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IMDbPro

Lynn Whitfield

  • Actress
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Lynn Whitfield
Trailer for Curveball
Play trailer1:25
Curveball (2015)
27 Videos
99+ Photos
With roots leading back to Louisiana southern aristocracy, lovely leading lady Lynn Whitfield was born in 1953, the eldest of four children and a third-generation BFA graduate from Howard University. Her dentist father was instrumental in developing Lynn's initial interest in acting as he was a prime figure in forming community theater in her native Baton Rouge. She is of African American and Native American descent, specifically Cherokee.

First garnering attention on the stage by studying and performing with the Black Repertory Company in Washington, D.C, she married one of the company's co-founders and pioneers of black theatre, playwright/director/actor Vantile Whitfield in 1974. She eventually moved to New York and appeared off-Broadway in such shows as "The Great Macdaddy" and "Showdown" before earning acclaim in the 1977 Los Angeles production of the landmark black play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide...When the Rainbow Is Enuf" co-starring Alfre Woodard. Lynn eventually became a force to be reckoned with intelligent and principled roles on quality film and TV as well

Lynn's Hollywood career unfolded under a talent development program at Columbia Pictures in 1979. Appearing on such established TV shows as "Hill Street Blues" and in a 1982 PBS version of her "For Colored Girls..." stage hit, she made her film debut with Doctor Detroit (1983) and doled out a number of support roles in other popular films as well such as Silverado (1985), The Slugger's Wife (1985), Jaws: The Revenge (1987), and Dead Aim (1987). It was TV, however, that garnered her the most attention, working her way into top lead and co-star roles. The topical social dramas The George McKenna Story (1986) co-starring Denzel Washington, Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI (1986) opposite Howard E. Rollins Jr. and Oprah Winfrey's historical miniseries The Women of Brewster Place (1989) were her early highlights. In addition, she found some steadier work on series TV playing classy professionals, including two for ABC (a doctor in Heartbeat (1988) and a news anchorwoman in Equal Justice (1990).)

The peak of her acclaimed career arguably came in the form of highly popular but deeply troubled Follies Bergere headliner-turned civil rights activist Josephine Baker. In the HBO biopic The Josephine Baker Story (1991), Lynn played the legendary entertainer with Emmy-winning gusto, a role that stretched her to the limits as she played the role from age 18 to 68. Earning an NAACP Image Award in 1992 for her role in the miniseries Stompin' at the Savoy (1992), she later appeared in Pauly Shore's comedy In the Army Now (1994) and went back to series TV alongside Bill Cosby in the short-lived The Cosby Mysteries (1994).

Lynn had an upsurge in the late 90s with roles in the films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996) with Martin Lawrence and Gone Fishin' (1997) with "Silverado" co-star Danny Glover. She also earned excellent reviews for her supporting work in Eve's Bayou (1997), a role that drew on her Louisiana heritage. More quality TV came her way when she starred as Sophie in Sophie & the Moonhanger (1996), a mini-movie that focused on the relationship of the wife of a Klansman and her longtime black housekeeper. She kept up the momentum with an unsympathetic role in the Oprah Winfrey miniseries The Wedding (1998), where she again had to cover a long life span, this time from 19 to 47.

Into the millennium, Lynn has continued to find prolific work both on film and TV. Big screen credits include a co-starring role as a party advisor in the Chris Rock/Bernie Mac political comedy Head of State (2003), written and directed by Rock; star/writer/director Tyler Perry's romantic comedy Madea's Family Reunion (2006); the urban film Redemption (2004) starring Jamie Foxx that chronicles the turbulent life of (now) imprisoned L.A. Crips gang founder Stan "Tookie" Williams; a featured part in an updated version of Clare Boothe Luce's The Women (2008) headed by Meg Ryan and Annette Bening; a co-starring role opposite singer/songwriter Ciara in the family musical drama Mama I Want to Sing (2011); another co-star role opposite another musical artist, rapper/songwriter 50 Cent, in the sports drama All Things Fall Apart (2011); a starring role as a woman who loses her police officer son and takes in a young parolee Crawford Wilson in the social drama King's Faith (2013); and the Sean Astin action comedy Espionage Tonight (2017).

On the TV front, Lynne has made guest appearances in such regular programs as "Boston Public," "Strong Medicine," a recurring role in "Without a Trace," "Shark," "Flash Forward," How to Get Away with Murder," "Hit the Floor," "Mistresses" and, more recently, as Lady Belle Greenleaf, the matriarch of a rich, unscrupulous Southern Baptist, mega-church family in the dramatic series Greenleaf (2016).

