Kasi Lemmons facts for kids

Kasi Lemmons (born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She started her career as an actress. Later, she became known for directing movies.

Some of her well-known films as a director include Eve's Bayou (1997), Talk to Me (2007), and Harriet (2019). She also directed episodes for TV series like Self Made (2020) and Women of the Movement (2022).

As an actress, Kasi Lemmons appeared in commercials for companies like McDonald's and Levi's. She made her first movie appearance in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988). She also acted in The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Candyman (1992). A film expert once said that Kasi Lemmons is a great example of how creative movies can be.

Early Life and Learning

Kasi Lemmons was born in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother, Dorothy Othello, was a counselor and later a psychologist. Her father, Milton Francis Lemmons, was a biology teacher.

When Kasi was eight, her parents divorced. Her mother moved the family to Newton, Massachusetts. This was so her mother could study at Harvard University. Kasi attended Commonwealth School, a private high school in Boston.

During the summers, she went to a special program at New York University. This program trained young people who wanted to be professional actors. Through this, she learned from famous acting teachers. Kasi was interested in both acting and directing from a young age.

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 Highlights

Acting Roles

Kasi Lemmons started 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 in the show.

She appeared in many TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote and ER. Her movie roles include Spike Lee's School Daze (1988) and Vampire's Kiss (1988). She also acted in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which won an Academy Award. Other films include Candyman (1992) and Gridlock'd (1997).

Directing Movies

In 1997, Kasi Lemmons directed her first major film, Eve's Bayou. This movie starred 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 Kasi an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. It was also the highest-earning independent film in 1997.

In 2001, she directed The Caveman's Valentine, again starring Samuel L. Jackson. This film was about a homeless man trying to solve a murder. In 2007, she directed Talk to Me. This movie was about a TV personality and activist named Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. Kasi won an NAACP Image Award for her directing in this film. She said the movie was about a time when big changes were possible.

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

Her 2019 film, Harriet, tells the true story of Harriet Tubman. The movie's star, Cynthia Erivo, was nominated for an Academy Award. Kasi Lemmons said that Harriet Tubman's story was already like a great adventure film. She wanted to show Harriet's courage and movement on screen.

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

Teaching and Mentoring

Kasi Lemmons has also spent a lot of time helping and teaching others. She has been a board member for Film Independent. She also advises the Sundance Screenwriter and Filmmaker Labs. She has given talks at many universities, including Yale and UCLA. From 2010 to 2011, she was a special lecturer at UCLA. She is currently a 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 first performed in 2019. In 2021, it opened the Metropolitan Opera season. This was a big moment because it was the first opera by an African-American composer at that famous opera house.

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 Lemmons sees herself first and foremost as an artist. She feels that being an artist is a big part of who she is every day.

Filmography

Director

Actress

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Kasi Lemmons para niños