Tamala Jones
(Lanie Parish)

Tamala Jones has created a varied career based on her prodigious talent, working steadily in comedic and dramatic projects for both film and television. At 20 she made her feature film debut in How to Make an American Quilt as the great-grandmother of Maya Angelou's character. That same year she racked up television roles in The Wayans Bros., The Parent 'Hood and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, as well as a recurring role as Joanie on ER. From there she joined the regular cast of the ABC drama Dangerous Minds, which gave her a chance to show her dramatic chops as a teenage mother facing parenthood and an abusive spouse.

In 1997 Jones landed a supporting role in the popular comedy Booty Call and a recurring turn on Veronica's Closet. She was next featured in the teen comedy Can't Hardly Wait. That same year she was cast in a more grown-up role as a divorcee on For Your Love, showcasing a winning combination of irreverent moxie and surprising sweetness.

Jones was featured in both the romantic drama The Wood and the action comedy Blue Streak, then was seen in the musical drama Turn it Up and the comedies The Ladies Man and Next Friday. On television she amassed credits that included a turn as Lucille of rock song fame in the biopic Little Richard. In 2001 she renewed her focus on the big screen in supporting roles in the African-American ensemble features The Brothers and Kingdom Come, which gave her the opportunity to create characters while working alongside more experienced performers. Later that year Jones was one of the women being schooled in the management of men by Vivica A. Fox's savvy but stumped character in the comedy, Two Can Play That Game, and in On the Line she had a turn as an ambitious and controlling advertising executive who clashes with the idealistic hero, portrayed by *NSYNC's Lance Bass. In 2003 she worked opposite Chris Rock in Head of State and had a co-starring role as the wife of Traci Morgan in the self titled Traci Morgan Show.

Since then, Jones has co-produced an independent movie, Nora's Hair Salon, and starred in several more films, two of which were Daddy Day Camp, with Cuba Gooding Jr., and Janky Promoters, opposite Mike Epps. In late 2009 she appeared on the big screen in the Oscar-nominated feature Up in the Air, with George Clooney. In 2010 she completed post production on another independent film she co-produced entitled 35 and Ticking, in which she also stars alongside Nicole Ari Parker, Keith Robinson and Wendy Raquel Robinson.