
Lynn Whitfield
Known for Acting · 106 credits
- Born
- 1953-02-15 (age 73)
- Place of birth
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Biography
Lynn Whitfield (née Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).
In the 1990s, Whitfield played leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and had several starring roles in theatrical films, including 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 movies in the 2000s and 2010s. From 2016 to 2020, she starred as Lady Mae Greenleaf in the Oprah Winfrey Network dramatic series Greenleaf, for which she won critical acclaim and garnered two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. She later appeared in the films Nappily Ever After (2018), Vacation Friends (2021), and The Retirement Plan (2023). Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.
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Known For
TV Shows (36)

The Resident
2018
as Josephine Okeke

Sherri
2022
as Self - Guest

Without a Trace
2002
as Paula Van Doren

Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Nominee

Miami Vice
1984
as Odette Ribaud

How to Get Away with Murder
2014
as Mary Walker

Hill Street Blues
1981
as Jill Thomas

Strong Medicine
2000
as Dr. Marshall

Late Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest

Touched by an Angel
1994
as Dr. Serena Hall

The Chi
2018
as Alicia

St. Elsewhere
1982
as Annie Callan

Matlock
1986
as Angela Page

Tamron Hall
2019
as Self - Guest

Boston Public
2000
as Louanna Harper

Cagney & Lacey
1982

Martin
1992
as Ellen

The Tyra Banks Show
2005

Shark
2006
as Anita Astin

Matt Houston
1982
as Val

Greenleaf
2016
as Lady Mae Greenleaf

FlashForward
2009
as Anastasia Markham

Steve
2017
as Self

St. Denis Medical
2024
as Barb

Fatal Attraction
2013
as Narrator (voice)

Promised Land
1996
as Dr. Serena Hall

Chasing Life
2014
as Karen Callahan

Tall Tales & Legends
1985
as Pollie Ann

Snoops
1989
as Denise Kendall

Trauma Center
1983

Eyes of Wakanda
2025
as Older Noni (voice)
Saturday Night Special
1996

The Cosby Mysteries
1994

HeartBeat
1988
as Dr. Cory Banks

A Girl Thing
2001
as Nia Morgan

The Women of Brewster Place
1989
as Ciel
Movies (70)

The Rebound
2009
as Laura Reilly

Silverado
1985
as Rae

Stepmom
1998
as Dr. P. Sweikert

Jaws: The Revenge
1987
as Louisa

Vacation Friends
2021
as Suzanne

The Retirement Plan
2023
as Drisdale

Madea's Family Reunion
2006
as Victoria

The Wedding
1998
as Corinne Coles

The Women
2008
as Glenda Hill

Strung
2026
as Audra

Head of State
2003
as Debra Lassiter

The Cheetah Girls
2003
as Dorothea Garibaldi

Eve's Bayou
1997
as Roz Batiste

Gone Fishin'
1997
as Angie

Confessions
2006
as Dr. Page

Nappily Ever After
2018
as Paulette Jones

The Cheetah Girls 2
2006
as Dorothea Garibaldi

Solace
2018
as Irene

Lap Dance
2014
as Momma Pearl

A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
1996
as Brandi

In the Army Now
1994
as Sgt. Ladd

All Things Fall Apart
2011
as Bee

Battlefield America
2012
as Ms. Parker

The George McKenna Story
1988
as Bobbie Maxwell

Doctor Detroit
1983
as Thelma Cleland

PoliWood
2009
as Self

Thicker Than Blood: The Larry McLinden Story
1994
as Bobbie Mallory

The Making of Jaws The Revenge
1987
as Self

Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story
2004
as Barbara Becnel

The Slugger's Wife
1985
as Tina Alvarado

The Women of Brewster Place
1989
as Ciel

A Time for Dancing
2002
as Linda Derricks, the Dance Teacher

Tales from the Hood 3
2020
as Marie Benoît

Taking the Heat
1993
as Carolyn Hunter

30 Days in Atlanta
2014
as Clara

The Color of Courage
1999
as Minnie McGhee

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
1982
as Woman in bath

The Josephine Baker Story
1991
as Josephine Baker

State of Emergency
1994
as Dehlia Johnson

The Last Letter
2013
as Lorraine

Deep in My Heart
1999
as Corrine Burrell

And Then There Was You
2013
as Sophia Brent

Espionage Tonight
2017
as Sydney Greenstreet

Dead Aim
1987
as Sheila Freeman

Lonely Boy
2013
as Dr. Christine Nolan

Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI
1986
as Johnnie Mae Gibson

Mama, I Want to Sing!
2011
as Lillian Winter

We Need a Little Christmas
2022
as Irene

Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story
1999
as Lori Jackson

Woman in Motion
2021
as Self

Intimate Portrait: Josephine Baker
1999
as Herself

The Planet of Junior Brown
1997
as Mrs. Brown

King's Faith
2013
as Vanessa

Stompin' at the Savoy
1992
as Esther

Act Like You Love Me
2013
as Harriett Lofton
A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story
1991

John Henry
1986
as Pollie Ann

Albany Road
2024
as Paula Henderson

Love Songs
1999
as Jean Simpson

The Dempsey Sisters
2013
as Olivia Norman

24 Hour Love
2013
as Cynthia

Prayer Never Fails
2016
as Loral Brown

Kings of the Evening
2008
as Gracie
Sophie and the Moonhanger
1996
as Sophie

The Redemption of a Dog
2012
as Francine
The Fright Night Files
2014
as Madame Mabry

Somebody's Child
2012
as Constance

Zora is My Name!
1990

My Other Mother
2014
as Mary Jo

The Ugly Duckling
2014
as Narrator (voice)
About Lynn Whitfield
Lynn Whitfield (née Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie and received a Golden Globe Award nomination for her breakout performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical film The Josephine Baker Story (1991). In the 1990s, Whitfield played leading roles in a number of made-for-television movies and had several starring roles in theatr… With 106 credits spanning from 1944 to 2026, Lynn Whitfield has appeared in 70 films and 36 TV shows.
Fans searching for Lynn Whitfield movies, Lynn Whitfield filmography, or the latest projects starring Lynn Whitfield can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Lynn Whitfield Movies
- The Rebound (2009) — as Laura Reilly
- Silverado (1985) — as Rae
- Stepmom (1998) — as Dr. P. Sweikert
- Jaws: The Revenge (1987) — as Louisa
- Vacation Friends (2021) — as Suzanne
Where to Watch Lynn Whitfield Films
Most Lynn Whitfield movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Lynn Whitfield, check our movies catalogue and browse page.