Sanaa Lathan Biography
A graduate of the prestigious Yale School of Drama, and a wide-eyed luminous beauty with a knowing but infectious smile, actress Sanaa Lathan was poised to become a breakout star. Her career was well-paced, the performer choosing interesting and multifaceted ensemble roles that showcased her abilities before making her starring debut with the Sundance screened independent “Love and Basketball” (2000). Born into an entertainment family (her father is director Stan Lathan and her mother a professional dancer) she performed frequently in Off-Broadway and regional productions in addition to work in film and television. Pursuing a film acting career, Lathan headed to Los Angeles in 1996, and soon landed guest starring roles on TV series including ABC’s “Family Matters” and UPN’s “In the House” and “Moesha” (all 1997). That same year she co-starred as the young incarnation of Della Reese’s troubled elderly woman in the CBS TV-movie drama “Miracle in the Woods”. Lathan had a featured guest spot on ABC’s “NYPD Blue” in 1998 before scoring a regular role on an NBC show-within-a-show sitcom, playing Brianna, a booker for the a late-night news program “Lateline” (1998-1999; unaired episodes picked up by Showtime and broadcast 1999-2000). While her role was unfortunately underdeveloped, Lathan made the most of what lines she had, and emerged as an engaging presence.
In 1998, Lathan made her film debut with a role opposite Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff in the supernatural action film “Blade”. In 1999, she would gain recognition for her work in two African-American ensemble films, “The Wood” and “The Best Man”. In “The Wood”, Lathan played the grown up version of the protagonist’s teenage crush turned best friend. Her work in the film was memorable although it didn’t afford her much onscreen time. As Robin in “The Best Man”, she played the girlfriend of commitment-shy novelist Harper (Taye Diggs), a man bestowed with the title honor in a friend’s wedding. Lathan was subtle and insinuating in the role, creating a strong, well-rounded and entirely sympathetic character. That same year she appeared as Eddie Murphy’s love interest in the prison buddy comedy “Life”. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Love and Basketball” (2000), a time-spanning look at the growth of a romantic relationship and the development of a star athletes, paired Lathan with “The Wood” co-star Omar Epps, each playing talented basketball players who become childhood friends and come closer through their respective trials to make the big time, ultimately coming to question which of the two titular things is more important. “Love and Basketball” was a challenge for Lathan, who had no real life basketball experience. Tireless training helped her to get to a skill level that would facilitate filming, and the buzz surrounding this well-crafted breakout film propelled the beautiful and talented actress into the spotlight. Later that year, she reteamed with Prince-Bythewood, co-starring in the director’s adaptation of Terry McMillan’s “Disappearing Acts” (2000), an HBO original film.
In 2002, Lathan reunited with Taye Diggs and the director of “The Wood” (Rick Famuyiwa) to film “Brown Sugar”, a romantic comedy that also featured Mos Def. The actress then secured a high profile, breakthrough role opposite Denzell Washington in director Carl Franklin’s crime thriller “Out of Time” (2003), playing Washington’s high school sweetheart, with whom he becomes embroiled in an adulterous affair. Between film projects, Latham kept busy on the stage, starring opposite Billy Crudup in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Central Park production of “Measure for Measure” in the summer of 2001; and in 2003, she starred opposite Sean Combs and Phyllicia Rashad in the Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun,” for which she received a Tony nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. That triumph was immediately followed by a turn as the leader of an archeological expedition caught up in a war between extraterrestrial baddies in the fushion franchise “Alien Vs. Predator” (2004).
