Jenifer Lewis
Acting
🎂 1957-01-25
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.
Cast credits(140)
Lessie (voice)
2005
Paula
1994
1996
Self - Guest
2009
Olympia Savage (voice)
2010
Self - Guest
2022
Judge Isabel Fisher
2004
Lucille Highwater
2021
Lana Hawkins
2000
Boss Willona (voice)
2005
Geraldine (voice)
2005
1993
Ruby Johnson
2014
Susan Clayton
1987
Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport
1987
Veretta Childs
2000
Bartender (voice)
2020
Queenie
1994
Mama Hasselback (voice)
2019
Mama Odie (voice)
2009
Flo (voice)
2017
Aunt Helen
1990
Vivian
2003
1996
Flo (voice)
2011
1994
Professor Granville (voice)
2017
Flo (voice)
2006
2006
Mary 'Mama' Clark
2009
1993
Self - Guest Judge
2012
Patty (voice)
2021
Motown Turtle (voice)
2004
Great Auntie Sloom (Voice)
2019
Grandma Tuskmon (voice)
2021
Becca Twig
2000
Mother Nature (voice)
2024
Josie
1996
Ms. Marjorie / Narrator (voice)
2021
Ms. Marjorie (voice)
2021
Self - Panelist
2016
1990
Self - Special Guest
2020
Dr. Aron
1999
Self - Panelist
2016
Ruby Johnson
2018
1995
Nazara (voice)
2024
Georgia Rodman
1992
Grandma
2023
Mrs. Williams
1993
Michelle
1992
Doris Jenkins
2015
Self
2016
Female Black Widow Spider (voice)
1995
Hazel (voice)
1995
Jacqueline Burton
2022
Florence Everson (voice)
2026
Dr. Pearl Edmunds
2021
Erika
2023
Vegas Backup Singer #1
1993
Carolyn
1990
Loretta
2014
Flo (voice)
2022
Wheezelene (voice)
2021
Self - Contestant
2021
Queenie
1996
Gemini
2024
Lucille
1999
Bebe Ho (voice)
1999
2006
Self
1997
Loretta Hanover
2012
Muh Penniman
2000
Donna
2023
Annie
1993
Jevina
1994
2000
Mrs. Addison
1998
Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport
1987
1999
Candace
2010
Milay Jenay Lori
2006
Self
2024
1999
Charlaine
1991
Zelma Bullock
1993
Vera
2008
Self
2005
Amanda
1994
Mrs. Curtis
1995
Maggie
2011
Cab Driver
1993
Mama Rose
1998
C-Note's Mom
2007
Lady Em
2004
Margueritte Coleman
1996
Gogo (voice)
2012
Louise Smith
2001
Flo (voice)
2014
Diva
1988
Catherine Moore
2013
Patricia Cochran
2022
Mrs. Coleman
1994
Margeline
2020
Denice Cooper
1995
Self
1999
Judge Rosetta Reide
1995
Judge Warner
2001
Pearl
2011
Rita
1995
Retirement Home Waitress (uncredited)
2011
Jackie Washington
1999
Self
2017
Amanda
1994
Riffing Prop 8'er
2008
Boss #1 - Lil
1996
2006
Jomisha
1992
Aunt Ruby
2002
Aunt Lettuce
2006
Camille
1998
Taylor Chase
1991
Self
2022
Flo (voice)
2013
Therapist
2007
Missy
Aunt Valerie
2015
Jenifer Lewis
2012
Nora
2004
Self - Harlette
1984
Self (archive footage)
2019
2018
Betty
1994
Detective Lancy
2000
Ms. Hopkins
2025
2021
Narrator (voice)
2021
Herself
1983
