1. Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter.
12 Facts About Lena Waithe
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Lena Waithe is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi and the BET comedy series Boomerang and Twenties.
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Lena Waithe has appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld.
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Lena 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.
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Lena Waithe graduated from Evanston Township High School and earned a degree in cinema and television arts from Columbia College Chicago in 2006, praising faculty playwright Michael Fry for his teaching and encouragement.
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Lena Waithe later became a writer for the Fox television series Bones, a writer for the 2012 Nickelodeon sitcom How to Rock, and a producer on the 2014 satirical comedy film Dear White People.
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Lena Waithe wrote and appeared in the YouTube series "Twenties", produced by Flavor Unit Entertainment and optioned in 2014 by BET.
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Lena Waithe became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy in that category.
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Lena Waithe described the episode as based on her coming out experience as a lesbian.
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In 2020, Lena Waithe lent her voice to the Pixar animated film Onward, portraying the cyclops police officer Specter, the first queer animated character in Disney history.
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Lena Waithe focuses on recruiting more people of color and queer artists for her film and television projects.
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Lena Waithe became engaged in 2017 to Alana Mayo, a content executive.