Quick Facts
Born:
1984-05-17
Birthplace:
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Credits:
43 Total Roles
Lena Waithe
Acting
The MovieWise Take
Refining cinematic analysis...
Biography
Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).
Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021) and became the first African-American woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for writing the show's "Thanksgiving" episode, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Play at the 76th Tony Awards, her production work on the sketch-comedy play Ain't No Mo'.
Waithe was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Lena Waithe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021) and became the first African-American woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for writing the show's "Thanksgiving" episode, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Play at the 76th Tony Awards, her production work on the sketch-comedy play Ain't No Mo'.
Waithe was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Lena Waithe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Ready Player One
Aech / Helen
Grey's Anatomy
Evynn Moore
Onward
Officer Spector (voice)
Westworld
Ash
This Is Us
Animal Shelter Clerk
Big Mouth
Lena (voice)
Big Mouth
Self
The Daily Show
Self
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television TV | Self |
| 2025 | Reclaim the Flag MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | It's Dorothy! MOVIE | Self |
| 2023 | Being Mary Tyler Moore MOVIE | Self (voice) |
| 2023 | House Party MOVIE | Self |
| 2022 | Sherri TV | Self - Guest |
| 2022 | Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration MOVIE | Self |
| 2022 | The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder TV | College Maya (voice) |
| 2021 | 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony MOVIE | Self |
| 2021 | Twenties After-Show With B. Scott TV | Self - Guest |