Biography
Jenifer Jeanette Lewis (born January 25, 1957) is an American film and television actress and singer. She is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television and was dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com. She began her career appearing in Broadway musicals and worked as a back-up singer for Bette Midler before appearing in the films Beaches and Sister Act. She delivered legendary performances as Tina Turner's mother in What's Love Got to Do W...
Known For
Complete Filmography
GOAT
2026
as Florence Everson (voice)
Will, a small goat with big dreams gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to join the pros and play roarball – a high-intensity, co-ed, full-contact sport dom...
ADO
2025
as Ms. Hopkins
Ms. Hopkins is rehearsing Much Ado About Nothing with her middle school theatre class when it is interrupted by a school shooter.
Spellbound
2024
as Nazara (voice)
When a powerful spell turns her parents into giant monsters, a teenage princess must journey into the wild to reverse the curse before it's too late.
The Greatest Love Story Never Told
2024
as Self
Follow Jennifer Lopez as she attempts her most daring project yet: independently producing a new album and cinematic original that explore her twenty-...
This Is Me…Now
2024
as Gemini
An intimate, fantastical and narrative-driven reflection of Jennifer Lopez's journey of self-healing and self-love in an immersive world where music a...
black-ish: A Celebration – An ABC News Special
2022
as Self
An exclusive look at final table read and original audition tapes; interviews with cast, crew and guest stars of the show's eight seasons.
All Boys Aren't Blue
2021
Actors Bernard David Jones, Dyllon Burnside, Thomas Hobson, and Jenifer Lewis bring to life the words of Black non-binary author George Matthew Johnso...
Finding Kendrick Johnson
2021
as Narrator (voice)
A filmmaker cracks a major case dealing with the racially charged murder of a teen.
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
2020
as Margeline
A rich and nasty woman returns to her hometown to evict everyone but discovers the true meaning of Christmas thanks to the local townsfolk – and an ac...
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
2019
as Self (archive footage)
Maurice Hines, a charming, gay African-American entertainer navigates the complications of show business while grieving the loss of his more famous, o...
The Addams Family
2019
as Great Auntie Sloom (Voice)
The Addams family's lives begin to unravel when they face-off against a treacherous, greedy crafty reality-TV host while also preparing for their exte...
Forbidden
2018
A musical set in the North-American city of Nacirema Falls, in the country of Nacirema, which black LGBT people rule, promoting and conducting white ...
Cars 3
2017
as Flo (voice)
Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in th...
Jewel's Catch One
2017
as Self
With four strikes against her (black, female, poor and a lesbian), our trailblazer, Jewel Thais-Williams, helped changed laws, save lives and influenc...
Secrets of the Magic City
2015
as Aunt Valerie
The Magic City, by Director R. Malcolm Jones, is a motion picture based on hope and resilience played out in a coming of age story laced with sometime...
The Wedding Ringer
2015
as Doris Jenkins
Doug Harris is a loveable but socially awkward groom-to-be with a problem: he has no best man. With less than two weeks to go until he marries the gi...
Think Like a Man Too
2014
as Loretta
All the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas, but plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some comp...
The Radiator Springs 500½
2014
as Flo (voice)
A 'leisurely drive' planned in honor of Radiator Springs’ town founder, Stanley, turns precarious as Baja pros descend on the town and challenge Light...
Baggage Claim
2013
as Catherine Moore
Although she has traveled all over the world, flight attendant Montana Moore has yet to find a man with whom she wants to settle down. However, with h...
LaQuifa is Halleloosin' It!
2013
Thanks
Miss Shangela herself starring in this hilarious, must see comedy Stand-Up special. Originally filmed at XL Nightclub in New York City on August 10, ...
Hiccups
2013
as Flo (voice)
When Lightning McQueen gets the hiccups, everyone in Radiator Springs thinks they have the cure.
Zambezia
2012
as Gogo (voice)
Set in a bustling bird city on the edge of the majestic Victoria Falls, "Zambezia" is the story of Kai - a naïve, but high-spirited young falcon who t...
