Alexander's first television role was on the short-lived 1993
ABC sitcom
Where I Live, starring
Doug E. Doug. Despite being critically acclaimed, the series was canceled that same year. Alexander then guest starred on episodes of
Sister, Sister and
The Cosby Mysteries before moving to Los Angeles in 1995 to concentrate on acting. In 1996, he landed a starring role on another short-lived sitcom
Homeboys in Outer Space. The series was critically panned and canceled the following year. Later that year, Alexander co-starred in yet another short-lived series, the
Steven Bochco-created
Total Security. Following
Total Security's run, Alexander guest starred on
Brooklyn South and
The Parkers, and also had roles in several films including the 1998
direct-to-video release
Backroom Bodega Boyz and ''
She's All That'' (1999). From 2000 to 2001, Alexander appeared as Maya Wilkes' husband Darnell during the first season of the UPN sitcom
Girlfriends. He left
Girlfriends to star as single father Flexter Alexander "Flex" Barnes Washington on the UPN sitcom
One on One, a series he created and produced. For his role on the series, Alexander was nominated for three
NAACP Image Awards and two BET Comedy Awards. In 2004, he portrayed
Michael Jackson in the
VH1 television biopic Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, which garnered him another NAACP Image Award nomination. He refused to play Jackson with
prosthetics, but did mimic his voice, copied mannerisms and had a makeup job done to lighten his skin tone. He also refused to "cast judgement" over the singer's
legal troubles of the time and said "we should pray for him". Alexander returned to
One on One for two more seasons, however, during the last season, his character was written out and reduced to a recurring role when the show's premise was rebooted. Following the end of
One on One, Alexander had roles in the 2006 film
Snakes on a Plane, opposite
Samuel L. Jackson, and the 2007 horror film
The Hills Have Eyes 2. He also had a role in
Clement Virgo's ''
Poor Boy's Game'', with
Danny Glover. Alexander's most recent role was in a 2007 episode of
CSI: Miami. Flex and his wife, Shanice, had their own reality show
Flex & Shanice that premiered on November 1, 2014, on the
OWN. In 2022, Flex was cast as "Pookie" in the stage adaptation of
New Jack City: Live on Stage, written, produced and directed by urban playwright and film producer Je'Caryous Johnson. The production is currently on tour in nine cities. ==Personal life==