Actress Erika Alexander may be best known for her role as Maxine Shaw in the 1990s hit show Living Single, but she is also the star of a new film titled “American Fiction,” writes Rosa Cartagena for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

With a career that has now spanned nearly 40 years, Alexander got her start in the Freedom Theater on Broad Street, where she got a chance to be part of an independent film, called “My Little Girl.”

She played a foster child, a proud one, at that. However, other roles included as a prostitute and a slave.

“I had to find ways to break out of that,” said Alexander.

She did that with her Living Single character, who was a lawyer.

Alexander gives praise to the instructors she had during her time as a student at Philadelphia High School for Girls.

Her time there set the stage for her characters, and the ideology she lives by now, which is the idea that she needed to be successful.

Despite no longer living in Philadelphia, Alexander still has love for the city, and visits often, as she has many relatives living in the city, including her brother, sister-in-law, sister, and nieces.

“Philly’s a fantastic place,” she said. 

Read more about Erika Alexander’s roles and acting career at The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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