- Born:
on 09/19/1973 in New York, New York - Job Titles:
Actor
Family
- Father: Stan Lathan. divorced from Lathan’s mother; remarried; lives in Southern California
- Half-sister: Ariel Lathan. born c. 1985
- Half-sister: Colette Lathan. born c. 1997
- Half-sister: Liliane Lathan. born c. 1984
- Mother: Eleanor McCoy. divorced from Lathan’s father; lives in NYC
- Step-brother: Tendaji. born c. 1972
Significant Others
- Companion: Omar Epps. dating as of 2000; rumored to be no longer together as of March 2003
Education
- University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, English, BA
- School of Drama, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, MFA
Milestones
- 1996 Headed to Los Angeles to work on stage and pursue a film acting career
- 1997 Acted in the action-adventure “Drive”, aired on HBO in lieu of theatrical release
- 1997 Featured in the TV-movie “Miracle in the Woods” (CBS) and the short-lived series “Built to Last” (NBC)
- 1998 Was a regular on the NBC sitcom “Lateline”; unaired episodes of the series were bought by Showtime and broadcast on the network during the 1999-2000 season
- 1998 Featured in the vampire action film “Blade”
- 1998 Played Emily Webb in South Coast Repertory’s production of “Our Town”
- 1999 Featured in “Catfish in Black Bean Sauce”, an independent drama about Vietnamese siblings raised by an African-American couple
- 1999 Played the adult incarnation of the protagonist’s teenage love in Rick Famuyiwa’s nostalgic drama “The Wood”
- 1999 Played the sweet but strong girlfriend of a commitment-shy novelist in the ensemble drama “The Best Man”
- 2000 Co-starred in HBO’s production of Terry McMillan’s “Disappearing Acts”, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
- 2000 Starred as a talented athlete who finds romance with a longtime friend and fellow basketball star in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Love and Basketball”
- 2001 Starred opposite Billy Crudup in the New York Shakespeare Festival’s Central Park production of “Measure for Measure” (June-July)
- 2002 Co-starred in the romance feature “Brown Sugar”
- 2003 Co-starred in the feature “Out of Time”, which starred Denzel Washington
- 2004 Cast in “Alien vs. Predator”
- 2004 Co-starred with Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad in “Raisin in the Sun”; received a Tony nomination
- 2006 Co-starred with Simon Baker in the romantic comedy, “Something New”
- Acted on the New York stage, with credits including “A Movie Star Has to Star in Black and White” at the Signature Theater Company
- Appeared onstage as part of Berkeley’s Black Theater Workshop
- Spent childhood living in Los Angeles and New York
- Will join the cast of the hit FX drama “Nip/Tuck” in the fourth season
Monica Bellucci Biography
This regally beautiful stage-trained black performer has distinguished herself on stage, TV and film, often playing intelligent but long-suffering women who exhibit strength, patience and quiet elegance. Bassett has played opposite some of contemporary Hollywood’s most illustrious black leading men including Laurence Fishburne, Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy. She has also worked with such notable black filmmakers as Ossie Davis, Spike Lee and John Singleton. Bassett, however, has not been confined to “black subjects” as she has also been featured prominently in diverse TV projects and in film collaborations with writer-directors John Sayles and Wes Craven.
Bassett learned her craft at the Yale School of Drama where she began a valuable association with the dean–celebrated stage director Lloyd Richards who directed Bassett on Broadway in two August Wilson plays: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (1985) and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” (1988).
Bassett’s screen career began in 1985 with a guest shot on the ABC detective drama “Spenser: For Hire” and a brief turn as a hooker on the CBS miniseries “Doubletake”. While the action thriller “F/X” (1986) marked her move into features, Bassett remained more regularly employed in TV during the late 1980s and early 90s with guest shots, brief stints as recurring characters and roles in high-profile TV-movies and miniseries. Some fans may remember her from the “Spencer” spin-off, “A Man Called Hawk” (ABC, 1989), as Avery Brooks’ “pseudo-cryptic clandestine girlfriend” (her phrase). Bassett registered more strongly as the wife of ill-fated astronaut Ronald McNair in the 1990 ABC Theater presentation “Challenger”. She won raves for her portrayal of Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mom, in the miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (ABC, 1992).
Bassett first gained notice in features as the estranged, ambitious wife of Laurence Fishburne in John Singleton’s “Boyz in the Hood” (1991). Her impressive resume grew to include playing the “do-gooder” wife of politician Joe Morton in John Sayles’ “City of Hope” (1991) and an outstanding portrayal of Betty Shabazz, the quietly strong wife of activist and preacher Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s epic biopic “Malcolm X” (1992). A lean and pumped up Bassett earned raves, celebrity and a Best Actress Oscar nod in her debut as a feature lead in “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (1993). Her riveting and thoroughly convincing portrayal of three decades in the life of pop icon Tina Turner transformed her career.
