Paula Jai Parker hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where she began her journey towards stardom. In 1987, she made the bold move to Washington, D.C. to pursue her higher education at Howard University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following her academic triumph, she relocated to New York City, where she honed her skills as a comedian, earning a reputation that would eventually land her a spot on the renowned FOX comedy program "The Apollo Comedy Hour" at the iconic Apollo Theater.
As her career continued to flourish, Parker left the show after a successful year to focus on film, taking on memorable roles in the F. Gary Gray urban comedy "Friday" and earning a Cable ACE Award for her outstanding performance in the HBO anthology presentation "Cosmic Slop".
Parker returned to television in 1995, starring alongside Shawn and Marlon Wayans in the WB television series "The Wayans Bros.". Throughout the 1990s, she appeared in a range of shows, including "The Weird Al Show" in 1997 and "Snoops" in 1999, a David E. Kelley production. Between television projects, she appeared in a number of films, including the Million Man March docudrama "Get on the Bus" in 1996, the urban comedy "Sprung" in 1997, the Frankie Lymon biography "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" in 1998, the ensemble comedy "30 Years to Life" in 2001, "Cover", and the comedy-drama "She Hate Me" in 2004.
In 2000, Parker lent her voice to the sophisticated matriarch Trudy Proud in the popular animated series "The Proud Family", which was produced by Disney and gained a positive standing among television critics. Between voice sessions, Parker continued to take supporting roles in films, appearing in "High Crimes" in 2002, "Phone Booth" in 2003, and "Hustle & Flow" in 2005. She also starred in "My Baby's Daddy" and made a guest appearance on the television series "Touched by an Angel". In 2006, Parker starred in the feature film "The Genius Club" for writer/director Tim Chey.
In addition to her film and television work, Parker has also made appearances in music videos, including "I Belong to You" by Rome, "Follow My Lead" by 50 Cent featuring Robin Thicke, and "Girls, Girls, Girls" by Jay-Z, alongside fellow actresses Tamala Jones and Carmen Electra.
In her personal life, Parker married Forrest Martin in 2004, whom she met on the set of "Hustle & Flow". Martin, a writer and producer, had just graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree. The couple has one son together.
Currently, Parker is set to star in a TV One Production, "Hollywood Divas", slated to air later in 2014. Forrest and Paula are also collaborating on several projects, including the TV series "The White Sisters", which they will be working on together.
