Mablean Ephriam Biography
Mablean Ephriam is a former Los Angeles prosecuting attorney. She is best known as the adjudicator of the courtroom series Divorce Court for seven seasons from 1999–to 2006 season. In addition, She was replaced by Judge Lynn Toler in the show’s 2006-07 season.
Mablean Ephriam Age
How old is Ephriam? She is 73 years old as of 2024. Ephraim was born on April 23, 1949, in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, U.S.
Mablean Ephriam Education
She enrolled in night classes at Whittier Law School where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1978. Mablean opened her own law practice in 1982, dealing mainly with personal injury and family law cases. She then became a Los Angeles Prosecuting Attorney.
Mablean Ephriam Height|Weight
She stands on an average height of 5 feet 7 inches and weighs around 70kgs
Mablean Ephriam Family
She is the daughter of Mable Ephraim and Robert Ephraim. She was born to a family of three, a brother Frank Ephraim and a sister Mae Stewart. Ephriam was born in Hazlehurst, Mississippi but her family moved to Los Angeles, California where she was raised from the age of six. Ephriam is the aunt of an American singer, songwriter, pianist, record producer, actress, television personality, and philanthropist Toni Braxton.
Mablean Ephriam Husband
She had been married to Cassius Paxton until 1981 when they divorce. The duo is blessed with a daughter called Tamajika who is a writer, director, and producer.
Mablean Ephriam Children
Ephriam and Cassius Paxton are blessed with a daughter called Tamajika who is a writer, director, and producer.
Mablean Ephriam Career
In the 2006- 2007 season, Ephriam was replaced by Lynn Toler the shows. She is also known for her judge roles in Tyler Perry‘s Madea films.
She came back to television in the fall of 2014 with a new courtroom series titled Justice with Judge Mablean, after her. The series is produced by Entertainment Studios and aires on the Justice Central cable channel and syndicated on various stations. Justice with Judge Mablean is the fifth courtroom series from Entertainment Studios.
However, Mablean had never actually worked as a judge prior to presiding on Divorce Court, she joined the series with significant legal experience and knowledge of the law. In addition, Ephraim began her law career as a corrections officer in the Women’s Division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
Divorce Court Judge Mablean Ephriam
In 1999, the divorce Court was revived and she was selected to be the show’s arbitrator. She was the first star of the reality-based version of The Divorce Court. The show used dramatic reenactments of real-life divorce cases previous to that. Ephriam was also the first African American and female to preside over the series.
She was spotted for her humor during her presiding over Divorce Court. Her audience was frequently brought to laughter by her striking and quirky voice and reactions of appall and bewilderment by the ex-couple’s outrageous and absurd behaviors.
She acquired a trademark phrase on Divorce Court “Look deep before you leap.” She advised would-be newlyweds to examine each other’s behaviors and also attitudes carefully before they decide to wed. Moreover, she also encouraged her litigants to discuss sensitive issues to get to the heart of what was causing their divorce, she was quick to restore order in her courtroom when things got out of hand. Judge Ephriam also was quick to restore order in her courtroom when things got out of hand. She also scolded her litigants for disrespectful behavior towards herself and each other in court.
It was announced that she would leave Divorce Court in March 2006, at the end of the 2005–06 season (her seventh behind the bench). Reportedly, it was because she and the show’s producers were unable to come to an agreement on a contract extension. Additionally, she was replaced by Judge Lynn Toler, who was a former judge from Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Toler formerly presided over the short-lived syndicated courtroom TV show Power of Attorney.
Madea’s Court Judge
Ephraim was able to present a strict and stern judge character in Madea films. She frequently presides over the many cases Madea lands herself into, which are always a result of violent and destructive conduct. Furthermore, she never sentences Madea to prison, instead, Mablean gives Madea unflattering though less severe punishments such as house arrest, becoming a foster mother to a wayward teen which is played by Keke Palmer, and also going to therapy sessions with Doctor Phil.
Mablean made a short appearance in the film adaptation of the play Diary of a Mad Black Woman. She portrayed the same judge character in both Madea’s Family Reunion and Madea Goes to Jail. As a judge, Ephraim’s first name is pronounced “may-BLENE,” as in the Chuck Berry song “Maybellene.”
Mablean Ephriam Foundation
Currently, Judge Mablean is active in the day-to-day operation of her non-profit, the Mablean Ephriam Foundation. The mission of the foundation is to strengthen families, educate minds, and financially empower the residents of the impoverished communities of Los Angeles. It has also adopted two schools, Peary Middle School(Gardena) and Jefferson High School her alma mater.
It provides both academic and cultural enrichment programs and scholarships for graduating seniors. Mablean is also the founder of an annual event, Honoring Unsung Fathers (H.U.F.)Awards and Scholarship Brunch. Since 2004, it is held on Father’s Day each year. It also awards scholarships to graduating high school seniors throughout Los Angele. Ephraim also travels extensively as a much sought-after public speaker.
Mablean Ephriam Movies & Shows
She returned to TV with a new courtroom series, produced by Entertainment Studios in the fall of 2014. It aired on cable channel Justice Central and ABC stations being the fifth courtroom series from Entertainment Studios.
Mablean Ephriam Salary|Net Worth
She has an estimated salary ranging between $70,000 – $125,000 and has an estimated net worth of $1 Million -$ 15 Million. She has gained her wealth through her long-time career as an attorney and also her television career.
Mablean Ephriam Social Media Platforms
She is very active on social media platforms and has over 28.8k followers on Twitter, 82.2k followers on Instagram, and over 4k followers on Facebook.