Lynn Whitfield

About

Lynn Whitfield (née Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991). In the 1990s, Whitfield played leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and had several starring roles in theatrical films, including A Thin Line Between Love and Hate (1996), Gone Fishin' (1997), Eve's Bayou (1997), Stepmom (1998), Head of State (2003), Madea's Family Reunion (2006), and The Women (2008). Whitfield also starred in a number of movies in the 2000s and 2010s. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network...

Known for

Without a TraceSeries • 2002How to Get Away with MurderSeries • 2014Miami ViceSeries • 1984The ResidentSeries • 2018Hill Street BluesSeries • 1981American PlayhouseSeries • 1982St. ElsewhereSeries • 1982Strong MedicineSeries • 2000Touched by an AngelSeries • 1994MatlockSeries • 1986The ChiSeries • 2018Boston PublicSeries • 2000Cagney & LaceySeries • 1982MartinSeries • 1992Matt HoustonSeries • 1982GreenleafSeries • 2016SharkSeries • 2006FlashForwardSeries • 2009St. Denis MedicalSeries • 2024Eyes of WakandaSeries • 2025Promised LandSeries • 1996Fatal AttractionSeries • 2013Chasing LifeSeries • 2014StrungMovie • 2026