Brenda Sykes

The daughter of a postal worker, Brenda Sykes seemed bound for an academic career when, at 19, she was made a Teaching Assistant in Black History in the UCLA High Potential Program. One year later, Brenda showed up as a contestant on TV's The Dating Game. Her appearance not only won her an all-expenses-paid trip to New Zealand, but also caught the eyes of several Hollywood talent agents. In 1970, Sykes was personally selected by prestigious film director William Wyler to play a good featured role in The Liberation of L.B. Jones. After an excellent start, she was consigned to the standardized roles usually played by Africa-nAmerican ingenues in the 1970s, showing up in such exploitational fare as The Drum and Cleopatra Jones. Brenda Sykes' series-TV work has included Ozzie's Girls (1973) and Executive Suite (1976).