Career
She began her career as an actor in 1985. That year, she featured as ‘Sara’ in the popular American sitcom ‘Diff'rent Strokes.’ She appeared in an episode named ‘Beauty Is in the Eye of Arnold,’ from its seventh season.
Over the next few years, she continued to appear in single episodes of several TV series. These include ‘Charles in Charge’ (1987), ‘The Bronx Zoo’ (1988), ‘Quantum Leap’ (1992), ‘Where I Live’ (1993), ‘Hangin' with Mr. Cooper’ (1995), and ‘Living Single’ (1995). She also featured in the TV movie ‘Divas’ (1995). Meanwhile, this ravishing diva became the winner of the ‘Miss Talented Teen California’ title in 1987.
Her early big-screen pursuits include her appearance in the Robert Townsend-directed musical drama ‘The Five Heartbeats.’ The movie released on March 29, 1991, and garnered moderate commercial success and mixed reviews from critics.
She earned her first regular role in the popular ‘NBC’ soap opera ‘Days of Our Lives.’ The soap evolved as one of the longest-running scripted TV programs across the world. Tamara played the role of ‘Wendy Reardon’ in the series, from 1994 to 1996.
She played ‘Danielle’ in her next film, ‘The Brady Bunch Movie,’ an American comedy that released on February 17, 1995. The Betty Thomas-directed film, starring Shelley Long, Michael McKean, and Gary Cole, opened at the top of the box office and earned $46.6 million in the US and Canada. It later premiered, with additional footage, on ‘NBC’ on November 29, 1997.
Her next notable portrayal was that of ‘Greta McClure’ in the American sitcom ‘Family Matters.’ She appeared in the sixth season of the series ‘My Bodyguard,’ which aired on ‘ABC’ on March 17, 1995. She essayed the role for a total of 13 episodes, till sometime in 1998.
The 1997 comedy ‘The Pest,’ starring John Leguizamo and Jeffrey Jones, featured Tammy in the role of ‘Xantha Kent.’ The film failed to make a mark both critically and commercially.
She portrayed the recurring role of ‘Melissa’ in four of the 22 episodes of the American sitcom ‘Grown Ups,’ which aired on ‘UPN,’ from August 1, 1999, to May 22, 2000. She has played ‘Erika Carter’ in ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ (three episodes, 2000–2001), ‘Lea Robinson’ in ‘Barbershop’ (three episodes, 2005), ‘Ms. Crawford’ in ‘According to Jim’ (three episodes, 2005–2007), ‘Dana Taylor’ in ‘Lincoln Heights’ (five episodes, 2007–2009), ‘Denise’ in ‘Switched at Birth’ (three episodes, 2011), and ‘Karina Lake’ in ‘The Client List’ (four episodes, 2013).
The 2000 comedy ‘Playing Mona Lisa,’ directed by Matthew Huffman, featured her as ‘Alice.’ The film, based on a play by Marni Freedman, had Alicia Witt, Johnny Galecki, Harvey Fierstein, Marlo Thomas, Elliott Gould, Brooke Langton, and Molly Hagan in starring roles.
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The romantic comedy ‘Love Chronicles,’ written and directed by Tyler Maddox-Simms, which released on December 31, 2003, also featured Tammy. The film had Clifton Powell, Terrence Howard, Robin Givens, and LisaRaye McCoy in starring roles.
She then earned the starring role of ‘Pam Gibson,’ a series regular, in the short-lived American sitcom ‘Rock Me, Baby.’ The series, which also had Dan Cortese, Bianca Kajlich, and Carl Anthony Payne II in starring roles, was aired on ‘UPN’ from September 15, 2003, to May 25, 2004.
The American sitcom ‘Sherri,’ starring Sherri Shepherd and based on her life, featured Tammy as ‘Celia Marson.’ The series continued for a season on ‘Lifetime’ from October 5 to December 1, 2009.
Tammy played the starring role of ‘Desiree’ in the Christian drama film ‘Preacher's Kid,’ which was loosely based on the ‘Parable of the Prodigal Son.’ The film was released by ‘Warner Premiere’ on January 29, 2010. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics but remained unsuccessful at the box office.
She appeared as ‘Kira Cooper’ in the Corinne Marshall-created American comedy series ‘K.C. Undercover,’ which also had Zendaya, Kadeem Hardison, Trinitee Stokes, Kamil McFadden, and Veronica Dunne in starring roles. The series aired on ‘Disney Channel’ for three seasons, encompassing 75 episodes, starting from January 18, 2015, to February 2, 2018.
Tammy also guest-starred in the TV series ‘The Practice’ (1997), ‘Felicity’ (1999), ‘Friends’ (2001), and ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ (2014). She featured in the TV movies ‘Love Me or Leave Me’ (2010), ‘To Love and to Cherish’ (2012), ‘The Mistle-Tones’ (2012), and ‘Daddy's Home’ (2014). She also appeared in the direct-to-video films ‘My Girlfriend's Back’ (2010), ‘Love Chronicles: Secrets Revealed’ (2010), and ‘Love Overboard’ (2012).
Her singing endeavors include performing at local gigs in Los Angeles with her band, ‘Soul Unit.’ She has also toured with Eric Beneacutet. She has contributed to the debut album of American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Branford Marsalis's jazz/hip-hop/rock group, ‘Buckshot LeFonque.’ The album released in August 1994 and peaked at number 38 on the ‘Heatseekers Billboard’ chart and at number 94 on the ‘R&B Albums’ chart. Tammy also performs with a Los-Angeles based group of cabaret performers called ‘GoDiva.’
