Erika Alexander Net Worth: How Much Is The Living Single Star Worth?

May 2024 · 7 minute read

Erika Alexander is a talented and versatile actress, writer, producer, and activist who has been in the entertainment industry for more than three decades. She is best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on The Cosby Show and Maxine Shaw on Living Single, two of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s. She has also appeared in several films, such as The Long Walk Home, Get Out, and John Lewis: Good Trouble, as well as numerous television shows, such as In Plain Sight, Black Lightning, and Wu-Tang: An American Saga. In addition to her acting career, Erika is also a co-founder of Color Farm Media, a media company that aims to bring more diversity and inclusion to the screen. She is also a co-writer of graphic novels, such as Concrete Park and Giles, and a co-director of a documentary film about reparations and racial equity. With such a prolific and impressive resume, how much is Erika Alexander worth? According to Celebrity Net Worth, Erika Alexander has a net worth of $3 million as of 2023. Here is a breakdown of how she earned her fortune and what she spends it on.

Early Life and Career Breakthrough

Erika Alexander was born on November 19, 1969, in Winslow, Arizona. She is one of six children born to Robert and Sammie Alexander, a school teacher and a children’s book author. Erika grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, until the age of 11, when her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Girls and studied acting at the New Freedom Theatre. She was discovered by independent film company Merchant Ivory when she was 14 years old and landed her first film role in My Little Girl (1986), alongside Jennifer Lopez and James Earl Jones. She also appeared in the TV movie George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation (1986) and the ABC Afterschool Special Teen Father (1986). In 1989, she played Hidimbi/Madri in Peter Brook’s nine-hour epic play adaptation of The Mahabharata. In 1990, she starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg and Sissy Spacek in the civil rights drama film The Long Walk Homeand with Mary Tyler Moore and Bernadette Peters in the TV movie The Last Best Year. She also guest-starred on Law & Order that year.

Erika’s career breakthrough came when she was cast as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show starring Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad. She joined the show in 1990 as a cousin of the Huxtable family who moved in with them after her parents divorced. She appeared in 22 episodes of the show until its finale in 1992. Her role as Pam earned her positive reviews from critics and fans alike, as well as recognition from the NAACP Image Awards.

Living Single and Beyond

After The Cosby Show ended, Erika starred in another sitcom, Going to Extremes, which aired on ABC from 1992 to 1993. The show followed a group of American students at a medical school on a fictional Caribbean island named Jantique. Erika played Cheryl Carter, one of the students who had a passion for social justice. However, the show was canceled after one season due to low ratings.

In 1993, Erika landed her most iconic role to date: Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom Living Single. The show centered on four African-American women living together in Brooklyn, New York: Khadijah James (Queen Latifah), Synclaire James-Jones (Kim Coles), Regine Hunter (Kim Fields), and Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander). Erika’s character was a successful lawyer who was outspoken, sarcastic, and independent. She often clashed with her neighbor Kyle Barker (T.C. Carson), who was also her on-and-off love interest. Living Single was a huge hit among audiences, especially African-American women who related to the characters and their stories. The show ran for five seasons from 1993 to 1998 and won several awards, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Erika in 1996 and 1998.

After Living Single ended, Erika continued to work in film and television. She starred alongside Cicely Tyson as Young Flora in the CBS miniseries Mama Flora’s Family (1998), based on a novel by Alex Haley. She also appeared in the drama film 54 (1998), which depicted the rise and fall of the famous New York nightclub Studio 54. She had guest roles on shows such as ER, NYPD Blue, The Steve Harvey Show, and Soul Food. In 2001, she starred in the comedy film 30 Years to Life, which followed six friends who faced a midlife crisis on their 30th birthday. She also played a supporting role in the drama film Love Liza (2002), starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates.

In 2002, Erika joined the cast of the Showtime drama series Street Time, which focused on the lives of parolees and parole officers. She played Dee Mulhern, a parole officer who had a complicated relationship with her ex-husband, a former drug dealer. She was a regular on the show for two seasons until it was canceled in 2003. She then had recurring roles on shows such as Judging Amy, Half & Half, and CSI: Miami. In 2006, she co-starred with Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer in the sci-fi thriller film Déjà Vu, directed by Tony Scott. She played Shanti, a member of an FBI team that used a time-travel device to investigate a terrorist attack.

In 2010, Erika appeared in the USA Network crime drama series In Plain Sight, playing Sandra Faber, a witness who was relocated to New Mexico after testifying against her husband, a corrupt politician. She also had guest roles on shows such as Criminal Minds, Suits, and Suburgatory. From 2012 to 2015, she recurred on the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing, starring Tim Allen and Nancy Travis. She played Carol Larabee, the wife of Chuck Larabee (Jonathan Adams), who was a friend and neighbor of Allen’s character Mike Baxter. In 2013, she co-starred with Mark Strong and Lennie James in the AMC crime drama series Low Winter Sun, which was based on a British miniseries of the same name. She played Louise Cullen, a Detroit reporter who investigated a murder case involving two police officers.

In 2016, Erika joined the cast of the Amazon Prime Video drama series Bosch, based on the novels by Michael Connelly. She played Connie Irving, the wife of Deputy Chief Irvin Irving (Lance Reddick), who was involved in a political scandal. She was a regular on the show for two seasons until her character was killed off in 2017. That same year, she played Detective Latoya in the horror film Get Out, written and directed by Jordan Peele. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Erika’s role as Latoya was praised by critics and fans for being one of the few characters who tried to help the protagonist Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) escape from his girlfriend’s family.

In 2018, Erika appeared in two HBO comedy series: Insecure and Silicon Valley. She played Sharon Jeffries, a therapist who counseled Issa (Issa Rae) and Lawrence (Jay Ellis), on Insecure, and Maximo Reyes, an entrepreneur who pitched his app to Richard (Thomas Middleditch) and his team, on Silicon Valley. She also joined the cast of The CW superhero series Black Lightning, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. She played Perenna, a telepathic therapist who helped Jennifer Pierce (China Anne McClain) control her powers. She recurred on the show for two seasons until 2019.

In 2019, Erika co-starred with Ashton Sanders and Shameik Moore in the Hulu drama series Wu-Tang: An American Saga, which chronicled the formation of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan. She played Linda Diggs, the mother of RZA (Sanders) and Divine (Moore), who struggled to raise her sons amid poverty and violence. The show was renewed for a second season in 2020. Erika also produced and narrated John Lewis: Good Trouble, a documentary film about the life and legacy of Congressman John Lewis, a civil rights icon who passed away in 2020. The film was released by Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, and CNN Films in July 2020.

In 2021, Erika began starring in two new comedy series: Run The World on Starz and Swimming with Sharks on Quibi. Run The World follows four Black women who are best friends living in Harlem, New York. Erika plays Barb Coley-Smith, an English professor who is married to an older man. Swimming with Sharks is a satirical adaptation of the 1994

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