After a hiatus, Bassett returned to the screen with leads in three highly publicized 1995 Hollywood releases: the millennial sci-fi actioner “Strange Days”; the Eddie Murphy horror comedy vehicle “Vampire in Brooklyn”; and the adaptation of Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel “Waiting to Exhale”. Whereas the first two films built upon her image as a strong black woman by giving her firearms and fangs, the latter paired her with recording superstar Whitney Houston in a character-driven comedy-drama that proved a box-office success. Bassett undertook another McMillan heroine playing a fortyish divorcee who embarks on a relationship with a much younger man in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998). In 2002, Bassett was cast as Rosa Parks in the CBS biopic “The Rosa Parks Story”. For her portrayal of the civil rights icon, Bassett received an Emmy nomination.
Bassett turned in a finely etched performance as a Florida-born woman return to confront her tangled past in writer-director John Sayles’ pleasing “Sunshine State” (2002). After appearing as herself on a 2003 episode of the Fox sitcom “The Bernie Mac Show” she teamed with the series’ titular star for the baseball comedy “Mr. 3000″ (2004).
- Born:on 08/16/58 in New York, New York
- Job Titles:Actor, Appointment booker for beauty salon, Photo cataloger (at US News and World Report)
Family
- Aunt: Golden. first Ph.D. in family; raised Bassett until she was four or five years old
- Mother: Betty Bassett. divorced from Bassett’s father; raised both Angela and her sister after the collapse of her week-long second marriage (she had the union annulled after an incident of abuse); worked for Florida’s Health and Human Services Agency
- Sister: D’nette Bassett. younger
Significant Others
- Husband: Courtney Vance. married October 12, 1997
- Companion: Mark Jenkins.
Education
- Boca Ciega High School, St Petersburg, Florida, 1976
Milestones
- 1974 First exposed to theater through the Upward Bound program for academically gifted low-income children; inspired to act after an 11th grade class trip to Washington, DC during which she saw James Earl Jones star in a Kennedy Center production of “Of Mice and Men” (date approximate)
- 1984 Worked at the Hartford Stage Company performing in “The Mystery Plays”
- 1985 Appeared in first TV-movie, “Doubletake”
- 1985 Broadway debut, August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” directed by Lloyd Richards
- 1985 First primetime TV guest spot, “Spenser: For Hire”
- 1986 First feature role, “F/X”
- 1988 Appeared in the Broadway production of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, directed by Lloyd Richards
- 1988 Moved to California
- 1989 Recurring role (two appearances) in the Vietnam war series, “Tour of Duty”
- 1989 Recurring role (two appearances) in the detective spin-off series, “A Man Called Hawk”
- 1991 First film with independent writer-director John Sayles, “City of Hope”
- 1991 First notable feature supporting role, John Singleton’s feature directorial debut, “Boyz N the Hood”, as Laurence Fishburne’s estranged wife
- 1991 Recurring role on the short-lived ABC medical comedy series “STAT”
- 1992 Portrayed Betty Shabazz, the wife of “Malcolm X”, in Spike Lee’s feature biopic
- 1992 Starred as Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family, for the ABC-TV mini-series “The Jacksons: An American Dream”
- 1993 Feature lead debut as Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With It” opposite Fishburne’s Ike; garnered Oscar nomination for Best Actress
- 1994 Provided the voice of writer Zora Neale Hurston for “A Century of Women”, a TBS documentary miniseries
- 1995 Co-starred with Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon in “Waiting to Exhale”, based on the novel by Terry McMillan
- 1995 Reprised the role of Betty Shabazz for an uncredited cameo in Mario Van Peebles’ “Panther”, a historical drama about the Black Panther Party
- 1998 Headlined second adaptation of a McMillan novel, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”
- 1999 Cast as a school principal in “Music of the Heart”
- 2000 Appeared in the less than stellar sci-fi flick “Supernova”
- 2000 Co-starred with Danny Glover in “Boesman and Lena”, adapted from Athol Fugard’s play
- 2001 Cast as Robert De Niro’s love interest in “The Score”
- 2001 Played the owner of a waterfront joint in 1960s Louisiana who begins a relationship with a white male singer in the Showtime movie “Ruby’s Bucket of Blood”; also served as one of the producers
- 2002 Starred in “Sunshine State” with Edie Falco as a failed actress who goes with her friend home to their northern Florida town
