Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born
September 19,
1971)
is an
American actress. She starred in numerous
movies, including the box-office hits
Love & Basketball,
Alien vs. Predator,
Something New, and
The Family That Preys, and was nominated for a
Tony Award for her performance on
Broadway in
A Raisin in the Sun.
Biography
Lathan was born in
New York City and attended
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Her first name means "work of art" in Swahili.
[www.imdb.com/name/nm0005125/bio] Her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was an actress and dancer
[www.filmreference.com/film/65/Sanaa-Lathan.html] who performed on Broadway with
Eartha Kitt. She is of
African American and
Native American descent.
Her father,
Stan Lathan, worked behind the scenes in television for
PBS, as well as a producer on shows such as
Sanford & Son and Russell Simmons'
Def Comedy Jam. Her brother is Tendaji Lathan (now a DJ).
She graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English.
[www.jewelmagonline.com/article.aspx?id=1029] Lathan contemplated a career in law, but instead enrolled at the
Yale School of Drama.
Career
Following her training at
Yale, where she studied with
Earle R. Gister and performed in a number of
Shakespeare's plays, Lathan earned acclaim both
off-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage. Encouraged by her father to make Los Angeles her professional base, the young actress found early television roles on episodes of such shows as
In the House,
Family Matters,
NYPD Blue, and
Moesha. During that same period, she won raves and a Best Actress nod from the Los Angeles NAACP Theatrical Award Committee for her performance in
To Take Arms.
In 1998, Lathan earned a degree of recognition with her role as the mother of
Wesley Snipes' title character in
Blade. She followed this the subsequent year with a role in
Life with
Martin Lawrence and
Eddie Murphy and back-to-back turns in
The Best Man and
The Wood.
The Best Man was a comedic ensemble film, starring
Taye Diggs,
Nia Long,
Harold Perrineau Jr., and
Morris Chestnut.
The Best Man went on to become one of the top ten highest grossing African American films in history and Lathan received a NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance.
The Wood, another ensemble film starring Diggs and
Omar Epps, cast her as the love interest of Epps. Lathan and Epps were reunited onscreen in Prince-Bythewood's
Love & Basketball, this time playing a couple as passionate about basketball as they are about each other.
The film served as a break-out role for Lathan, who played a leading character instead of the girlfriend of one. Her performance in
Love & Basketball earned her the 2001
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, as well as an
Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress and a
BET Award. That same year, Lathan earned additional acclaim for her work in the multicultural comedy
Catfish in Black Bean Sauce and for her second collaboration with Prince-Bythewood,
Disappearing Acts. Based on a novel by
Terry McMillan, the HBO movie cast Lathan as an aspiring singer/songwriter in love with a carpenter, played by her ‘’Blade’’ co-star Wesley Snipes. For her work in the film, Lathan earned an
Essence Award for Best Actress, as well as the added assurance of a very busy work schedule. That year, she was named by
Ebony magazine as one of its
55 Most Beautiful People and was honoured by
Essence magazine and
Black Entertainment Television.
In 2002, Lathan starred in the romantic comedy,
Brown Sugar, alongside Diggs,
Queen Latifah, and
Mos Def. Lathan’s performance earned a NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The film also received a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture.
In 2004, Lathan starred on Broadway in
A Raisin in the Sun with
Sean Combs,
Audra McDonald, and
Phylicia Rashad. Lathan received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress for her portrayal of Beneatha Younger. Several years later, Lathan reprised the role in a critically acclaimed ABC Network production of
A Raisin in the Sun.
Lathan subsequently starred in several major
Hollywood films, including
Alien vs. Predator, which was Lathan's biggest role to date.
Alien vs. Predator was a major success grossing over $171 million worldwide.
Out of Time was also an important role for Lathan as she played the plot-twist
antagonist, sharing the screen with
protagonist Denzel Washington.
In 2006, Lathan co-starred with
Simon Baker in
Something New, a romantic comedy about an
interracial relationship. Lathan appeared in a recurring role as
Michelle Landau in another interracial relationship as the much younger wife of a Texas businessman (
Larry Hagman) during the fourth season of the television series,
Nip/Tuck.
Lathan played Andrea in
Tyler Perry's
The Family That Preys, which also featured
Alfre Woodard and
Kathy Bates and was released in the U.S. on September 12, 2008.
In 2009, Lathan co-starred with
Matthew Broderick in the drama
Wonderful World. Lathan also voiced a character on
The Cleveland Show, an animated series that will premiere in the fall of 2009. The show was created by
Seth McFarlane as a spin-off of the popular TV series
Family Guy. In December 2009 Lathan returns to theater alongside
James Earl Jones for the
West End production of
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof[Variety.com:Sanaa Lathan set for London's 'Cat'].
Filmography
Awards and nominations
* 2001, Best Actress: (Winner)
* 2006, Best Actress: Something New (Nominated)
* 2008, Best Actress: The Family That Preys (Nominated)
* 2006, Best Actress: Something New (Nominated)
* 2004, Best Actress: Out of Time (Winner)
* 2003, Best Actress: Brown Sugar (Nominated)
* 2001, Best Actress: Love & Basketball (Winner)
* 2001, Best Actress in a TV Movie/Mini-Series: Disappearing Acts (Nominated)
* 2007, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Something New (Nominated)
* 2007, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Nip/Tuck (Nominated)
* 2004, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Out of Time (Nominated)
* 2003, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Brown Sugar (Nominated)
* 2001, Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture: Love & Basketball (Winner)
* 2000, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: The Best Man (Nominated)
* 2001, Best Female Lead: Love & Basketball (Nominated)
* 2004 A Raisin in the Sun (Winner)
* 2003, Best Featured Actress in a Play: A Raisin in the Sun (Nominated)
