Sanaa Lathan | |
|---|---|
 Lathan at the 2010San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Sanaa McCoy Lathan (1971-09-19)September 19, 1971 (age 53) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | University of California, Berkeley(BA) Yale University(MFA) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Parent(s) | Stan Lathan Eleanor McCoy |
Sanaa McCoy Lathan[1] (/səˈnɑːˈleɪθən/;[2] born September 19, 1971)[1] is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film directorStan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the showsIn the House,Family Matters,NYPD Blue, andMoesha. Lathan later garnered further prominence after starring in the 1998 superhero filmBlade, which followed with film roles inThe Best Man (1999),Love & Basketball (2000),Disappearing Acts (2000), andBrown Sugar (2002).
In 2004, Lathan's performance in theBroadway revival ofA Raisin in the Sun, earned her a nomination at theTony Awards forBest Featured Actress in a Play. Following this, she played the role ofAlexa "Lex" Woods in the filmAlien vs. Predator. In 2008, she landed a leading role in filmThe Family That Preys byTyler Perry. Lathan returned to theatre work in 2010, starring in the all-black performance ofCat on a Hot Tin Roof at theNovello Theatre in London.[3] She reprised her role as Robyn in the Christmas-themed sequel ofThe Best Man, inThe Best Man Holiday (2013). In 2022, she received a nomination for thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for her work on the television seriesSuccession.[4]
As avoice actress, from (2009 to 2013), she voicedDonna Tubbs inThe Cleveland Show and in all concurrent and subsequentFamily Guy appearances, as well asCatwoman onHarley Quinn. Her other notable film credits includeOut of Time (2003),Something New (2006),Wonderful World (2009),Contagion (2011),Repentance (2013),The Perfect Guy (2015), andNow You See Me 2 (2016). Lathan also made her directorial debut with the filmOn the Come Up in 2022.
Lathan was born in New York City.[1] Her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was also an actress and dancer[1] who performed onBroadway withEartha Kitt. Her father,Stan Lathan, worked behind the scenes in television forPBS, as well as a producer on shows such asSanford & Son andRussell Simmons'Def Comedy Jam. Her brother is Tendaji Lathan, a well known DJ. She attendedManhattan Center for Science and Mathematics as well asBeverly Hills High School.
Lathan's adolescence was a tough period. She has stated she was alatchkey kid whose parents weren't around much. As a result, she was left with relatives who abused drugs. However, she went on to develop a solid relationship with her parents in the ensuing years.[5]
She graduated from theUniversity of California, Berkeley, with a bachelor's degree in English. She then attendedYale University and earned a master's degree in drama.[6]
Following her training at Yale, where she studied withEarle R. Gister and performed in a number ofShakespeare plays, Lathan earned acclaim bothoff-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage. Encouraged by her father to make Los Angeles her professional base, she found early television roles in episodes of such shows asIn the House,Family Matters,NYPD Blue, andMoesha.[1]
In 1998, Lathan earned a degree of recognition with her role as the mother ofWesley Snipes' title character inBlade.[7] The following year she appeared inLife withMartin Lawrence andEddie Murphy and did back-to-back turns inThe Best Man andThe Wood.The Best Man, a comedy-dramaensemble film starringTaye Diggs,Nia Long,Harold Perrineau Jr. andMorris Chestnut,[8] was one of the top ten highest-grossing African American films in history, and Lathan received an NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance.The Wood, another ensemble film starring Diggs andOmar Epps, cast her as Epps' love interest.[7]
Lathan and Epps were reunited onscreen inGina Prince-Bythewood'sLove & Basketball, this time as a couple as passionate about basketball as they are about each other.[9] Her performance earned Lathan the 2001NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, anIndependent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress, and aBET Award. In 2000, she appeared in the Off-Broadway production ofThe Vagina Monologues withTeri Garr andJulianna Margulies.[10]
