​Olivia Margarette Brown (born April 10, 1960) is an American actress. Brown was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Livonia, Michigan, United States. Her family eventually moved to California and she is also a graduate of Santa Monica High School. She played Det. Trudy Joplin on Miami Vice and Vanessa Hargraves on Designing Women. She also played a recurring character on 7th Heaven. She also played a recurring character on Moesha which she played Barbara Lee. She has also acted in several ...