Erika Rose Alexander (born November 19, 1969) is an American actress, writer, producer, entrepreneur and activist best known for her roles as Pam Tucker on the NBC sitcom The Cosby Show (1990–1992), and Maxine Shaw on the Fox sitcom Living Single (1993–1998). She has won numerous awards for her work on Living Single, including two NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. Her film credits include The Long Walk Home (1990), 30 Years to Life (2001), Déjà Vu (2006), Get Out (2017), American Refugee (2021), Earth Mama (2023) and American Fiction (2023), for which she received Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Performance nomination.

Filmography

• 2026Is God Is — Divine
• The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins — Monica Reese-Dinkins
• 2025The Addiction of Hope
• 2023American Fiction — Coraline
• 2023Earth Mama — Miss Carmen
• 2023Wildflower — Mary
• Shining Girls — Abby
• 2022The Big Payback — Director, Producer
• 2021American Refugee — Helen Taylor
• Invasion — Verna
• Run the World — Barb
• 2020John Lewis: Good Trouble — Producer
• 2019I See You — Lieutenant Davis
• Wu-Tang: An American Saga — Linda Diggs
• Black Lightning — Perenna
• 2017Brave New Jersey — Helen Holbrook
• 2017Get Out — Detective Latoya
• Insecure — Yolanda
• Recovery Road — Trish's Mother
• Bosch — Connie Irving
• 2015Secrets of the Magic City — Ms. Fletcher
• 2014Elsa & Fred — Laverne
• NCIS: New Orleans — Louanne Bates
• Last Man Standing — Carol
• Suburgatory — Gloria
• Suits — Sarah Leighton
• 2009La Mission — Lena
• In Plain Sight — Theresa Simmons
• 2006Déjà Vu — Shanti
• Heist — Saundra Johnson
• In Justice — Alyssa Hill
• Criminal Minds — Lynne Henderson
• Grey's Anatomy — Johanna McKay
• Numb3rs — U.S. Marshal Tricia Yaegger
• House — Ms. Fields
• LAX — Allison
• 2004Tricks — Laurel
• CSI: Miami — Tanya Thorpe
• 2002Full Frontal — Lucy
• Half & Half — Maxine Shaw
• 2002Love Liza — Brenda
• Street Time — Dee Mulhern
• 2002The Cosby Show: A Look Back — Pam Tucker (archive footage)
• 200130 Years to Life
• The Zeta Project — Agent Rush (voice)
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation — A.D.A. Kirkson
• Judging Amy — Fran Winston
• 1999Knitwits Revisited — Amina (voice), Dialogue
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — Kema Mabuda
• 199854 — Ciel
• Mama Flora's Family — Young Flora
• 7th Heaven — Lynn Miles
• ER — Vatima Abika
• 1994Override — Shawana
• Living Single — Maxine Shaw
• 1992Fathers & Sons — Venell
• Going to Extremes — Cheryl Carter
• 1991He Said, She Said — Rita, Al's Daugther
• 1990Common Ground — Cassandra Twymon
• Law & Order — Doris Carver
• 1990The Last Best Year — Amy
• 1990The Long Walk Home — Selma Cotter
• 1990The Mahabharata — Madri / Hidimbi
• The Mahabharata — Madri / Hidimbi
• George Washington II: The Forging of a Nation — Oney Judge
• 1986My Little Girl — Joan
• The Cosby Show — Pam Tucker

Appearances as themselves (9)

• 2025The Golden Girls: 40 Years of Laughter and Friendship - A Special Edition of 20/20 — Self
• Hollywood Black — Self
• Sherri — Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show — Self - Guest
• 2014We the People: From Crispus Attucks to President Barack Obama — Self
• 2001Toni Braxton: From Toni with Love... The Video Collection — Self
• The Daily Show — Self - Guest
• 20/20 — Self
• The Oscars — Self