Malinda Williams, born on September 24, 1970, in Elizabeth, New Jersey, is an American actress and producer. She began her career on television, making her debut in an episode of "The Cosby Show" in 1987.

Over the years, she guest-starred on various shows such as "Miami Vice," "Roc," "My So-Called Life," "Sister, Sister," "Moesha," and "NYPD Blue."

Her big-screen debut came in 1996 with the black comedy-romance film "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate." That same year, she also appeared in "High School High" and "Sunset Park."

Malinda Williams is best known for her role as Tracy "Bird" Van Adams in the Showtime drama series "Soul Food," which aired from 2000 to 2004. For her performance, she received three NAACP Image Award nominations for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

The series became the longest-running drama with a predominantly black cast in American prime-time television history. After "Soul Food," she appeared in the music video for Ruff Endz's "Someone to Love You" and rapper Young Buck's "Shorty Wanna Ride."

In 2006, she starred in the musical film "Idlewild" and the following year, she co-starred in Tyler Perry's romantic comedy-drama "Daddy's Little Girls." She continued to work in both television and film, appearing in "First Sunday" (2008) opposite Ice Cube, and "2 Days in New York" (2012) with Chris Rock.

Between 2013 and 2015, she played the leading role in the Up network's television film "Marry Me for Christmas" and its sequels.

Malinda Williams has been married three times. Her first marriage was to actor Mekhi Phifer in 1999, with whom she has a son named Omikaye. They divorced in 2003. She then married D-Nice in 2008, but they divorced in 2010. Since January 2020, she has been married to Tariq Walker.