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.
Gender
Female
Birthday
1957-01-25
Place of birth
Kinloch, Missouri, USA
Cars
2006
7.00
Prop 8: The Musical
2008
7.22
The Princess and the Frog
2009
7.22
Beaches
1988
6.69
Sister Act
1992
6.83
The Brothers
2001
6.60
The Preacher's Wife
1996
5.78
The Mighty
1998
7.18
Mystery Men
1999
5.82
Dirty Laundry
2006
6.22
Panther
1995
6.20
Jackie's Back!
1999
6.86
Not Easily Broken
2009
6.20
Madea's Family Reunion
2006
6.29
The Cookout
2004
4.58
Get Bruce!
1999
6.20
Think Like a Man
2012
6.79
Nora's Hair Salon
2004
7.79
Meet the Browns
2008
6.58
Shark Tale
2004
6.03
Think Like a Man Too
2014
6.42
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1993
6.40
Partners
2000
4.80
Deconstructing Sarah
1994
3.00
The Wedding Ringer
2015
6.46
Baggage Claim
2013
5.28
Spellbound
2024
6.70
Dancing in September
2001
6.50
Undercover Blues
1993
6.00
Zambezia
2012
6.20
Bette Midler: No Frills
1983
0.00
An Unexpected Life
1998
4.50
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994
5.75
Earth to America
2005
8.00
This Is Me…Now
2024
5.30
Cars 2
2011
6.15
Finding Kendrick Johnson
2021
7.80
What's Love Got to Do with It
1993
7.10
Five
2011
7.10
Frozen Assets
1992
3.46
Juwanna Mann
2002
5.07
Cars 3
2017
6.86
Blast from the Past
1999
6.77
Bette Midler: Art or Bust
1984
6.00
Hereafter
2010
6.12
Little Richard
2000
6.38
Hiccups
2013
6.19
The Radiator Springs 500½
2014
6.28
Jewel's Catch One
2017
7.00
Forbidden
2018
8.20
Girl 6
1996
4.98
Sunday in Paris
1991
0.00
Corrina, Corrina
1994
6.70
The Addams Family
2019
6.61
Cast Away
2000
7.66
Dead Presidents
1995
6.70
Secrets of the Magic City
2015
5.50
Who's Your Caddy?
2007
3.38
Redrum
2007
1.40
Renaissance Man
1994
6.10
All Boys Aren't Blue
2021
0.00
Poetic Justice
1993
6.88
The Meteor Man
1993
5.76
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
2019
5.00
ADO
2025
9.00