- 2002 Starred in title role of the CBS biopic “The Rosa Parks Story”
- 2003 Cast in the Bob Dylan film “Masked & Anonymous”
- 2004 Cast opposite Bernie Mac in the comedy “Mr. 3000″
- 2004 Joined the Cast of Alias (ABC) as the new CIA director
- Acted in off-Broadway productions
- Acted on the daytime soap, “The Guiding Light”
- Acting debut at age 15, as Mama in “A Raisin in the Sun”, in a school production at Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg, Florida
- Became the first black student at her high school to be accepted into the National Honor Society
- Born in NYC’s Harlem
- Moved to NYC
- Moved with mother and sister to St. Petersburg, Florida
- Performed in school and other productions while at Yale
- Performed monologues and poetry readings at church conventions
- Worked with the Negro Ensemble Company as an understudy
Angela Basset Biography
This regally beautiful stage-trained black performer has distinguished herself on stage, TV and film, often playing intelligent but long-suffering women who exhibit strength, patience and quiet elegance. Bassett has played opposite some of contemporary Hollywood’s most illustrious black leading men including Laurence Fishburne, Denzel Washington and Eddie Murphy. She has also worked with such notable black filmmakers as Ossie Davis, Spike Lee and John Singleton. Bassett, however, has not been confined to “black subjects” as she has also been featured prominently in diverse TV projects and in film collaborations with writer-directors John Sayles and Wes Craven.
Bassett learned her craft at the Yale School of Drama where she began a valuable association with the dean–celebrated stage director Lloyd Richards who directed Bassett on Broadway in two August Wilson plays: “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (1985) and “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” (1988).
Bassett’s screen career began in 1985 with a guest shot on the ABC detective drama “Spenser: For Hire” and a brief turn as a hooker on the CBS miniseries “Doubletake”. While the action thriller “F/X” (1986) marked her move into features, Bassett remained more regularly employed in TV during the late 1980s and early 90s with guest shots, brief stints as recurring characters and roles in high-profile TV-movies and miniseries. Some fans may remember her from the “Spencer” spin-off, “A Man Called Hawk” (ABC, 1989), as Avery Brooks’ “pseudo-cryptic clandestine girlfriend” (her phrase). Bassett registered more strongly as the wife of ill-fated astronaut Ronald McNair in the 1990 ABC Theater presentation “Challenger”. She won raves for her portrayal of Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mom, in the miniseries “The Jacksons: An American Dream” (ABC, 1992).
Bassett first gained notice in features as the estranged, ambitious wife of Laurence Fishburne in John Singleton’s “Boyz in the Hood” (1991). Her impressive resume grew to include playing the “do-gooder” wife of politician Joe Morton in John Sayles’ “City of Hope” (1991) and an outstanding portrayal of Betty Shabazz, the quietly strong wife of activist and preacher Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s epic biopic “Malcolm X” (1992). A lean and pumped up Bassett earned raves, celebrity and a Best Actress Oscar nod in her debut as a feature lead in “What’s Love Got To Do With It” (1993). Her riveting and thoroughly convincing portrayal of three decades in the life of pop icon Tina Turner transformed her career.
After a hiatus, Bassett returned to the screen with leads in three highly publicized 1995 Hollywood releases: the millennial sci-fi actioner “Strange Days”; the Eddie Murphy horror comedy vehicle “Vampire in Brooklyn”; and the adaptation of Terry McMillan’s best-selling novel “Waiting to Exhale”. Whereas the first two films built upon her image as a strong black woman by giving her firearms and fangs, the latter paired her with recording superstar Whitney Houston in a character-driven comedy-drama that proved a box-office success. Bassett undertook another McMillan heroine playing a fortyish divorcee who embarks on a relationship with a much younger man in “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998). In 2002, Bassett was cast as Rosa Parks in the CBS biopic “The Rosa Parks Story”. For her portrayal of the civil rights icon, Bassett received an Emmy nomination.
Bassett turned in a finely etched performance as a Florida-born woman return to confront her tangled past in writer-director John Sayles’ pleasing “Sunshine State” (2002). After appearing as herself on a 2003 episode of the Fox sitcom “The Bernie Mac Show” she teamed with the series’ titular star for the baseball comedy “Mr. 3000″ (2004).