In 2001, Lathan earned acclaim for her work in the multicultural comedy filmCatfish in Black Bean Sauce.[11] Next was her second collaboration with Prince-Bythewood,Disappearing Acts, based on a novel byTerry McMillan.[12] In theHBO film, she played an aspiring singer/songwriter in love with a carpenter, played by herBlade co-star Wesley Snipes. For her work in the film, she earned anEssence Award for Best Actress. That year, she was named byEbony magazine as one of its55 Most Beautiful People and was honoured byEssence magazine andBlack Entertainment Television. In 2002, Lathan starred in the romantic comedy film,Brown Sugar with Diggs,Queen Latifah andMos Def.[13] Lathan's performance earned an NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The film also received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture. In 2003 she co-starred withDenzel Washington inOut of Time.[14]
In 2004, Lathan starred on Broadway inA Raisin in the Sun withSean Combs,Audra McDonald, andPhylicia Rashad, and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress for her portrayal of Beneatha Younger. She reprised the role in ABC Network's2008 film adaptation.[15]
The same year, she was given the lead role inAlien vs. Predator.[16] It was a major success, grossing over $171 million worldwide.[17] With this role she held onto a 15-year record for biggest opening weekend for a film starring a Black woman, debuting with $38.2 million.[18]
In 2006, she co-starred withSimon Baker in the romantic comedySomething New,[19] and as Michelle Landau, the much younger wife of a Texas businessman (Larry Hagman) in thefourth season of the television seriesNip/Tuck.[20] She played Andrea inTyler Perry'sThe Family That Preys, also starringAlfre Woodard andKathy Bates, released in the U.S. on September 12, 2008.[21]
In 2009, Lathan co-starred withMatthew Broderick in the dramaWonderful World.[22] From 2009 to 2013, she voiced the characterDonna Tubbs onThe Cleveland Show.[23] In 2011, Lathan co-starred in theSteven Soderbergh thrillerContagion withMatt Damon,Jude Law,Marion Cotillard,Kate Winslet,Gwyneth Paltrow,Bryan Cranston, andLaurence Fishburne. In 2011, she starred withAnthony Mackie andForest Whitaker inRepentance, a psychological thriller directed by Phillipe Caland.[24] She played series regular Mona Fredricks in the second season ofStarz' original seriesBoss, starringKelsey Grammer.
In 2013, Lathan reprised her role inThe Best Man′s sequel,The Best Man Holiday.[25] In 2016, she was cast in the ensemble of the sequel ofNow You See Me, entitledNow You See Me 2, which was a box-office success; and in the science fiction filmApproaching the Unknown. In 2017, she returned to TV in a lead role in the seriesShots Fired, and also appeared in the filmAmerican Assassin. She was then added to the main cast ofThe Affair, appearing in its fourth and fifth seasons, and starred in theNetflix filmNappily Ever After.
In January 2021, it was announced that she was cast in season 3 ofSuccession as a Lisa Arthur, a high profile, well-connected New York lawyer earning her anPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.
In 2021, Lathan directed the film adaptation ofAngie Thomas's novelOn the Come Up.[26] The film premiered at the2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[27]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Drive | Carolyn Brody | |
| 1998 | Blade | Vanessa Brooks | |
| 1999 | Life | Daisy | |
| Catfish in Black Bean Sauce | Nina | ||
| The Wood | Alicia | ||
| The Best Man | Robyn | ||
| 2000 | Love & Basketball | Monica Wright | |
| The Smoker | Roxanne | Short | |
| 2002 | Brown Sugar | Sidney "Sid" Shaw | |
| 2003 | Out of Time | Ann Merai Harrison | |
| 2004 | Alien vs. Predator | Alexa "Lex" Woods | |
| 2005 | The Golden Blaze | Monica (voice) | Video |
| 2006 | Something New | Kenya Denise McQueen | |
| 2008 | The Family That Preys | Andrea Pratt-Bennett | |
| 2009 | Wonderful World | Khadi | |
| Powder Blue | Diana | ||
| 2011 | Contagion | Aubrey Cheever | |
| 2013 | Repentance | Maggie Carter | |
| The Best Man Holiday | Robyn Stewart | ||
| 2015 | The Perfect Guy | Leah Vaughn | Also executive producer |
| 2016 | Now You See Me 2 | FBI Deputy Director Natalie Austin | |
| Approaching the Unknown | Emily Maddox | ||
| 2017 | American Assassin | CIA Deputy Director Irene Kennedy | |
| 2018 | Nappily Ever After | Violet Jones | Also producer |
| 2019 | Native Son | Trudy Thomas | |
| 2021 | With/In: Volume 1 | Segment: "Leap"; also director | |
| 2022 | On The Come Up | Jayda "Jay" Jackson | Also director |
| 2023 | Young. Wild. Free. | Janice Huffman | Also executive producer |
