Erika Alexander

Alexander was born in Winslow, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona until the age of eleven, when she and her family moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is one of six children born to Robert and Sammie Alexander, a school teacher and children's book author. Alexander graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls. After graduating from high school, Alexander enrolled in a six-week acting class at the New Freedom Theatre. During the fifth week, Alexander got a major role in her first movie. Alexander made her film debut appearing in the independent drama My Little Girl in 1986. In 1989, Alexander played the role of Hidimbi in Peter Brook's miniseries adaptation of The Mahabharata. She got her big break starring opposite Whoopi Goldberg in the 1990 civil rights epic drama film The Long Walk Home. Alexander performed in the play The Forbidden City with Gloria Foster, who then talked about her with her friend, Camille Cosby, wife of Bill Cosby. She later was cast as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show starring from 1990 to series finale in 1992. Alexander later went to star in the ABC comedy-drama series Going to Extremes, which centered on a group of American students at a medical school on a fictitious Caribbean island named Jantique. The series was canceled after one season in 1993.