Jenifer Lewis
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.
Filmography (33)
GOAT
Spellbound
The Addams Family
Cars 3
The Wedding Ringer
Think Like a Man Too
Think Like a Man
Zambezia
Cars 2
Hereafter
The Princess and the Frog
Not Easily Broken
Meet the Browns
Cars
Madea's Family Reunion
Shark Tale
Antwone Fisher
Cast Away
Mystery Men
Blast from the Past
The Mighty
The Preacher's Wife
Dead Presidents
Panther
Renaissance Man
Corrina, Corrina
What's Love Got to Do with It
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Poetic Justice
The Meteor Man
Undercover Blues
Sister Act
