jones in 2013
Born
Golden Ameda Brooks

(1970-12-01) December 1, 1970
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley Sarah Lawrence College
OccupationActress
Years active1993–present
Partner(s)D.B. Woodside
(2006–10)
Children1

From 2000 to 2008, Brooks starred as Maya Wilkes in the UPN/The CW comedy series, Girlfriends for which she received two NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series nominations. She also has appeared in films Motives (2004), Beauty Shop (2005), Something New (2006) and The Darkest Minds (2018). In 2019, Brooks received critical acclaim for her performance in the TNT limited drama series I Am the Night.

Early life

Brooks was born in San Francisco, California.[1] Brooks is also a classically trained dancer. She studied and taught ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Brooks studied literature and sociology and is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she majored in Media Representation of Minorities with a minor in Theater. Brooks earned a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College.[1]

Career

In her early career, Brooks was active in the Rodney Theater Company.[1] On television, she has appeared on The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Promised Land, Linc's, and The Jamie Foxx Show as a girl named Nancy, whom Jamie confuses with Fancy. Brooks also appeared in a number of films, like Hell's Kitchen, Timecode, and Impostor.[2] From 1998 to 2000, she starred alongside Pam Grier in the Showtime comedy series, Linc's.

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 sitcom Girlfriends, in which she starred alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Persia White and Jill Marie Jones from 2000 to 2008.[3] In 2001, she appeared in an episode of Moesha, portraying Maya Wilkes. Brooks also directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough,"[4] and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back,"[5] which featured guest star Erykah Badu. The character of Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, however, in reality, Brooks is actually the eldest of the four actors. For her performance in Girlfriends, Brooks received BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2004, and well as two nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 and 2008.

Brooks has won Black Reel Awards for 2004 film Motives, co-starring with Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore. She also has starred in Beauty Shop (2005) and Something New (2006). In 2008, Brooks was cast as Kim Kaswell in the Lifetime comedy-drama pilot Drop Dead Diva,[6][7] but later was replaced by Kate Levering. In 2011, she starred in the independent film The Inheritance.[8] In 2012, Brooks joined the cast of Hart of Dixie in season 2 playing Ruby Jeffries, Mayor Lavon Hayes' ex-girlfriend from high school, who runs against him for mayor. In 2014, Brooks stars as one of five leads on the TV One reality series, Hollywood Divas.[9][10]

In 2015, Brooks was cast in a recurring role of Patrick Stewart's lead character's ex-wife in the Starz comedy series, Blunt Talk.[11][12] In 2016, she was cast in a series regular role opposite Damon Wayans Sr. in the Fox pilot Lethal Weapon.[13] Brooks was fired from Lethal Weapon after the project's table read, and Keesha Sharp, her Girlfriends co-star, later replaced her in role.[14]

In 2017, Brooks was cast as lead character's mother in The Darkest Minds, a young adult dystopian thriller directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson.[15][16] She also was cast in the Paramount Network drama series Yellowstone starring Kevin Costner.[17] Later she was cast in the series regular role on the TNT drama series I Am the Night directed by Patty Jenkins, playing mother of the lead character.[18][19] She received critical acclaim for her performance in I Am the Night.[20] "Golden Brooks elevating every scene she's in", said Daniel Fienberg in his review for The Hollywood Reporter.[21] In 2019, she reunited with her Girlfriends co-stars Tracee Ellis Ross, Jill Marie Jones and Persia White in the episode of ABC comedy series Black-ish.[22][23]

Personal life

Brooks has a daughter with her former boyfriend D. B. Woodside, Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, born on September 1, 2009.[24][25]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Drive by: A Love Story Young Tuli Short film
1998 Hell's Kitchen Gold
1998 Zero Stress The Dancer
2000 Timecode Onyx Richardson
2001 Asylum Angela Short film
2001 Impostor Cale's Sister
2004 Motives Allannah James Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Actress in the Independent Film
2005 Beauty Shop Chanel
2006 Something New Suzette
2008 A Good Man Is Hard to Find Rachel
2010 Polish Bar Ebony
2011 The Mudman Mother
2011 The Inheritance Karen American Black Film Festival Award for Best Actress
2011 The Perfect Gift Sandra Harris
2012 A Beautiful Soul Anita Stevens
2012 In Sickness and in Health Hope Television film
2012 The Great Divide Kim
2015 The White Sistas Stone White Also producer
2015 My B.F.F. Sharice Brown
2016 Supermodel Patricia Gillard
2016 Definitely Divorcing Tonisha
2017 He Watches Over Me Jasmine
2017 Almost Amazing Wendy
2018 The Darkest Minds Molly Daly

