Ajai Sanders (born Angela Marrine Wilson; October 1, 1967), is an American actress and

stand-up comedian Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage and delivers humorous and satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical acts. These performances are typically composed of rehear ...

, best known for her supporting role as Gina Deveaux in the sitcom ''

A Different World ''A Different World'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' The Cosby Show''. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, to July 9, 1993. The series originally centered on Denise Huxtable ( Lisa Bonet) an ...

'' from 1991 until the series original ending in 1993.

Biography

Born Angela Marie Wilson, Sanders grew up in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. She attended Hillcrest High School, graduating in 1985. Sanders moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and began working as a stand-up comic; eventually this work led to what initially was to be a one-time role on ''A Different World''. The guest role was expanded after director

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an Emmy Award ...

proved impressed by the qualities Sanders brought to the character, whose appearances were expanded to five that season and 18 the following season, after which she was added to the show's opening credits.Ken Parish Perkins. "Ajai Sanders stands up to any naysayers," ''The Dallas Morning News'', May 19, 1992. Sanders has made guest appearances on the

sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

s ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

'', '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'', ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz that aired on NBC from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart ...

'', ''

The Parent 'Hood ''The Parent 'Hood'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 18, 1995, to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas. Originally to be titled ''Father Knows Nothing'' (a parody of t ...

'', ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

'', ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American television sitcom created by Jamie Foxx and Bentley Kyle Evans for The WB. It premiered on August 28, 1996, and ended on January 14, 2001, with a total of 100 episodes over the course of five seasons. A ...

'', and ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

''. She also guest-starred in a 2001 episode of the Lifetime show, ''

The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. Th ...

''. Sanders had a major role in the independent urban comedy, ''

High Freakquency ''High Freakquency'' is a 1998 comedy directed by Tony Singletary about life at an urban radio station. The film's tagline is ''Where Comedy Is In Heavy Rotation''. Synopsis 24-7 Radio finds itself at the top of the charts, yet all is not well ...

'', in which she was credited by mistake, as Ajai Richards. She had a smaller role in the

Michael Keaton Michael John Douglas (born September 5, 1951), known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Aca ...

Christmas comedy, ''

Jack Frost Jack Frost is a personification of frost, ice, snow, sleet, winter, and freezing cold. He is a variant of Old Man Winter who is held responsible for frosty weather, nipping the fingers and toes in such weather, coloring the foliage in autumn, a ...

'', and also appeared in the 2000 urban independent drama, ''The Playaz Court''. She is currently hosting a talk show called Multiple Personalities with Ajai Sanders on Business Bully TV.

Personal

Sanders has been married once and has no children. In May 2002, Sanders married Micheal Brownlee in Denton, Texas. They later divorced in August 2016.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Ajai 1967 births Living people Actresses from Trenton, New Jersey Comedians from Dallas African-American female comedians African-American comedians Comedians from Trenton, New Jersey American stand-up comedians American women comedians 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses American television actresses American film actresses Hillcrest High School (Dallas) alumni 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people