Lynn Whitfield

Infobox actor
name = Lynn Whitfield

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imagesize =
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birthname = Lynn Butler-Smith
birthdate = Birth date and age|1953|5|6
birthplace = Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
othername =
homepage =
academyawards =
emmyawards = Best Actress - Miniseries or Special
1991 "The the Josephine Baker Story"
spouse =

Lynn Whitfield (born May 6, 1953) is an Emmy Award-winning American actress most famous for her 1991 portrayal in film of dance and performance pioneer Josephine Baker. Other winning roles include "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" (1996) and "Eve's Bayou" (1997).

Biography

Early life

Whitfield was born Lynn Butler-Smith in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Jean (née Butler), an officer of a finance agency, and Valerian Smith, a dentist. [http://www.filmreference.com/film/16/Lynn-Whitfield.html] Whitfield is a member of the incorporated sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Career

Whitfield had a series of television appearances before her film career began, including playing Jill Thomas in the award-winning series 'Hill Street Blues". After gaining attention on stage in Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf", Whitfield appeared in supporting roles in such films as "Doctor Detroit" (1983) and "Silverado" (1985). She gained wider success by starring in the television films "The George McKenna Story", "", (both 1986), and the miniseries "The Women of Brewster Place" (1989).

Whitfield vaulted to international attention in the title role of "The Josephine Baker Story" (1991), the HBO biopic requiring her to age from 18 to 68. She portrayed the American "Folies Bergère" star who became a Resistance fighter during WWII and civil rights activist. In a highly publicized casting call, Whitfield was chosen over more than 500 women. She won an Emmy Award for her role and said this gave her, "the greatest sense of accomplishment and realization of my vision. It absolutely called upon everything I thought I could do at that point."

Whitfield worked as a regular in two ABC series ("Heartbreak" and "Equal Justice") prior to playing Baker. She returned to a TV series opposite Bill Cosby in "The Cosby Mysteries" (NBC, 1994-95).

"A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" and "Gone Fishin"' (both 1996) increased her exposure. Whitfield then had a meaty part in "Eve's Bayou" (1997), where she played the head of a prosperous, socially prominent black family in Louisiana. She returned to a similar milieu as snobby Martha's Vineyard matron Corinne Coles in the ABC miniseries "The Wedding" (1998). In recent years, she starred as Dorthea Garibaldi in both "The Cheetah Girls" and "The Cheetah Girls 2". She recently starred in "Mama, I Want To Sing!" with Ciara. Lynn Whitfield also starred in the 2006 drama "Medea's Family Reunion".

Also credited as: Lynn Butler-Smith.

Filmography

Awards/nominations

* BET Comedy Awards
** 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Head of State (film) (Nominated)
* Black Movie Awards
** 2006, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Madea's Family Reunion (Nominated)
* Black Reel Awards
** 2005, Best Actress (Network/Cable): (Winner)
** 2004, Best Supporting Actress (Network/Cable): The Cheetah Girls (Nominated)
** 2000, Best Actress (Network/Cable): Love Songs (Nominated)
* Emmy Awards
** 1991, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries/Television Movie: The Joesphine Baker Story (Winner)
* Golden Globes
** 1992, Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series/Television Movie: The Joesphine Baker Story (Nominated)
* Image Awards
** 2005, Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series: (Winner)
** 2005, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special/Series: The Cheetah Girls (Nominated)
** 2000, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special/Series: "The Planet of Junior Brown" (Winner)
** 2000, Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series: "Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story" (Nominated)

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0005551|name=Lynn Whitfield