Think Like a Man
2012
as Loretta Hanover
The balance of power in four couples’ relationships is upset when the women start using the advice in Steve Harvey’s book, Act Like A Lady, Think Like...
Five
2011
as Maggie
An anthology of five short films exploring the impact of breast cancer on people's lives.
Cars 2
2011
as Flo (voice)
Star race car Lightning McQueen and his pal Mater head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix race. But the road to the championship becomes rock...
When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren
2011
as Retirement Home Waitress (uncredited)
The remake of 'When Harry Met Sally' that everyone has been waiting for is finally here.
Hereafter
2010
as Candace
Three people — a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy — are touched by death in different ways.
The Princess and the Frog
2009
as Mama Odie (voice)
A waitress, desperate to fulfill her dreams as a restaurant owner, is set on a journey to turn a frog prince back into a human being, but she has to f...
Not Easily Broken
2009
as Mary 'Mama' Clark
A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
Prop 8: The Musical
2008
as Riffing Prop 8'er
The conflict of the aftermath of Proposition 8 (banning gay marriage in California) is solved by Jesus.
Meet the Browns
2008
as Vera
A single mother living in inner city Chicago, Brenda has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. When she'...
Redrum
2007
as Therapist
A bored couple rejuvenate their marriage by turning to murder.
Who's Your Caddy?
2007
as C-Note's Mom
Superstar rap mogul C-Note wants to join the Carolina Pines Golf & Country Club, but faces stiff opposition from the establishment's snooty members. C...
Cars Wal-Mart Exclusive Geared UP
2006
The Making of "Life is a Highway". A musical Road Trip with Rascal Flatts.
Dirty Laundry
2006
as Aunt Lettuce
After ten years, Sheldon returns from New York City to Paris, Georgia. His mother Evelyn, a laundress who is stubborn, ornery, opinionated, mean-spiri...
Cars
2006
as Flo (voice)
Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself u...
Madea's Family Reunion
2006
as Milay Jenay Lori
Southern matriarch Madea has a lot on her plate. Her nieces, Vanessa and Lisa, have relationship troubles - Vanessa moves into Madea's house with her ...
Earth to America
2005
as Self
Tom Hanks is the host of this show with a comic approach to raise awareness concerning the environment.
Shark Tale
2004
as Motown Turtle (voice)
Oscar is a small fish whose big aspirations often get him into trouble. Meanwhile, Lenny is a great white shark with a surprising secret that no sea c...
The Cookout
2004
as Lady Em
When Todd Anderson signs a $30 million deal with his hometown team, the New Jersey Nets, he knows that his life is set for a big change. To keep thing...
Nora's Hair Salon
2004
as Nora
Welcome to Nora's Hair Salon. Leave your troubles outside and get set for neighborhood drama, juicy gossip, and the occasional knock-down, drag-out fi...
Juwanna Mann
2002
as Aunt Ruby
A basketball star is booted out of the NBA when his on-court antics go too far, so he poses as a woman and joins the WUBA.
The Brothers
2001
as Louise Smith
This is the story of four African-American "yuppies" (a banker, a doctor, a lawyer, and a "playboy") who call themselves "The Brothers". When the play...
Dancing in September
2001
as Judge Warner
A black female TV producer struggles in Hollywood.
Cast Away
2000
as Becca Twig
Chuck Nolan, a top international manager for FedEx, and Kelly, a Ph.D. student, are in love and heading towards marriage. Then Chuck's plane to Malays...
Partners
2000
as Detective Lancy
After stealing a briefcase, a drifter finds himself caught in the middle of an international crime caper.
Little Richard
2000
as Muh Penniman
The story of Little Richard Penniman, from his poor Southern upbringing to dealing with the trials and tribulations of being a Black singer in the 195...
Mystery Men
1999
as Lucille
When Champion City's hero Captain Amazing is kidnapped by the recently paroled supervillain Casanova Frankenstein, a trio of average, everyday superhe...
Jackie's Back!
1999
as Jackie Washington
A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.
Jackie's Back!
1999
Co-Producer
A British documentarian profiles washed-up diva Jackie Washington as she prepares for her comeback concert.
