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Cherie Johnson (born November 21, 1975) is an American actress, writer and film producer and author who played the role of Maxine Johnson as Laura Winslow's best friend on the long-running ABC/CBS sitcom Family Matters from 1990 to 1998.

Background and career[]

TV and film[]

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Johnson is of mixed African American and Puerto Rican heritage, Johnson's beginnings in show business are attributed to her uncle, David W. Duclon, a successful screenwriter and TV producer who, early on, was known for his work on Happy Days in the 1970s. Duclon encouraged his niece's desire to act, and secured her an audition. In 1984, after two seasons as executive producer of NBC's Silver Spoons, Duclon successfully pitched a new pilot to the network about an orphaned young girl who is taken in by a curmudgeonly older man. The concept won the approval of NBC programming chief Brandon Tartikoff, who named the titular character, and series, Punky Brewster (after a girl he had known in his youth). Johnson was cast by NBC in the role of Punky's (Soleil Moon Frye) best friend, the character of which was modeled and named after herself. Punky Brewster was an immediate success among young audiences, and Johnson continued as the fictional Cherie throughout the series' run (1984–86 on NBC, and 1987–88 in first-run syndication).

In 1990, Johnson began playing Maxine "Max" Johnson, the best friend of Laura Winslow (Kellie Shanygne Williams) on Family Matters, appearing in the recurring role until the series' end in 1998. Duclon was again her employer, as he served as one of the executive producers of Family Matters during Johnson's run on the show. In addition to her starring roles, Johnson has made guest appearances on The Parkers, and voiced a guest role on The Proud Family. She has also appeared on Days of Our Lives. In the early 2000s, Johnson began producing films. In 2009, she wrote, starred and produced the film I Do... I Did!. In 2010, she starred in the films Lights Out, Nobody Smiling and Guardian of Eden. She then signed on to appear in the romantic film Fanaddict, which was shot in 2011 and was released later in 2013.

Personal life[]

Cherie has only one daughter.

Johnson has a friendship and strong working relationship with her Family Matters co-star Shawn Harrison.

Gallery[]

External links[]

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