Jenifer Lewis

Lewis began her professional stage career on Broadway, appearing in Eubie!, Comin’ Uptown and Rock ’N Roll! The First 5,000 Years, and later playing Motormouth Maybelle in Hairspray. She went on to build an extensive film and television career, with roles including Tina Turner’s mother in What’s Love Got to Do with It, Lana Hawkins in Strong Medicine and Ruby Johnson in Black-ish. [2][3]

Lewis has also worked extensively in animation, voicing Flo in the Cars films and Mama Odie in The Princess and the Frog. Her career has been recognized with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Webster University in 2015 and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2022. [2][4][5]