Charnele Brown

Karen Charnele Brown (née Dozier; born 1960 (age 31)) is an American actress, producer, writer, fashion designer and singer. She is known for her roles as Paula in the 1992 film How Ya Like Me Now and as Kimberly Reese on NBC comedy sitcom A Different World from 1988 until 1993.

Biography
Born in East Hampton, Brown is a graduate of East Hampton High School. Brown later attended the State University of New York at New Paltz Where she studied acting with other notables, including Aida Turturro.

Brown made her Broadway debut in 1989 as the first American member of the South African musical "Sarafina!" Other stage performances have included the roles of Polly and Delores in "The Trials and Tribulations of Stagger Lee Brown," Ruby in "The Lord's Will," Marty in "Sisters" and Mable in "My Diary." After A Different World ended, Brown guest starred on sitcoms such as Living Single, Martin, and Girlfriends. She made a brief appearance in a movie titled How Ya Like Me Now? that starred Darnell Williams and Salli Richardson.

In 2000, Brown founded The Charnele Brown Acting Academy at Yates High School in Houston, Texas.

Filmography

 * The Cosby Show (1 episode, 1987)
 * How U Like Me Now (1992) as Paula
 * A Different World (122 episodes, 1988–1993) as Kimberly Reese
 * Martin (1 episode, 1993) as Florence
 * Living Single (1 episode, 1994) as Jackie
 * Drop Squad (1994) as Kyra
 * Tendrils (1996)
 * Oliver Beene (1 episode, 2004)
 * Girlfriends (1 episode, 2004) as Beverly
 * My Wife and Kids (1 episode, 2004) as Nurse
 * Bathsheba (2005) as Saul's Daughter
 * City Girls (2007) as Bernice Jackson
 * 5th Ward (1 episode, 2020) as Judge Hunter
 * BKS, Best Kept Secret (2020) as Toni Benwah, also screenwriter
 * Changes (2021) writer and producer
 * Dilemma (2022) as Ms. Jones
 * The Reading (2023) as Oda Brown
 * Where Loyalty Lies (2024) as Capt. Wright