Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress, comedian, singer and activist. She began her career appearing on Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in the film Beaches (1988) and Sister Act (1992).
Lewis is known for playing the role of mother in films What to Do With This (1993), Poet Justice (1993), The Preacher's wife Think Like a Man (1996), The Brothers (2001), Think Like a Man < i> Claim Claims (2013), and The Wedding Ringer (2015), as well as in The Temptations TV miniseries (1998). Thus, Lewis earned the title, "Black Mother of Hollywood". He also voted for Mama Odie in the Disney animated feature, The Princess and the Frog (2009). Additional film roles include Dead Presidents (1995), Cast Away (2000), and Hereafter (2010).
On television, Lewis starred as Lana Hawkins in the Lifetime Drama of Medicine Strong Medicine 2000-2006. She also has a recurring role in sitcom A Different World, New Bel-Air Prince and Boyfriend . In 2014, Lewis began starring as Ruby Johnson in the ABC comedy series, Black-ish , where he received two Critical Television Award nominations.
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Lewis was born in Kinloch, Missouri, the mother of the nurse, Dorothy, and the factory worker father. Lewis is the youngest of seven children. She sings in the choir at church at the age of five. He studied at Kinloch High School and then attended Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri. After college, he moved to New York to focus on his career in the show.
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Careers
As soon as he arrived in New York City, Lewis debuted on Broadway in a small role in Eubie (1979), a musical based on the work of Eubie Blake. He then landed Effie White's role in the workshop of a musician directed by Michael Bennett's Dreamgirls, but when the show moved to Broadway, Bennett chose Jennifer Holliday for the role.
Lewis accepted the position as Harlette, the back-up singer for Bette Midler leading to Lewis's first TV appearance on Midler's HBO specials. He earned his first screen role as a result, emerging as one of the buxom choruses in the production number 'Otto Titsling' at Midler vehicle Beaches (1988). At the same time, Lewis developed his night club action, The Diva Is Dismissed, an autobiographical comedy and musical performance in New York City cabaret. He did a show on Broadway at the General Theater.
1990s
After Lewis moved to Los Angeles, he began appearing on television sitcoms, including Murphy Brown , Dream On , In Living Color , Roc , Hangin 'with Tn. Cooper , and Friends . From 1992 to 1993 he played Dean Davenport in the sixth and final season of the NBC sitcom A Different World . She also had a recurring role as Will Smith Aunt Helen at the NBC sitcom of Fresh Air Bel-Air 1991-1996. As usual, Lewis starred alongside Patricia Wettig in his short-court drama Courthouse in 1995, playing Judge Rosetta Reide, the first major African American lesbian character on television.
In 1992, Lewis served as one of the back-up singers for Whoopi Goldberg in the film Sister Act. The following year, Lewis plays the mother of the Tupac Shakur character in the film Poetic Justice, and as Zelma Bullock, mother of Tina Turner, in the biography What To Do With This Love Starring Angela Bassett. Lewis stated he never auditioned to play Tina Turner, but would love to play the iconic Tina Turner. Lewis is only one year older than Bassett. For her performance, she received her first NAACP Image Award for Best Actress Supporting Actress in Movie nomination. In 1994, he followed up with other supporting comedy roles, including Ny. Coleman, Unemployed woman in the Office of the Renaissance Man and as Whoopi Goldberg's sister in Corrina, Corrina. In 1995, he was instrumental in the role of mother to Kadeem Hardison in Panther and to Larenz Tate in Dead President .
In 1996, Lewis appeared as sex phone line boss Theresa Randle in the movie Girl 6 . Later that year she played the character's mother Whitney Houston in The Preacher's Wife. She received other NAACP Image Award nominations for her role in The Wife of Ecclesiastes . She also has roles in The Mighty (1998), The Temptations miniseries TV (1998), Mystery Men (1999) and Blast from the Past (1999), before getting a lead role in the Jackie's Back movie.
2000s
In 2000, Lewis had a supporting role in the drama adventure film Cast Away directed by Robert Zemeckis. Also in 2000, he began starring as Lana Hawkins in the lifelong medical television drama of Strong Medicine. The show ended in February 2006. Lewis also performed the theme song for Strong Drugs. She also has a recurring role as Veretta Childs (Toni's mother) on the UPN Girlfriends sitcom . In the film, she appeared as Morris Chestnut's mother in the 2001 romantic comedy The Brothers . In 2006, she had a lead role as a wedding planner in Tyler Perry Madea Family Reunion , and also appeared in Perry's 2008 comedy drama Meet the Browns as Vera Brown. She also appeared in Juwanna Mann , The Cookout , Nora Hair Salon , Dirty Laundry and Not Easy Damaged .
On April 22, 2008, Lewis replaced Darlene Love as Motormouth Maybelle on Broadway's Hairspray. On television, he's a guest star on That's So Raven and Boston Legal . Lewis also has a number of voice over roles, including Walt Disney musical, The Princess and the Frog (2009), where he received Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production nomination.
2010s
In June 2010, Lewis's distinctive voice was in good form as he told the syndicated radio show The Jazz Joy and Roy, "I just made a 'Hello Dolly' production at the 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle and it has to be one of the largest I've done it, because I have to just do a character, Dolly Levi, and that's amazing. "In 2012 Lewis started working with Shangela on the online reality show parody," Jenifer Lewis and Shangela, "where he acted as himself with Shangela, a "transvestite living in his basement." She later appeared in the Shangela music video for "Werqin Girl (Professional)."
In 2010, Clint Eastwood featured Lewis in her fantasy movie Hereafter . The following year, he starred with Rosario Dawson and Tracee Ellis Ross at Five, for which he received another nominated NAACP Image Award. He also starred in the short-lived NBC series, The Playboy Club . He played the mother who dominated Terrence J in the box-office hit Think Like a Man (2012), and in his sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2013, she played the mother of Paula Patton Claims Claim . In 2015, she starred in The Wedding Ringer .
In 2014, Lewis plays Ruby Johnson, mother of Anthony Anderson character in the ABC comedy series, Black-ish . He climbed into regular on the second season. In 2016, he received the Critics' Television Award for Best Guest Viewer in a Comedy Series nomination for his performance. She has also appeared in various TV commercials.
In 2017, he published a book about his life and career, titled The Mother of Black Hollywood
Personal life
Lewis has never been married but has been engaged four times. He has an adopted daughter named Charmaine Lewis.
Bipolar disorder
In 1990, Lewis was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. He always knew something was wrong, and first hide his disturbance, because he was embarrassed, but after 17 years of therapy and 10 years of treatment for the disorder, he now embraced his mental illness. "You have to look in the mirror... and say - before you can go or grow into anything - you have to say you love yourself," he said.
"People who switch bipolar from feeling energetic," tall "and/or irritable to feel sad and desperate, and then come back in. They often have a normal mood in between. These" up "and" down "feelings called mania and depression.If not addressed, bipolar disorder can lead to broken relationships, poor work or school performance, and even suicide. "
Movieography
Movies
Television
Video game
References
External links
- Jenifer Lewis at IMDb
- Jenifer Lewis on Broadway Internet Database
- Jenifer Lewis on the Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Jenifer Lewis at AllMovie
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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