- Born
- Birth nameJenifer Jeanette Lewis
- Nickname
- The Black Mother of Hollywood
- Height5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)
- Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award.
Jenifer's most recent movies include The Wedding Ringer, Think Like A Man, Think Like A Man Too and Baggage Claim. 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. Jenifer starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter and for director Tyler Perry, Jenifer created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Castaway, Jenifer 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.
Jenifer's TV roles have ranged from regular appearances as "Aunt Helen" on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air to guest star roles on Friends, Boston Legal and Girlfriends. For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine.
Although best known for her Hollywood success, Jenifer has enjoyed a wide-ranging and varied career in music and theater. Jenifer has performed in four Broadway shows, including Hairspray in the role of "Motormouth Mable." In 2014, she received an electrifying standing ovation at Carnegie Hall when she sang with the New York Pops orchestra. All told, Jenifer has presented more than 200 concerts, performing in 49 states and on four continents.
Jenifer was born and raised in Kinloch, Missouri. Her accomplishments as an entertainer and community activist have been recognized with an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Webster University in St. Louis and by the American Black Film Festival's Career Achievement Award.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Representative
- SpouseArnold Byrd(2012 - present)
- ChildrenCharmaine Lewis
- ParentsDorothy LewisEdward James Lewis
- RelativesLawrence Lewis(Sibling)Jackie Davis(Sibling)Vertella Lewis(Sibling)Wilatrel Rice(Sibling)
- She often plays a character's mother or grandmother in movies or shows
- Husky resonant voice
- She starred in and co-wrote a one-woman show called "The Diva is Dismissed". The show earned her two NAACP Theater Awards.
- Was once one of Bette Midler's Harlettes.
- Despite playing her mother in What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Lewis is just one year older than Angela Bassett.
- Attended and graduated from Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri.
- She is the youngest of seven children.
- A diva is someone who pretends to know who she is and looks fabulous doing it.
- You think you can go into all those auditions not knowing who you are? The work came after I found my sense of self - when I wasn't so manic and desperate.
- You are a black goddess when you come out the salon.
- But a true diva has dismissed that drama. A true diva's heart is open, and she's ready to play by her own rules - rules that are gentle and kind.
- I don't have any beauty shop memories. I remember the barber shop.
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