Tina Lifford began her career in 1980s, appearing on television shows include Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, and Murder, She Wrote.

[2] The following years, she had appeared in films include Nuts (1987), Colors (1988), Paris Trout (1991), Grand Canyon (1991), Letters from a Killer (1998), Panic (2000), Pay It Forward (2000), Joe Somebody (2001), Blood Work (2002), Hostage (2005), and Catch and Release (2006).

Lifford played the leading role as single mother Joan Mosley in the critically acclaimed but short-lived Fox comedy-drama series, South Central (1994).

[2] Over her career, Lifford has guest-starred in over 50 shows, include Touched by an Angel, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Any Day Now, NYPD Blue, NCIS, ER, and Nip/Tuck.

She has also had recurring roles on Family Law (1999–2001), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2004–2005), Lincoln Heights (2007–2009), Parenthood (2010–2015) as Joy Bryant's mother and Scandal (2015).