- Born:
on 08/16/58 in New York, New York - Job Titles:
Actor, Appointment booker for beauty salon, Photo cataloger (at US News and World Report)
Family
- Aunt: Golden. first Ph.D. in family; raised Bassett until she was four or five years old
- Mother: Betty Bassett. divorced from Bassett’s father; raised both Angela and her sister after the collapse of her week-long second marriage (she had the union annulled after an incident of abuse); worked for Florida’s Health and Human Services Agency
- Sister: D’nette Bassett. younger
Significant Others
- Husband: Courtney Vance. married October 12, 1997
- Companion: Mark Jenkins.
Education
- Boca Ciega High School, St Petersburg, Florida, 1976
Milestones
- 1974 First exposed to theater through the Upward Bound program for academically gifted low-income children; inspired to act after an 11th grade class trip to Washington, DC during which she saw James Earl Jones star in a Kennedy Center production of “Of Mice and Men” (date approximate)
- 1984 Worked at the Hartford Stage Company performing in “The Mystery Plays”
- 1985 Appeared in first TV-movie, “Doubletake”
- 1985 Broadway debut, August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” directed by Lloyd Richards
- 1985 First primetime TV guest spot, “Spenser: For Hire”
- 1986 First feature role, “F/X”
- 1988 Appeared in the Broadway production of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone”, directed by Lloyd Richards
- 1988 Moved to California
- 1989 Recurring role (two appearances) in the Vietnam war series, “Tour of Duty”
- 1989 Recurring role (two appearances) in the detective spin-off series, “A Man Called Hawk”
- 1991 First film with independent writer-director John Sayles, “City of Hope”
- 1991 First notable feature supporting role, John Singleton’s feature directorial debut, “Boyz N the Hood”, as Laurence Fishburne’s estranged wife
- 1991 Recurring role on the short-lived ABC medical comedy series “STAT”
- 1992 Portrayed Betty Shabazz, the wife of “Malcolm X”, in Spike Lee’s feature biopic
- 1992 Starred as Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family, for the ABC-TV mini-series “The Jacksons: An American Dream”
- 1993 Feature lead debut as Tina Turner in the biopic “What’s Love Got To Do With It” opposite Fishburne’s Ike; garnered Oscar nomination for Best Actress
- 1994 Provided the voice of writer Zora Neale Hurston for “A Century of Women”, a TBS documentary miniseries
- 1995 Co-starred with Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine and Lela Rochon in “Waiting to Exhale”, based on the novel by Terry McMillan
- 1995 Reprised the role of Betty Shabazz for an uncredited cameo in Mario Van Peebles’ “Panther”, a historical drama about the Black Panther Party
- 1998 Headlined second adaptation of a McMillan novel, “How Stella Got Her Groove Back”
- 1999 Cast as a school principal in “Music of the Heart”
- 2000 Appeared in the less than stellar sci-fi flick “Supernova”
- 2000 Co-starred with Danny Glover in “Boesman and Lena”, adapted from Athol Fugard’s play
- 2001 Cast as Robert De Niro’s love interest in “The Score”
- 2001 Played the owner of a waterfront joint in 1960s Louisiana who begins a relationship with a white male singer in the Showtime movie “Ruby’s Bucket of Blood”; also served as one of the producers
- 2002 Starred in “Sunshine State” with Edie Falco as a failed actress who goes with her friend home to their northern Florida town
- 2002 Starred in title role of the CBS biopic “The Rosa Parks Story”
- 2003 Cast in the Bob Dylan film “Masked & Anonymous”
- 2004 Cast opposite Bernie Mac in the comedy “Mr. 3000″
- 2004 Joined the Cast of Alias (ABC) as the new CIA director
- Acted in off-Broadway productions
- Acted on the daytime soap, “The Guiding Light”
- Acting debut at age 15, as Mama in “A Raisin in the Sun”, in a school production at Boca Ciega High School in St. Petersburg, Florida
- Became the first black student at her high school to be accepted into the National Honor Society
- Born in NYC’s Harlem
- Moved to NYC
- Moved with mother and sister to St. Petersburg, Florida
- Performed in school and other productions while at Yale
- Performed monologues and poetry readings at church conventions
- Worked with the Negro Ensemble Company as an understudy