Kasi Lemmons facts for kids

Kasi Lemmons (born Karen Lemmons on February 24, 1961) is an American film director, writer, and actress. She is known for directing movies like Eve's Bayou (1997), Talk to Me (2007), and Harriet (2019). She also directed the Netflix series Self Made (2020).

Kasi Lemmons started her acting career in commercials for companies like McDonald's and Levi's. Her first movie role was in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988). She also acted in famous films such as The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Candyman (1992). A film expert, Wheeler Winston Dixon, once said she shows the "creative possibilities of film."

Early Life and Education

Kasi Lemmons was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her father, Milton Francis Lemmons, was a biology teacher. Her mother, Dorothy Othello, was a counselor who later became a psychologist. When Kasi was eight, her parents divorced. Her mother moved the family to Newton, Massachusetts, to study at Harvard.

Kasi went to Commonwealth School, a private high school in Boston. In the summers, she joined a program at New York University's School of Drama. This program trained young people who wanted to become professional actors. It gave her the chance to learn from famous acting teachers like Lee Strasberg. From a young age, Kasi was interested in both acting and directing movies.

She studied at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, UCLA, and The New School of Social Research Film Program. In 1998, she received an honorary degree from Salem State College.

Career

Acting Roles

Kasi Lemmons began her acting career in 1979 in a TV movie called 11th Victim. As a child, she had a role on a local TV show called You Got a Right. She played the first Black girl to join an all-white school.

She also appeared in TV shows like As the World Turns, Murder, She Wrote, and ER. Her movie roles include Spike Lee's School Daze (1988), Vampire's Kiss (1988), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). She also acted in Candyman (1992), Hard Target (1993), and Gridlock'd (1997).

Directing Films

In 1997, Kasi Lemmons directed her first film, Eve's Bayou. It starred famous actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Jurnee Smollett. Kasi started writing the script for Eve's Bayou in 1992. To show studios she could direct, she made a short film called Dr. Hugo. Eve's Bayou was very popular with critics. It won her an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. It was also the highest-earning independent film in 1997.

In 2001, she directed Samuel L. Jackson again in The Caveman's Valentine. This movie was about a homeless man trying to solve a murder. In 2007, she directed Talk to Me. This film was about TV personality Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr., played by Don Cheadle. Kasi won an NAACP Image Awards for her directing in this film. She said the film was about a time when "change was possible."

Kasi Lemmons also directed Black Nativity in 2013. This movie was based on a Broadway musical. It featured stars like Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hudson.

Her 2019 film, Harriet, was a true story about Harriet Tubman. It was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. The main actress, Cynthia Erivo, was nominated for an Academy Award. Kasi Lemmons said that Harriet Tubman's story had "all the elements of a great adventure film." She added that it was important to tell stories about "female hero stories."

In 2021, Kasi Lemmons was chosen to direct Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. This movie is a true story about the singer Whitney Houston. Kasi believes that writing scripts is very important for her as a director. She writes scripts every day to create roles for actors she wants to work with.

Teaching and Mentoring

Kasi Lemmons has also spent a lot of time teaching and guiding others. She has been a board member for Film Independent. She has also advised the Sundance Screenwriter and Filmmaker Labs. She has given talks at many universities, including Yale, UCLA, and New York University. She is currently an Associate Arts Professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

Opera Work

Kasi Lemmons wrote the story for an opera called Fire Shut Up in My Bones. This opera was based on a novel by Charles M. Blow. It was the first opera by an African-American composer to open a season at the Metropolitan Opera in 2021.

Personal Life

Kasi Lemmons has been married to actor and director Vondie Curtis-Hall since 1995. They have four children together, including actor Henry Hunter Hall. Kasi sees herself first and foremost as an artist.

Filmography

Director

Actress

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kasi Lemmons para niños