Sharon Lewis

Sharon Lewis
Lewis at the Black History Month event "An Evening with Pam Grier" in 2011
Born
Sharon M. Lewis

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Toronto (BA)
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • actor
Years active1995–present

Sharon M. Lewis is a Canadian television personality and film director from Toronto, Ontario. She studied political science at the University of Toronto.[1] She was an actress and author before being the host of counterSpin on CBC Television in 2001, and then hosted ZeD, also for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.[2] She began her career on counterSpin with a special on the September 11 attacks.[1] She called herself an "activist," saying "it's a journalist's job to activate change through information... Who isn't passionate and is in the journalist field, otherwise I don't know what would drive you?"[1] After leaving ZeD, Ziya Tong took over as host.[3] Lewis subsequently established the company urbansoul inc., which promotes the art of minority women.[4]

During her acting career, she appeared on Degrassi: The Next Generation as the mother of Jimmy Brooks, who was played by rapper Drake. She also appeared in the film Troubled Waters.

In 2017, Lewis directed her Afro-futurist feature film Brown Girl Begins, a feature film prequel to the celebrated novel Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson.[5]

In 2024, she directed the mid-season premiere of Power Book II: Ghost,[6] from the Power franchise.

Lewis is a member of Film Fatales.

  1. ^ a b c John McKay, "Sharon Lewis finds activism experience a plus for new role as CounterSpin host," Western Star, Corner Brook, Newfoundland: October 6, 2001, pg. 30.
  2. ^ Alex Strachan, "Audacious, energetic and offbeat: That's ZeD on CBC," The Vancouver Sun, October 23, 2002, pg. B.6.FRO.
  3. ^ "Sharon Lewis calls it quits," Packet and Times, Orillia, Ontario: June 19, 2002, pg. A.9.
  4. ^ "Hart House Lecture 2006: Biographies Archived 2005-11-23 at the Wayback Machine," University of Toronto, URL accessed 13 March 2007.
  5. ^ "Canadian premiere of Brown Girl Begins at the Art Gallery of Ontario on Saturday The Caribbean Camera
  6. ^ https://www.talkofthetown411.com/2024/09/behind-scenes-power-book-2-ghost-season.html