Jenifer Lewis
Biography
Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American film and television actress and singer.
She is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television and was dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in the films Beaches and Sister Act.
She delivered legendary performances as Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to Do With It and in The Preacher's Wife as the mother of Whitney Houston's character.
She starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter. For director Tyler Perry, she created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Cast Away, she portrayed Tom Hanks' boss. In animated films, Jenifer's uniquely recognizable voice is adored by Disney fans worldwide in roles such as "Flo" in Cars and Cars 2, and as "Mama Odie" in The Princess and the Frog.
For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine. She starred on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award.
She has also written two books: The Mother of Black Hollywood and Walking in My Joy: In These Streets.
Acting (74 movies)
Cars
2006
Prop 8: The Musical
2008
The Princess and the Frog
2009
Beaches
1988
Sister Act
1992
The Brothers
2001
The Preacher's Wife
1996
The Mighty
1998
Mystery Men
1999
Dirty Laundry
2006
Panther
1995
Jackie's Back!
1999
Not Easily Broken
2009
Madea's Family Reunion
2006
The Cookout
2004
Get Bruce!
1999
Think Like a Man
2012
Nora's Hair Salon
2004
Meet the Browns
2008
Shark Tale
2004
When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren
2011
black-ish: A Celebration – An ABC News Special
2022
Think Like a Man Too
2014
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1993
Partners
2000
Deconstructing Sarah
1994
The Wedding Ringer
2015
Baggage Claim
2013
Spellbound
2024
Dancing in September
2001
Undercover Blues
1993
Zambezia
2012
An Unexpected Life
1998
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994
Earth to America
2005
This Is Me…Now
2024
Cars 2
2011
The Greatest Love Story Never Told
2024
Finding Kendrick Johnson
2021
Cars Wal-Mart Exclusive Geared UP
2006
What's Love Got to Do with It
1993
Five
2011
Frozen Assets
1992
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan
1995
Juwanna Mann
2002
Cars 3
2017
Blast from the Past
1999
Bette Midler: Art or Bust
1984
Hereafter
2010
Little Richard
2000
Hiccups
2013
The Radiator Springs 500½
2014
Jewel's Catch One
2017
Forbidden
2018
Girl 6
1996
Sunday in Paris
1991
Corrina, Corrina
1994
The Addams Family
2019
Cast Away
2000
Dead Presidents
1995
Secrets of the Magic City
2015
Who's Your Caddy?
2007
Redrum
2007
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
2020
Renaissance Man
1994
All Boys Aren't Blue
2021
Poetic Justice
1993
The Meteor Man
1993
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
2019
ADO
2025
GOAT
2026
A Different World
1987
Tiana's Bayou Adventure | Disneyland Resort
2025
Rituals
1998
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