Jenifer Lewis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jenifer Lewis
Lewis in 2008
Born	Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (1957-01-25) January 25, 1957 (age 68) Kinloch, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Webster University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1979–present
Children	1

Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American actress. She started her career in Broadway musicals and sang backup for Bette Midler. Later, she appeared in popular films like Beaches (1988) and Sister Act (1992).

Jenifer Lewis is well-known for playing motherly roles in many movies. Some of these include What's Love Got to Do With It (1993), Poetic Justice (1993), and The Preacher's Wife (1996). She also voiced Mama Odie in Disney's The Princess and the Frog (2009) and Flo in Pixar's Cars movies. On TV, she starred in Strong Medicine from 2000 to 2006. Since 2014, she has played Ruby Johnson in the ABC comedy series Black-ish. People sometimes call her "The Mother of Black Hollywood" because of her many motherly roles.

About Jenifer Lewis

Early Life and Education

Jenifer Lewis was born in Kinloch, Missouri. She later received a special honorary degree from Webster University in 2015.

Starting Her Career (1970s–1980s)

When Jenifer Lewis first moved to New York City, she began her acting journey on Broadway. Her first role was in the musical Eubie in 1979. She also worked as a backup singer, called a Harlette, for the famous singer Bette Midler. This led to her first TV appearances on Midler's HBO shows. She also appeared in Midler's film Beaches (1988). During this time, Lewis also created her own comedy and music show called The Diva Is Dismissed.

Rising to Fame (1990s)

After moving to Los Angeles, Jenifer Lewis started appearing in many TV sitcoms. These included A Different World and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, where she played Aunt Helen. In 1992, she was a backup singer in the comedy film Sister Act with Whoopi Goldberg.

The next year, Lewis played important mother roles in films. She was the mother of Tupac Shakur's character in Poetic Justice. She also played Zelma Bullock, Tina Turner's mother, in the movie What's Love Got to Do With It. For this role, she was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. She continued to take on supporting roles, including in Corrina, Corrina (1994) and Dead Presidents (1995). In 1996, she played Whitney Houston's character's mother in The Preacher's Wife, earning another NAACP Image Award nomination.

Continuing Success (2000s)

In 2000, Jenifer Lewis had a supporting role in the adventure film Cast Away. That same year, she began starring as Lana Hawkins in the medical drama Strong Medicine on Lifetime TV. The show ran until 2006. She also became the voice of Flo in Pixar's Cars (2006) and its sequels.

Lewis also had a recurring role in the sitcom Girlfriends. In films, she appeared in The Brothers (2001) and Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006). She also voiced Mama Odie in Walt Disney Animation Studios's animated musical The Princess and the Frog (2009). For this voice role, she was nominated for an Annie Award.

Recent Work (2010s–Present)

In 2010, Clint Eastwood cast Jenifer Lewis in his fantasy film Hereafter. She also co-starred in the film Five (2011), which earned her another NAACP Image Award nomination. She played an overbearing mother in the hit movie Think Like a Man (2012) and its sequel Think Like a Man Too (2014). In 2013, she was Paula Patton's mother in Baggage Claim.

In 2014, Lewis joined the cast of the ABC comedy series Black-ish as Ruby Johnson. She became a main character in the second season. For her role, she received nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award. In 2017, she released a book about her life and career called The Mother of Black Hollywood. In 2022, Jenifer Lewis received a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2024, she competed on The Masked Singer as "Miss Cleocatra." She also received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 2024.

Personal Life

Jenifer Lewis has an adopted daughter named Charmaine Lewis. She has shared that she has been engaged four times but has never married.

Filmography

Film Roles

Jenifer Lewis has appeared in many films throughout her career. Here are some of her notable roles:

Television Roles

Jenifer Lewis has also had many roles on television:

Voice Acting in Video Games

Jenifer Lewis has lent her voice to several video games, often reprising her character Flo from the Cars franchise:

See also

In Spanish: Jenifer Lewis para niños