| 2024 | The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat | Barbara Jean |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | In the House | Charese | Episode: "The Curse of Hill House" |
| Moesha | Ebony | Episode: "A Concerted Effort" | |
| 1997 | Family Matters | Allison | Episode: "Revenge of the Nerd" |
| Built to Last | Linda | Episode: "Pilot" | |
| Miracle in the Woods | Young Lilly | Television film | |
| 1998 | NYPD Blue | Shirley Barish | Episode: "You're Under a Rasta" |
| 1998–1999 | LateLine | Briana Gilliam | Main cast |
| 2000 | Disappearing Acts | Zora Banks | Television film |
| 2006 | Nip/Tuck | Michelle Landau | Recurring cast (season 4) |
| 2008 | A Raisin in the Sun | Beneatha Younger | Television film |
| 2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Donna Tubbs (voice) | Main cast |
| 2014–present | Family Guy | Donna Tubbs (voice) | Recurring cast (season 8–) |
| 2011 | Tilda | Sasha Litt | Television film |
| 2012 | Boss | Mona Fredricks | Main cast (season 2) |
| 2014 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Rolling with My Roomie" |
| 2015 | Punk'd | Herself | Episode: "Sanaa Lathan & Trey Songz" |
| 2017 | Shots Fired | Ashe Akino | Main cast |
| 2018–2019 | The Affair | Janelle | Main cast (season 4–5) |
| 2019 | The Twilight Zone | Nina Harrison | Episode: "Replay" |
| 2020–2023 | Harley Quinn | Selina Kyle / Catwoman (voice) | Recurring cast (season 2–4) |
| 2021 | Solos | Nia (voice) | Episode: "Sasha" |
| Hit & Run | Naomi Hicks | Main cast | |
| Succession | Lisa Arthur | Recurring cast (season 3) | |
| 2022 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | Robyn Stewart | Main cast |
| 2024 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | Sibby Sanders | 2 episodes |
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff | Donna Tubbs | |
| 2016 | Zen Pinball 2 | Alexa "Lex" Woods | |
| Pinball FX 2 | |||
| Pinball FX 3 |
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | “Don’t Say” | Jon B. | Girlfriend |
| 2001 | “What If” | Babyface | Girlfriend |
| 2014 | "Imagine"(UNICEF: World version) | Various | Herself |
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | The Best Man | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2001 | Love & Basketball | BET Award | Best Actress | Won |
| 2001 | Love & Basketball | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Nominated |
| 2001 | Love & Basketball | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Won |
| 2001 | Disappearing Acts | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2001 | Love & Basketball | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Won |
| 2003 | Brown Sugar | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2003 | Brown Sugar | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2003 | A Raisin in the Sun | Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Play | Nominated |
| 2004 | Out of Time | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Won |
| 2004 | Out of Time | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2004 | A Raisin in the Sun | Theatre World Award | Best Female Lead | Won |
| 2006 | Something New | Black Movie Awards | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2006 | Something New | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2007 | Something New | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2007 | Nip/Tuck | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 2008 | The Family That Preys | Black Reel Award | Best Actress | Nominated |
| 2009 | A Raisin in the Sun | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Mini-Series | Nominated |
| 2012 | By The Way, Meet Vera Stark | Lucille Lortel Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress | Won |
| 2012 | By The Way, Meet Vera Stark | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Play | Nominated |
| 2016 | The Perfect Guy | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Won |
| 2019 | Nappily Ever After | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture | Nominated |
| 2019 | The Affair | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 2022 | Succession | Black Reel Award | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series | Won |
| 2022 | Succession | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series[4] | Nominated |
| 2023 | The Best Man: The Final Chapters | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special | Nominated |
| 2025 | The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie) | Nominated |
| 2025 | Young. Wild. Free. | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special, or Movie) | Nominated |
