Cherie Johnson
Johnson in 2010
Born	(1975-11-21)November 21, 1975 (age 49)[1] Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupations	Actress writer film producer author
Years active	1984–present
Children	2

Cherie Johnson (born November 21, 1975)^[1] is anAmerican actress, writer, film producer, and author. She is known for her roles onPunky Brewster as Punky's best friend Cherie andFamily Matters, where she playedLaura Winslow's best friend Maxine Johnson for eight seasons (1990–1998).

In 2009, she wrote, starred in, and produced the independent filmI Do... I Did!, playing Vivian. Johnson has so far produced eight films.^{[2][non-primary source needed]} In 2010, she made writer debut when she released her bookAround The World Twice. In 2011, she released her second, writing,Two Different Walks Of Life A Celebrity and Average Housewife. Her third novelPeaches and Cream is available. Her bookStupid Guys Diary was released in August 2013.

Born inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, Johnson is of mixed African-American and Puerto Rican heritage. Johnson's beginnings in show business are attributed to her maternal uncle, David W. Duclon,^[3] a successful screenwriter and TV producer, who was known for his work onHappy Days in the 1970s. Duclon encouraged his niece's desire to act, and secured her an audition. In 1984, after two seasons as executive producer ofNBC'sSilver Spoons, Duclon successfully pitched a new pilot to the network about an orphaned young girl who is taken in by a curmudgeonly older man. The concept won the approval of NBC programming chiefBrandon Tartikoff, who named the titular character, and series,Punky Brewster (after a girl he had known in his youth). Johnson was cast by NBC in the role of Punky's (Soleil Moon Frye) best friend, the character modeled and named after herself.Punky Brewster was an immediate success among young audiences, and Johnson continued as the fictional Cherie throughout the series' run (1984–86 on NBC, and 1987–88 in first-run syndication).

In 1990, Johnson began playing Maxine "Max" Johnson, the best friend of Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams) onFamily Matters, appearing in the recurring role until the series' end in 1998. Duclon was again her employer, as he served as one of the executive producers ofFamily Matters during Johnson's run on the show. In addition to her starring roles, Johnson has made guest appearances onThe Parkers, and voiced a guest role on the Disney Channel animated seriesThe Proud Family. She has also appeared onDays of Our Lives. In the early 2000s, Johnson began producing films. In 2009, she wrote, starred in, and produced the filmI Do... I Did!. In 2010, she starred in many filmsLights Out,Nobody Smiling andGuardian of Eden. She then signed on to appear in the romantic filmFanaddict, which was shot in 2011 and is slated for release later in 2013.

In 2020, NBC confirmed a 10-episoderevival ofPunky Brewster on its Peacock streaming service. Soleil Moon Frye and Johnson reprised their roles.^[4]

Her first novel,Around The World Twice, was released August 10, 2010. On April 14, 2011, Johnson also released a poetry book with herI Do...I Did! co-writer, entitledTwo Different Walks of Life. Her second novel wasPeaches and Cream, and her book of diary entriesStupid Guys Diary was released August 2014 .Little Cherie Dresses Herself, a children's book, was released 2016. Writing has become Johnson's second career choice; she is also the assistant editor ofFever magazine and was formerly the executive director forDimez magazine, and was contributing writer forTemptation magazine andGlam Couture magazine, where she did a monthly article titled "Cherie Picking". In 2016, she accepted a position atFever magazine.^{[citation needed]}

Johnson joined Shadow Play Entertainment's literacy campaign, called "Take Time to Read", as the national spokesperson, sharing her thoughts on why reading is so important no matter what career people choose. She has said that her favorite artists arePrince andDr. Dre.^[5] Johnson has also explained that she is a big sports fanatic; her favorite team is thePittsburgh Steelers, and she is a fan of formerNBA playerPaul Pierce.^[2][5] During an interview, Johnson described herself as somewhat of a nerd and a homebody and that she loves to read, write, paint, eat and travel. She also explained she doesn't watch any TV or many movies, but she loves music and her family.^[2] She has also stated she is somewhat of a "Twitter-holic" and is often tweeting.

Johnson spends her free time working with many children's charities, and she is also on theAlzheimer's Association board.^[2]

• 2010:Around the World Twice^[2][6]
• 2011:Two Different Walks of Life: "A Celebrity and Average Housewife"^[7]
• 2012: August 7 novelPeaches & Cream^[5]
• 2013: "Stupid Guys Diary"
• 2018: "Lil Cherie Dresse's Herself"

Wikimedia Commons has media related toCherie Johnson.

• Cherie Johnson atIMDb
• Cherie Johnson's channel onYouTube
• Cherie Johnson onTwitter

• 1975 births
• Living people
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actresses from Pittsburgh
• African-American child actresses
• American actresses of Puerto Rican descent
• American child actresses
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• American voice actresses

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