Bio
Terri J. Vaughn is an American actress best known for her roles as Lovita Alizee Jenkins, the love interest of Cedric Robinson, on The Steve Harvey Show (1997-2002), and as Jonelle Abrahams on the sitcom All of Us, from 2003-2005.
Vaughn was chosen "Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" in the 2001 NAACP Image Awards.
Vaughn grew up in a housing project in San Francisco and was determined to attend college. She had accomplished her dream – as an advertising major at California State University/Hayward, with one semester before graduation – when fate stepped in.
A friend was recruiting contestants for the Miss Black California Pageant and Vaughn signed up as a lark. Her talent portion? A dramatic reading. To Vaughn's surprise, she made it to the finals, which were held in Los Angeles.
The finals competition held another surprise for Vaughn. Among the pageant judges was a producer who was casting for the national touring company of the play Tellin' It Like It Tiz. Impressed with the young woman's performance, he invited Vaughn to audition and she landed a leading role.
Vaughn chose to leave college and tour with the production for two years. Following that experience, she moved to Los Angeles and began to study the craft of acting while pursuing a professional career.
Her film credits include the comedy Don't Be a Menace to South Central while Drinking Your Juice in the 'hood, Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag and Friday. She has also appeared in several Roger Corman features, such as Black Scorpion, Black Scorpion II and Carnosaur III.
On television, Vaughn also had a recurring role on Family Matters and has been a guest star on the series Living Single, Girlfriends, Married... with Children, ER, NYPD Blue and Sinbad.