Topic: Tisha Campbell-Martin

Tisha Campbell-Martin (born Tisha Michelle Campbell; October 13, 1968) is an American TV and film actress, known for her starring role in such programs as the House Party franchise Rags to Riches, Martin, and My Wife and Kids. Apart from her achievements in television, she also has notable accomplishments in film, theater, and music .

She was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma of African-American and white descent, and raised in Newark, New Jersey. There she attended Newark Arts High School. Her mother, Mona (née Raye), was a nurse, talent manager, gospel singer, and vocal coach, and her father, Clifton Campbell, was a factory worker and singer. Her parents encouraged her love for music.

Campbell’s first TV appearance was at the age of 6, in a 1974 episode of the PBS show The Big Blue Marble. As a child, she competed in, and won, many talent shows, going on to appear in such children’s programs as Kids Are People Too, Unicorn Tales, and Captain Kangaroo. At age 18, she traveled to London to star as Chiffon, one of the Supremes-like “Greek Chorus,” in the film version of Little Shop of Horrors along with future Martin co-star Tichina Arnold. A graduate of the Arts High School in Newark, she then moved to Hollywood, where she became a star on the short-lived series, Rags to Riches.