Karen Malina White, born and raised in Philadelphia, graduated from the High School for Creative & Performing Arts and then furthered her acting studies at Howard University receiving a B.F.A. in drama with cum laude honors. In her senior year, Karen became Miss Howard University and moves to New York where she lands the coveted role of Kaneesha Carter opposite Morgan Freeman in the film Lean On Me.
Karen would again catch audiences’ attention when she took on the role of Charmaine Brown on NBC’s “The Cosby Show” in 1989, and would continue to get mileage out of the role playing it again on “A Different World,” a spin-off of the popular comedy series.
White went on to make many unforgettable recurring appearances on NBC’s “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” FOX’s “Roc,” ABC’s “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper,” NBC’s “Parenthood” and in the cult favorite, ABC’s “My So-Called Life” opposite Claire Danes.
White’s undeniable talent was so evident, she was asked to join the cast of UPN’s “Malcolm and Eddie” without auditioning.
It has been a busy year and a half for White. In addition to her major recurring role for Netflix’s “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” she reprised her series regular role on Disney+’s “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.” Additionally, she shot 13 episodes of Tyler Perry's “Bruh.”
Other series regular credits include UPN’s “Malcolm & Eddie,” NBC’s “A Different World,” NBC’s “The Cosby Show,” Disney +’s “The Proud Family.”
White also has recurred on TNT’s “Animal Kingdom,” Showtine’s “Shameless,” FX’s “Snowfall,” Showtime’s “Kidding,” FX’s “Better Things” and AMC’s “Lodge 49,” with guest star credits including CBS’s “Mom,” ABC’s “The Middle,” “How To Get Away with Murder,” CBS’s “Mike & Molly” and “The Mentalist.”