Divorced from Vantile Whitfield in the late 70s, Lynn later married British director Brian Gibson in 1990, by whom she has a daughter, Grace. They parted ways in 1992.
BornFebruary 15, 1953
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornFebruary 15, 1953
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 12 wins & 18 nominations total

Photos135

Lynn Whitfield and Daphne Reid in Snoops (1989)
Tim Reid, Lynn Whitfield, Daphne Reid, and Tasha Scott in Snoops (1989)
Lynn Whitfield in Snoops (1989)
Lynn Whitfield and Joaquim de Almeida in Miami Vice (1984)
Don Johnson, Lynn Whitfield, and Saundra Santiago in Miami Vice (1984)
Chris Rock, Lynn Whitfield, Dylan Baker, and Stephanie March in Head of State (2003)
Chris Rock, Lynn Whitfield, and Dylan Baker in Head of State (2003)
Lynn Whitfield and Dylan Baker in Head of State (2003)
Lynn Whitfield in The Women of Brewster Place (1989)
Lynn Whitfield and Rochelle Aytes in Mistresses (2013)
Lynn Whitfield, Rochelle Aytes, Rob Mayes, and Corinne Massiah in Mistresses (2013)
Lynn Whitfield and Rob Mayes in Mistresses (2013)

Known for

Tyler Perry in Madea's Family Reunion (2006)
Madea's Family Reunion
5.2
  • Victoria
  • 2006
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Jaws: The Revenge
3.0
  • Louisa
  • 1987
Samuel L. Jackson, Debbi Morgan, and Lynn Whitfield in Eve's Bayou (1997)
Eve's Bayou
7.2
  • Roz Batiste
  • 1997
The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
The Josephine Baker Story
7.1
TV Movie
  • Josephine Baker
  • 1991

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • The Retirement Plan
    • Completed
    • 2023
  • Roselyn Sanchez in Fantasy Island (2021)
    Fantasy Island
    • Judy
    • TV Series
    • 2023
  • We Need A Little Christmas (2022)
    We Need A Little Christmas
    • Irene
    • TV Movie
    • 2022
  • John Cena, Lil Rel Howery, Meredith Hagner, and Yvonne Orji in Vacation Friends (2021)
    Vacation Friends
    • Suzanne
    • 2021
  • Tales from the Hood 3 (2020)
    Tales from the Hood 3
    • Marie Benoit
    • Video
    • 2020
  • Lynn Whitfield, Keith David, Merle Dandridge, and Yolanda Robinson in Greenleaf (2016)
    Greenleaf
    • Lady Mae Greenleaf
    • TV Series
    • 2016–2020
  • Matt Czuchry, Bruce Greenwood, Emily VanCamp, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Manish Dayal, and Anuja Joshi in The Resident (2018)
    The Resident
    • Josephine Okeke
    • TV Series
    • 2019
  • Solace (2018)
    Solace
    • Irene
    • 2018
  • Sanaa Lathan in Nappily Ever After (2018)
    Nappily Ever After
    • Pauletta
    • 2018
  • Espionage Tonight (2017)
    Espionage Tonight
    • Sydney Greenstreet
    • 2017
  • Yunjin Kim, Rochelle Aytes, and Jes Macallan in Mistresses (2013)
    Mistresses
    • Marjorie
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2016
  • Valery M. Ortiz, Katherine Bailess, Logan Browning, and Taylour Paige in Hit the Floor (2013)
    Hit the Floor
    • Vanessa Howard
    • Jelena's mother, Vanessa Howard
    • TV Series
    • 2014–2016
  • The North Star (2016)
    The North Star
    • Miss Grace
    • 2016
  • Prayer Never Fails (2016)
    Prayer Never Fails
    • Loral Hess
    • 2016
  • Curveball (2015)
    Curveball
    • Dr. Lane
    • 2015
  • Italia Ricci in Chasing Life (2014)
    Chasing Life
    • Karen Callahan
    • TV Series
    • 2015

Producer

  • And Then There Was You (2013)
    And Then There Was You
    • producer
    • 2013
  • Training to Be A Superhero
    • producer
    • Short
    • 2012
  • Redemption of a Dog (2012)
    Redemption of a Dog
    • co-producer
    • 2012
  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos27

All Things Fall Apart
Clip 0:38
All Things Fall Apart
All Things Fall Apart
Clip 0:42
All Things Fall Apart
All Things Fall Apart
Clip 1:02
All Things Fall Apart
All Things Fall Apart
Clip 0:44
All Things Fall Apart
Official Trailer
Trailer 1:51
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:13
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 2:18
Trailer
No. 3
Trailer 1:27
No. 3
Exclusive
Trailer 2:01
Exclusive
No. 1
Trailer 2:10
No. 1
Teaser
Trailer 0:45
Teaser
The Rebound: International Trailer
Trailer 2:40
The Rebound: International Trailer

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • Lynne Whitfield
  • Height
    • 5′ 5″ (1.65 m)
  • Born
    • February 15, 1953
    • Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
  • Spouses
      Brian GibsonJuly 4, 1990 - 1992 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Parents
      Valerian Smith
  • Other works
    Music video: Appeared (as "The Wife") in the Wyclef Jean video "Cheated (To All The Girls)".
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Article
    • 4 Pictorials
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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