Early life

Brooks was born in San Francisco, California. As a child, she competed as a figure skater and won several trophies. Brooks is also a classically trained dancer. She studied and taught ballet, jazz, and modern dance. Brooks studied literature and sociology and is a graduate of UC Berkeley where she majored in Media Representation of Minorities with a minor in Theater. Brooks earned a Masters degree from Sarah Lawrence College.

Career

In her early career, Brooks was active in the Rodney Theater Company. On television, she has appeared on The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Promised Land, Linc's, and The Jamie Foxx Show as a girl named Nancy, whom Jamie confuses with Fancy. Brooks also appeared in a number of films, like Hell's Kitchen, Timecode, and Impostor. From 1998 to 2000, she starred alongside Pam Grier in the Showtime comedy series, Linc's.

Brooks is best known for her portrayal of the character Maya Wilkes, Joan's former sharp-tongued secretary and now acclaimed author, on the CW sitcom Girlfriends, in which she starred alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, Persia White and Jill Marie Jones from 2000 to 2008. In 2001, she appeared in an episode of Moesha, portraying Maya Wilkes. Brooks also directed the 2006 episode titled "Hustle & Dough," and wrote the 2007 episode titled "Snap Back," which featured guest star Erykah Badu. The character of Maya is portrayed to be several years younger than the other characters Joan, Toni, and Lynn, however, in reality, Brooks is actually the eldest of the four actors. For her performance in Girlfriends, Brooks received BET Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2004, and well as two nominations for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 and 2008.

Brooks has won Black Reel Awards for 2004 film Motives, co-starring with Vivica A. Fox and Shemar Moore. She also has starred in Beauty Shop (2005) and Something New (2006). In 2008, Brooks was cast as Kim Kaswell in the Lifetime comedy-drama pilot Drop Dead Diva, but later was replaced by Kate Levering. In 2011, she starred in the independent film The Inheritance. In 2012, Brooks joined the cast of Hart of Dixie in season 2 playing Ruby Jeffries, Mayor Lavon Hayes' ex-girlfriend from high school, who runs against him for mayor. She is good friends with the title character Zoe Hart and a rival of southern belle Lemon Breeland. In 2014, Brooks stars as one of five leads on the TV One reality series, Hollywood Divas.

In 2015, Brooks was cast in a recurring role of Patrick Stewart's lead character's ex-wife in the Starz comedy series, Blunt Talk. In 2016, she was cast in a series regular role opposite Damon Wayans Sr. in the Fox pilot Lethal Weapon.Brooks left Lethal Weapon after the project’s table read, and Keesha Sharp, her Girlfriends co-star, later replaced her in role.

Personal life

Brooks has a daughter with her former boyfriend D.B. Woodside, Dakota Tao Brooks-Woodside, born on September 1, 2009.

Filmography

Film

Television