Born: February 15, 1953
Birthplace: Baton Rouge, LA
Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
Lynn Whitfield (née Smith) 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 performance as Josephine Baker in the HBO biographical drama film The Josephine Baker Story (1991).
Whitfield spent her career after her breakthrough performance as Josephine Baker, playing the leading roles in a number of made for television movies in the 1990s, and had several starring roles in films, include performances in 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 drama series, Greenleaf. For her performance as Lady Mae, she won critical acclaim, by garnering two NAACP Image Awards and a Gracie Award. Whitfield has won a total of seven NAACP Image Awards.