Paula Jai Parker (born August 19, 1969)^[1] is an American actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the filmsFriday (1995),Sprung (1997),Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998),Phone Booth (2002),Hustle & Flow (2005), andIdlewild (2006). Parker is also known for her voice role as Trudy Proud in theDisney Channel animated comedy series,The Proud Family (2001–2005), which she reprised in the 2005 television filmThe Proud Family Movie, and its 2022 reboot,The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Born and raised inCleveland, Ohio,^[1] Parker went to Shaker Heights High School but then graduated from Cleveland Heights High School due to racism in Shaker. For college she moved toWashington, D.C. to study atHoward University.^[2] After graduating with a Bachelor ofFine Arts degree, she moved toNew York City and played a number of clubs. From 1992 to 1993, she performed on theFOX comedy programThe Apollo Comedy Hour, filmed live at the legendaryApollo Theater, and later was cast member on the short-lived sketch show,Townsend Television.^[3]

In 1995, Parker made her film debut in theF. Gary Gray urban comedyFriday. In the same year, she earned aCable ACE Award for her role in theHBO anthology presentation,Cosmic Slop.^[4] Later that year, Parker returned to television in theWB sitcom,The Wayans Bros. oppositeShawn andMarlon Wayans. Throughout the 1990s, she appeared in several short-lived shows, includingCBS sitcomThe Weird Al Show (1997), andDavid E. Kelley's ABC comedy-drama,Snoops (1999).^[2]

During the 1990s, Parker had supporting roles in a number of films. She has appeared in the 1995 horror anthologyTales from the Hood,Spike Lee'sMillion Man March dramaGet on the Bus (1996), the urban comedySprung (1997), theJada Pinkett Smith starring romantic comedyWoo (1997), and theFrankie Lymon biography,Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1998). In the early 2000s, Parker co-starred in30 Years to Life,High Crimes,Phone Booth, andMy Baby's Daddy.^[2] In 2004, she played a role in the comedy-drama,She Hate Me, and appeared asRuth Brown in biographical filmRay. Her breakthrough was in the 2005 independent dramaHustle & Flow starringTerrence Howard. She later was cast opposite Howard in musical filmIdlewild (2006).^[5]

From 2001 to 2005, Parker voiced the matriarch Trudy Proud in theDisney Channel animated comedy series,The Proud Family^[6] and its 2005 filmThe Proud Family Movie. She also played the iutstanding role ofBillie Holiday on the episode ofTouched by an Angel in 2000, and later guest-starred onThe Shield,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,My Name Is Earl, andThe Mentalist. She co-starred in the 2007 thriller filmCover starringAunjanue Ellis, and in later years worked in low-profile independent movies.^[5]

From 2013 to 2014, Parker had a recurring role in theHBO seriesTrue Blood during the show's seventh and final season. In 2014, she was cast as one of five leads on theTV One reality series,Hollywood Divas.^[7] In 2015, Parker was cast in the recurring roles on theAmazon dramaHand of God, as well asFreeform series,Recovery Road.^[8] In August 2016, she released anextended play album entitled "Paula Jai & Friends", which featured the single "Going Down".

Parker married Forrest Martin in 2004. The couple met on the set ofHustle & Flow, where Forrest, who had just graduated with a Master of Fine Arts, was working as an intern.^[9] She almost passed on shooting the critically acclaimed movie and only took the part at the urging of her manager.^[10] They have one son.^[11]

• Paula Jai & Friends (2016)

• Paula Jai Parker atIMDb

• Living people
• 1969 births
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses
• Actors from Shaker Heights, Ohio
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• American voice actresses
• American web series actresses
• Comedians from Ohio
• Howard University alumni
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• Comedians from Cleveland

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