Dawnn Lewis
Lewis in 2012
Born	Dawnn Jewel Lewis (1961-08-13)August 13, 1961 (age 64) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Miami (BM)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	Johnny Newman ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2006)​
Awards	1990, 1991, 1992 –BMI TV Music Award (A Different World)
Website	dawnnlewis.com

Dawnn Jewel Lewis^[1][2] (born August 13, 1961) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Jaleesa Vinson–Taylor on theNBC television sitcomA Different World from the series beginning in 1987 until the end of its fifth season in 1992, in addition to co-writing the opening theme song for the series.

Lewis's other notable roles include portraying Robin Dumars on theABC sitcomHangin' with Mr. Cooper^[3] for its first season (1992–93), as Cheryl Spade in the 1988 filmI'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and as Captain Carol Freeman on the animated seriesStar Trek: Lower Decks. Since then, Lewis has appeared in numerous TV series, including other sitcoms, and has also performed on stage.

Dawnn Lewis was born on August 13, 1961,^[4][5][6] inBrooklyn, New York City, to Carl and Joyce Lewis, who are of African-American andGuyanese descent,^[7] She began singing at the age of four and acting at eleven. At sixteen, Lewis graduated from theHigh School of Music & Art in New York City. In college, she majored inmusical theatre with a minor injournalism, graduating with aBachelor of Music degree,cum laude, from theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, Florida, in 1982.^[8]

From August 1, 1985, to July 6, 1986, Lewis performed in the chorus and as the character Dulcie in the National Tour of theBroadway musicalThe Tap Dance Kid under the name "Dawnn J. Lewis".^[9]

Lewis appeared in the first five of six seasons ofA Different World as Jaleesa Vinson (later Vinson–Taylor), from 1987 until 1992. Lewis co-wrote the theme song toA Different World, withBill Cosby andStu Gardner, and co-performed the song for the first season. Although her character was married to another of the main characters on the show, her character disappeared from the series without explanation, similar to the Chuck Cunningham character inHappy Days. Lewis appeared in a special week-long segment ofA Different World called theHillman College Reunion airing onNick at Nite, along withLisa Bonet,Jasmine Guy,Kadeem Hardison,Darryl M. Bell,Cree Summer, andSinbad. On herSuper Password appearance in 1988, she was paired withDallas starKen Kercheval, not any of her co-stars.

In September 1992, Lewis began starring in ABC'sHangin' with Mr. Cooper alongsideMark Curry andHolly Robinson. Lewis appeared in 20 of the 22 episodes of the first season as Robin Dumars, Mark's childhood best friend and roommate. Lewis did not appear on the two shows concurrently – she leftA Different World to star inHangin' with Mr. Cooper. Lewis and Holly Robinson, along with R&B quartetEn Vogue, performed the theme song for season one ofHangin' with Mr. Cooper. Sometime before the end of season one, the show producers decided to scale back on the updated version of the 1970s ABC sitcomThree's Company concept. Lewis left the show after the conclusion of the first season due to the producers deciding to change the direction of the show, replacing her character with a mother and child; Mark's cousin Geneva Lee (portrayed bySaundra Quarterman) and her daughter Nicole (portrayed byRaven-Symoné).^[10]

Lewis provided additional voices in the video game,True Crime: New York City.^[11] She portrayed Deloris Van Cartier inPeter Schneider'sSister Act the Musical, which opened at thePasadena Playhouse on October 24, 2006. Lewis has voicedStorm of theX-Men in threegames, most recentlyMarvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. She also voicedGranny Grim onThe Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and voiced the female Shokan (Sheeva) inMortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. Lewis has also done voice work asLaBarbara Conrad, wife ofHermes Conrad, in the animated TV seriesFuturama, Detective Terri Lee onSpider-Man: The Animated Series, villainess Di Archer onBruno the Kid, and voiced a number of characters onThe Boondocks. Additionally, she voiced the character Sharona onKing of the Hill.

Lewis co-starred in twoDisney Channel Original Movies,The Poof Point as Marigold Ballord, and as Gail DeBarge inLet It Shine. In 2000, Lewis played Blabberwort the Troll in the five-episodeNBCminiseriesThe 10th Kingdom.

In 2006, Lewis starred as Melba Early in the film adaptation ofDreamgirls. Lewis released her debut CD, entitledWorth Waiting For, in 2006. She played Addaperle inThe Wiz withNew York City Center'sEncores! In 2009, Lewis played Denise Fields onOne Tree Hill. In 2010, Lewis played a minor recurring role as Lauren's mother inThe Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2012, she voiced Malora inStrange Frame. She also appeared as Dr. Knapp onDays of Our Lives in 2012–2013. In 2014 Lewis starred inThe Divorce along with Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tatyana Ali & Freda Payne. In 2014, she started a recurring role that ran the final four seasons ofMajor Crimes as Patrice, a love interest and later wife of Lt. Provenza, whom he met during a case. In that same year, she also voiced Ruby's mother Helen Hanshaw in one episode ofSofia The First.

In March 2016, Lewis was cast inDisney Junior's animated seriesDoc McStuffins as the voice of Grandma McStuffins.^[12]In 2017 she provided the voice of Maybelle Mundy in the filmBunyan and Babe. In 2018 she began voicing Fannie Granger onDreamWorks'sSpirit Riding Free and Dr. Jones inStretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, while in 2019 began voicing The Chief onNetflix's animatedCarmen Sandiego. She voiced Attorney General's special agent Lenora Carter inThe Simpsons episode "The Fat Blue Line" in 2019, and became the voice of Bernice Hibbert starting with "Uncut Femmes" in 2021.

From November 2019 to January 2022, she began portrayed Zelma,Tina Turner's mother, in the musicalTina onBroadway.^[13]

From August 2020 to December 2024, she starred as the voice of Captain Carol Freeman in the animated seriesStar Trek: Lower Decks.^[14]

From 2021 to 2022, Lewis voiced Ms. Jackie Washington, the Neighborhood Council President of Hansberry Heights, in the animated seriesKarma's World.^[15]

In 2021, Lewis was among the first honorees to be inducted into theWomen Songwriters Hall of Fame.^[16]

Lewis is an honorary member of theZeta Phi Beta sorority.^[17]

• Vanessa Williams –The Right Stuff, on the song "If You Really Love Him"
• Take 6 –So Much 2 Say, on the interlude "That's The Law"
• D-Nice –Call Me D-Nice, on the song "It's Over"

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDawnn Lewis.

• Official website
• Dawnn Lewis atIMDb
• Dawnn J. Lewis at theInternet Broadway Database
• Dawnn Lewis at theTCM Movie Database
• "Different World" Star Dawnn Lewis to Get Into the Habit for Sister Act The MusicalPlaybill. Retrieved 2006-09-24

• 1961 births
• Living people
• Actresses from Brooklyn
• American film actresses
• American people of Guyanese descent
• American television actresses
• American video game actresses
• American voice actresses
• The High School of Music & Art alumni
• University of Miami Frost School of Music alumni
• 20th-century African-American actresses
• 20th-century American actresses
• 21st-century African-American actresses
• 21st-century American actresses

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