Acting
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 With It and in The Preacher's Wife as the mother of Whitney Houston's character. She starred opposite Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's Hereafter. For director Tyler Perry, she created unforgettable characters in Madea's Family Reunion and Meet the Browns. In the movie Cast Away, she portrayed Tom Hanks' boss. In animated films, Jenifer's uniquely recognizable voice is adored by Disney fans worldwide in roles such as "Flo" in Cars and Cars 2, and as "Mama Odie" in The Princess and the Frog. For six seasons, Jenifer portrayed "Lana Hawkins" on Lifetime's hit series Strong Medicine. She starred on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics Choice Award. She has also written two books: The Mother of Black Hollywood and Walking in My Joy: In These Streets.
Friends
1994 · TV
American Dad!
2005 · TV
The Daily Show
1996 · TV
Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009 · TV
GOAT
2026 · Movie
Teen Titans Go!
2013 · TV
The Jennifer Hudson Show
2022 · TV
Dancing with the Stars
2005 · TV
Boston Legal
2004 · TV
Young Justice
2010 · TV
Sherri
2022 · TV
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
1993 · TV
Strong Medicine
2000 · TV
black-ish
2014 · TV
Touched by an Angel
1994 · TV
Girlfriends
2000 · TV
A Different World
1987 · TV
Star Trek: Lower Decks
2020 · TV
That's So Raven
2003 · TV
grown-ish
2018 · TV
The Boondocks
2005 · TV
And Just Like That…
2021 · TV
Big Hero 6 The Series
2017 · TV
Amphibia
2019 · TV
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990 · TV
RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars
2012 · TV
Cars
2006 · Movie
Cars 2
2011 · Movie
Moesha
1996 · TV
In Living Color
1990 · TV
The Jamie Foxx Show
1996 · TV
New York Undercover
1994 · TV
The Ghost and Molly McGee
2021 · TV
Stars in the House
2020 · TV
Cars 3
2017 · Movie
Monsters at Work
2021 · TV
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
1992 · TV
Shark
2006 · TV
The Princess and the Frog
2009 · Movie
Match Game
2016 · TV
To Tell the Truth
2016 · TV
Living Single
1993 · TV
The $100,000 Pyramid
2016 · TV
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995 · TV
Dream On
1990 · TV
Shark Tale
2004 · Movie
So Help Me Todd
2022 · TV
Night Court
2023 · TV
The Upshaws
2021 · TV
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
2021 · TV
Rugrats
2021 · TV
The Parent 'Hood
1995 · TV
History of the World: Part II
2023 · TV
Cast Away
2000 · Movie
Promised Land
1996 · TV
The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish
2024 · TV
Mickey Mouse Funhouse
2021 · TV
The PJs
1999 · TV
Cars on the Road
2022 · TV
Not Dead Yet
2023 · TV
Haunted Hotel
2025 · TV
The Addams Family
2019 · Movie
Spellbound
2024 · Movie
Day Break
2006 · TV
The Chris Rock Show
1997 · TV
Rebel Highway
1994 · TV
Mystery Men
1999 · Movie
Sister Act
1992 · Movie
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
1993 · Movie
Blast from the Past
1999 · Movie
Roc
1991 · TV
Poetic Justice
1993 · Movie
The Wedding Ringer
2015 · Movie
I Love That for You
2022 · TV
Time of Your Life
1999 · TV
Bette
2000 · TV
Dead Presidents
1995 · Movie
The Playboy Club
2011 · TV
The Mighty
1998 · Movie
Zambezia
2012 · Movie
What's Love Got to Do with It
1993 · Movie
Think Like a Man
2012 · Movie
Hereafter
2010 · Movie
Baggage Claim
2013 · Movie
The Meteor Man
1993 · Movie
Beaches
1988 · Movie
The Temptations
1998 · TV
Corrina, Corrina
1994 · Movie
Think Like a Man Too
2014 · Movie
Undercover Blues
1993 · Movie
Madea's Family Reunion
2006 · Movie
Get Bruce!
1999 · Movie
Not Easily Broken
2009 · Movie
The Preacher's Wife
1996 · Movie
The Cookout
2004 · Movie
Antwone Fisher
2002 · Movie
Renaissance Man
1994 · Movie
Five
2011 · Movie
Panther
1995 · Movie
Juwanna Mann
2002 · Movie
Meet the Browns
2008 · Movie
Hiccups
2013 · Movie
Who's Your Caddy?
2007 · Movie
Girl 6
1996 · Movie
This Is Me…Now
2024 · Movie
The Brothers
2001 · Movie
Dirty Laundry
2006 · Movie
Redrum
2007 · Movie
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square
2020 · Movie
The Radiator Springs 500½
2014 · Movie
Jackie's Back!
1999 · Movie
When Harry Met Sally 2 with Billy Crystal & Helen Mirren
2011 · Movie
The Greatest Love Story Never Told
2024 · Movie
Forbidden
2018 · Movie
Earth to America
2005 · Movie
black-ish: A Celebration – An ABC News Special
2022 · Movie
Deconstructing Sarah
1994 · Movie
Little Richard
2000 · Movie
Bette Midler: Art or Bust
1984 · Movie
An Unexpected Life
1998 · Movie
Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan
1995 · Movie
Shake, Rattle and Rock!
1994 · Movie
Jenifer Lewis and Shangela
2012 · TV
Commitment to Life
2023 · Movie
Secrets of the Magic City
2015 · Movie
Frozen Assets
1992 · Movie
Maurice Hines: Bring Them Back
2019 · Movie
Prop 8: The Musical
2008 · Movie
Dancing in September
2001 · Movie
Partners
2000 · Movie
Jewel's Catch One
2017 · Movie
Nora's Hair Salon
2004 · Movie
Rituals
1998 · Movie
Geared-Up
2006 · Movie
Tiana's Bayou Adventure | Disneyland Resort
2025 · Movie
Finding Kendrick Johnson
2021 · Movie
All Boys Aren't Blue
2021 · Movie
Ado
2025 · Movie
Sunday in Paris
1991 · Movie
