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Lynn Whitfield Biography

Lynn Whitfield is an American actress and producer. She started her acting career in television and theatre, before she moved to supporting roles in film. Lynn won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical drama film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).

She made her breakthrough performance as Josephine Baker playing the leading roles in a number of made for television movies in the 1990s, and had several starring roles in films, include performances in 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 smaller movies in the 2000s and 2010s.  She began starring as villainous Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network drama series, Greenleaf in 2016. She has won five NAACP Image Awards.

Lynn Whitfield Age | How Old Is Lynn Whitfield

Lynn was born on May 6, 1953 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She is 65 years old as of 2018.

Lynn Whitfield Family | Lynn Whitfield Parents | Lynn Whitfield Young | Jean Butler Lynn Whitfield

Lynn was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  She is the daughter of Jean who is African-American, an officer of a finance agency, and Valerian Smith -who is Creole, a dentist. Lynn is the eldest of four children and a third-generation BFA graduate from Howard University.

Her  father who was a dentist  was instrumental in developing Lynn’s initial interest in acting as he was a prime figure in forming community theater in her native Baton Rouge. First she gathered attention on the stage by studying and performing with the Black Repertory Company in Washington, D.C.

In 1974 Lynn married one of the company’s co-founders and pioneers of black theatre, playwright/director/actor Vantile Whitfield . Eventually she moved to New York and appeared off-Broadway in such shows as The Great Macdaddy and Showdown before earning acclaim in the 1977 Los Angeles production of the landmark play ‘for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf’ co-starring alongside Alfre Woodard.

Lynn Whitfield Husband |  Brian Gibson And Lynn Whitfield

Lynn was married two times. From 1974 to 1978 she was married to her first husband Vantile Whitfield . She was married to director Brian Gibson from 1990 to 1992 and had a daughter, Grace.

Who Is Lynn Whitfield Married To

After the two divorce Lynn has not yet been married again.

Grace Gibson Lynn Whitfield | Lynn Whitfield Daughter

Lynn’s daughter Grace Gibson is an actress, known for Black Nativity (2013), All Eyez on Me (2017) and Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. (2018).

Lynn Whitfield Movies

Lynn Whitfield  Tv Shows

Lynn Whitfield Feet | Lynn Whitfield Hot

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Lynn Whitfield House

Lynn Whitfield Thin Line

Lynn was cast as a female lead opposite Martin Lawrence in the dark romantic comedy film, A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in 1996 .  During it  filming, Lawrence was 12 years younger than Lynn, who was then 42. The film earned over $35 million against a budget of $8 million.

Lynn Whitfield Net Worth

Lynn has an estimated net worth of $3 million dollars.

Lynn Whitfield Greenleaf

Lynn was cast in series regular role of main villain in the Oprah Winfrey Network original scripted drama series Greenleaf  in 2015 about unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch.

Lynn Whitfield Madea’s Family Reunion

She co-starred in theTyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion (2006)