Television
Year Title Role Notes
1993 The Adventures of Pete & Pete Heather Episode: "Crisis in the Love Zone"
1999 Promised Land Erica Sims Episode: "Leaving the Life"
1998–2000 Linc's CeCe Jennings Series regular, 35 episodes
2000 The Parkers Chris Episode: "Since I Lost My Baby"
2000 The Jamie Foxx Show Nancy Episode: "Double or Nothing"
2001 Moesha Maya Wilkes Episode: "That's My Mama"
2002 Haunted Rachel Landry Episode: "Abby"
2004 Star Trek: Enterprise Alicia Travers Episodes: "Storm Front: Part 1" and "Storm Front: Part 2"
2005 Eve LaDonna Episode: "Testing Testing HIV"
2000–2008 Girlfriends Maya Denise Wilkes Series regular, 172 episodes
BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2004)
Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (2003, 2008)
2008 CSI: Miami Pam Dashell Episode: "And How Does That Make You Kill?"
2011 The Exes Bree Miller Episode: "Pilot"
2012–2013 Hart of Dixie Ruby Jeffries Recurring role, 11 episodes
2014–2016 Hollywood Divas Herself TV One reality series
2015-2016 Blunt Talk Vivian Recurring role, 5 episodes
2019 I Am the Night Jimmy Lee Series regular
Black-ish Malika Episode: "Feminisn't"
gollark: No, it causates correlation.
gollark: Correlation → causation, actually.
gollark: I use a trackpad because I have not bothered to buy a mouse ever.
gollark: ↑ fear
gollark: https://nitter.net/pic/media%2FFMOHDdyUYAMLw9B.jpg%3Fname%3Dsmall

References
  1. "Golden Brooks Biography". Buddytv.com. 1970-12-01. Archived from the original on 2016-08-26. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  2. "Golden Brooks Credits". Tvguide.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  3. "Golden Brooks | Movies and Biography - Yahoo Movies". Movies.yahoo.com. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  4. "Hustle & Dough". IMDb.
  5. "Snap Back". IMDb.
  6. "Lifetime pilot adds two". IMDb.
  7. "Breaking News - Development Update: Thursday, August 7". TheFutonCritic.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  8. "Golden Brooks Gets Scary!? The Inheritance, Career Moves and More! Exclusive Interview!". UrbLife.com. April 11, 2011.
  9. Tambay A. Obenson (16 May 2014). "TV One Expands 'Diva' Franchise w/ Launch of 'Hollywood D - Shadow and Act". Shadow and Act. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  10. "Golden Brooks Talks 'Hollywood Divas' Drama - The Michigan Chronicle". The Michigan Chronicle. 8 October 2014.
  11. Denise Petski. "Ed Begley Jr., Sharon Lawrence & More Join Seth MacFarlane's 'Blunt Talk' - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  12. Elizabeth Wagmeister. "'Blunt Talk': Elisabeth Shue & Jason Schwartzman to Guest Star on Starz Comedy - Variety". Variety. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  13. Nellie Andreeva. "'Lethal Weapon' Fox Pilot: Golden Brooks Cast As Trish - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  14. Nellie Andreeva. "Lethal Weapon' Fox Pilot: Keesha Sharp Replaces Golden Brooks In Recasting - Deadline". Deadline. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  15. McNary, Dave (4 April 2017). "Golden Brooks Joins Amandla Stenberg's Dystopian Thriller 'Darkest Minds' (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  16. N'Duka, Amanda (4 April 2017). "'Mission: Impossible 6' Adds Frederick Schmidt; Golden Brooks Cast In 'The Darkest Minds'". Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  17. Otterson, Joe (10 August 2017). "Paramount Network's 'Yellowstone' Casts 'Girlfriends' Alum Golden Brooks (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  18. Petski, Denise (13 October 2017). "'One Day She'll Darken': India Eisley, Jefferson Mays Set As Leads; Five More Cast In TNT Series". Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  19. Otterson, Joe (13 October 2017). "TNT's 'One Day She'll Darken' Casts Seven to Star Alongside Chris Pine, Including 'Training Day' Alum". Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  20. GOLDEN, KARRIS. "Drama points out complicated history of church adoptions". Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  21. "'I Am the Night': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  22. Ramos, Dino-Ray (September 16, 2019). "ABC Reunites Cast Members From TV And Film With "Cast From The Past" Week".
  23. "Tracee Ellis Ross to Reunite With 'Girlfriends' Cast on 'Black-ish'". September 12, 2019.
  24. "It'S A Baby Girl For Actors Golden Brooks And D.B. Woodside » Black Celebrity Kids". Blackcelebkids.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-16. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  25. Michaud, Sarah (2014-03-31). "Golden Brooks, D.B. Woodside Welcome a Daughter - Babies, D.B. Woodside, Golden Brooks". People.com. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
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