Blast from the Past
1999
as Dr. Aron
Following a bomb scare in the 1960s that locked the Webers into their bomb shelter for 35 years, Adam now ventures forth into Los Angeles to obtain fo...
Get Bruce!
1999
as Self
Affectionate tribute to Bruce Vilanch, who writes material for celebrities who make public appearances, from Oscar hosts and award recipients to Presi...
An Unexpected Life
1998
as Camille
A single woman has her idyllic life disrupted when she takes in orphans. But, soon she comes to depend on the sound of little feet and couldn't think ...
The Mighty
1998
as Mrs. Addison
Kevin, an intelligent guy helps out Maxwell to improve his reading skills. In return, Kevin wants Maxwell to take him out places since he is not autho...
The Preacher's Wife
1996
as Margueritte Coleman
Good-natured Reverend Henry Biggs finds that his marriage to choir mistress Julia is flagging, due to his constant absence caring for the deprived nei...
Girl 6
1996
as Boss #1 - Lil
A struggling actress in New York City takes a job as a phone sex operator.
Dead Presidents
1995
as Mrs. Curtis
On the streets they call cash dead presidents. And that's just what a Vietnam veteran is after when he returns home from the war only to find himself ...
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan
1995
as Denice Cooper
Inspired by the the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning, Miami-based journalist, Edna Buchanan, who investigates the murder of a man with ties to the Miami...
Panther
1995
as Rita
Panther is a semi-historic film about the origins of The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The movie spans about 3 years (1966-68) of the Black Pa...
Deconstructing Sarah
1994
as Betty
Thriller about an advertising executive Kelley who leads a double life, looking for men in dive bars at night. However, when she goes missing, it caus...
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994
as Amanda
In 1950s America, teenage rebellion comes easy when something like rock 'n' roll is viewed as sinful. Looking to have a good time while they're young,...
Corrina, Corrina
1994
as Jevina
When Manny Singer's wife dies, his young daughter Molly becomes mute and withdrawn. To help cope with looking after Molly, he hires sassy housekeeper ...
Renaissance Man
1994
as Mrs. Coleman
An advertising man is slowly sliding downhill. When he is fired from his job in Detroit, he signs up for unemployment. One day they find him a job: te...
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1993
as Vegas Backup Singer #1
Deloris Van Cartier is again asked to don the nun's habit to help a run-down Catholic school, presided over by Mother Superior. And if trying to reach...
Undercover Blues
1993
as Cab Driver
When fun-loving American agents Jeff and Jane Blue are called back from maternity leave for a special assignment in New Orleans, the spy parents decid...
The Meteor Man
1993
as Mrs. Williams
One night Jefferson Reed gets hit in the chest by a souped-up chunk of meteor. So he can fly, but he's scared of heights. He can master the informatio...
Poetic Justice
1993
as Annie
Still grieving after the murder of her boyfriend, hairdresser Justice writes poetry to deal with the pain of her loss. Unable to get to Oakland to att...
What's Love Got to Do with It
1993
as Zelma Bullock
Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.
Frozen Assets
1992
as Jomisha
A man is hired to run a bank which turns out to be a sperm bank.
Sister Act
1992
as Michelle
A Reno singer witnesses a mob murder and the cops stash her in a nunnery to protect her from the mob's hitmen. The mother superior does not trust her,...
Sunday in Paris
1991
as Taylor Chase
A pilot for an unsold NBC series. A single woman with three children realizes that her family has lost sight of their values and gives up her career a...
Beaches
1988
as Diva
A privileged rich debutante and a cynical struggling entertainer share a turbulent, but strong childhood friendship over the years.
A Different World
1987
as Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport
A Different World is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of The Cosby Show. It aired for six seasons on NBC from September 24, 1987, t...
Bette Midler: Art or Bust
1984
as Self - Harlette
The Divine Miss M is featured in a concert filmed at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, at the culmination of her most recent cross-country tou...
Bette Midler: No Frills
1983
as Herself
Bette Midler’s “No Frills” Cinemax Special