Quick Facts
Born:
1953-02-15
Birthplace:
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Credits:
105 Total Roles
Lynn Whitfield
Acting
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Biography
Lynn Whitfield (née Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).
In the 1990s, Whitfield played leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and had several starring roles in theatrical films, including A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), Gone Fishin' (1997), Eve's Bayou (1997), Stepmom (1998), Head of State (2003), Madea's Family Reunion (2006), and The Women (2008). Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network dramatic series Greenleaf, for which she won critical acclaim and garnered two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. She later appeared in the films Nappily Ever After (2018), Vacation Friends (2021), and The Retirement Plan (2023). Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Lynn Whitfield, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
In the 1990s, Whitfield played leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and had several starring roles in theatrical films, including A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), Gone Fishin' (1997), Eve's Bayou (1997), Stepmom (1998), Head of State (2003), Madea's Family Reunion (2006), and The Women (2008). Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network dramatic series Greenleaf, for which she won critical acclaim and garnered two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. She later appeared in the films Nappily Ever After (2018), Vacation Friends (2021), and The Retirement Plan (2023). Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Lynn Whitfield, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
How to Get Away with Murder
Mary Walker
Stepmom
Dr. P. Sweikert
The Resident
Josephine Okeke
Jaws: The Revenge
Louisa
The Rebound
Laura Reilly
Vacation Friends
Suzanne
Nappily Ever After
Paulette Jones
Silverado
Rae
Full Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Strung MOVIE | Self |
| 2025 | Eyes of Wakanda TV | Older Noni (voice) |
| 2024 | Albany Road MOVIE | Paula Henderson |
| 2024 | St. Denis Medical TV | Barb |
| 2023 | The Retirement Plan MOVIE | Drisdale |
| 2022 | We Need a Little Christmas MOVIE | Irene |
| 2022 | Sherri TV | Self - Guest |
| 2021 | Vacation Friends MOVIE | Suzanne |
| 2021 | Woman in Motion MOVIE | Self |
| 2020 | Tales from the Hood 3 MOVIE | Marie Benoît |