1. Lynn Whitfield began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film.
29 Facts About Lynn Whitfield
1. 2.
Lynn Whitfield 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.
3.
Lynn Whitfield starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s.
4.
Lynn Whitfield later appeared in films Nappily Ever After, Vacation Friends and The Retirement Plan.
5.
Lynn Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.
6.
Lynn Whitfield was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Jean, a former president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency, and Dr Valerian Smith, who was a composer who wrote the musicals, The Supper and The Wake.
7.
Lynn Whitfield's mother is a founding member of the Baton Rouge chapter of The Links Incorporated and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
8.
Lynn Whitfield is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
9.
Lynn Whitfield is the eldest of four children and a third-generation BFA graduate from Howard University.
10.
Lynn Whitfield made her professional screen debut in 1981 as Jill Thomas in the critically acclaimed NBC serial drama Hill Street Blues.
11.
Lynn Whitfield later co-starred in the films The Slugger's Wife, Silverado, and Jaws: The Revenge.
12.
Lynn Whitfield was a regular cast member in the short-lived 1988 ABC female-driven medical drama series HeartBeat alongside Kate Mulgrew, Laura Johnson, and Gail Strickland.
13.
Lynn Whitfield achieved wide recognition in the title role of The Josephine Baker Story, portraying the American who became a Folies Bergere star, a French Resistance fighter during World War II, and a civil rights activist.
14.
Lynn Whitfield continued her career, starring in the made-for-television movies A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story ; Stompin' at the Savoy with Vanessa L Williams, Jasmine Guy, and Vanessa Bell Calloway; Taking the Heat with Tony Goldwyn; State of Emergency with Joe Mantegna; Sophie and the Moonhanger ; The Wedding, as Halle Berry's mother; The Color of Courage alongside Linda Hamilton; and Deep in My Heart opposite Anne Bancroft.
15.
Lynn Whitfield had a regular role on the short-lived NBC detective series The Cosby Mysteries from 1994 to 1995 and later guest-starred on Martin and Touched by an Angel.
16.
In 1996, Lynn Whitfield was cast as the female lead opposite Martin Lawrence in the dark romantic comedy film A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
17.
At the time of filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Lynn Whitfield, who was then 42.
18.
In 1998, Lynn Whitfield had supporting role of an oncologist in the comedy-drama film Stepmom.
19.
Lynn Whitfield co-starred in the Chris Rock comedy film Head of State and Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion.
20.
Lynn Whitfield appeared in The Women, The Rebound, and Mama, I Want to Sing and had many roles in low-profile B-movies.
21.
Lynn Whitfield starred as Dorothea Garibaldi, the mother of Galleria in the Disney Channel films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2.
22.
On television, Lynn Whitfield had recurring roles on Boston Public and Without a Trace in the 2000s.
23.
In 2015, Lynn Whitfield was cast as the main villain in Greenleaf, the Oprah Winfrey Network original scripted drama series about the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch.
24.
Lynn Whitfield played the leading role of Lady Mae Greenleaf, the imperious minister's wife and the power- and money-hungry matriarch of the family.
25.
Lynn Whitfield later was cast in a leading role in Greenleaf's planned spinoff.
26.
In 2018, Lynn Whitfield co-starred opposite Sanaa Lathan in the romantic comedy film Nappily Ever After, which was released on Netflix.
27.
Lynn Whitfield guest-starred as Shaunette Renee Wilson's mother, a famous Nigerian surgeon, on the Fox medical drama The Resident in 2019.
28.
Lynn Whitfield was promoted to series regular for a seven season.
29.
In 2024, Lynn Whitfield starred in the road drama film, Albany Road directed and written by Christine Swanson.