Lena Waithe | |
|---|---|
 Waithe at the 2018 WonderCon | |
| Born | May 17, 1984 |
| Education | Columbia College Chicago (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Spouse | |
Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/;[1] born May 17, 1984)[2][3] is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).
Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021), and became the first African-American woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for writing the show's "Thanksgiving" episode, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld. In 2023, she received a nomination for Best Play at the 76th Tony Awards, her production work on the sketch-comedy play Ain't No Mo'.
Waithe was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018;[4] and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022.[5][6]
- ^ "Lena Waithe & Writers Of 'Boomerang' Talk Importance Of Diversity In Black Millennials". BET Networks. January 24, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ "Lena Waithe". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
Birthday: May 17; Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
- ^ Schedler, Carrie (January 4, 2018). "Lena Waithe Comes Home". Chicago. Archived from the original on September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
...the 33-year-old [as of Jan. 4, 2018]...
- ^ "Lena Waithe: The World's 100 Most Influential People". Time. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ "Announcing Fast Company's second annual Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
- ^ "Lena Waithe is No. 14 on the 2022 Fast Company Queer 50 list". Fast Company. Retrieved June 19, 2022.