The Josephine Baker Story

Background:

A television, movie and stage actress of African American and Cherokee lineage, Lynn Whitfield, born Lynn Butler-Smith, first came to fame as a part of the hit stage production of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide...When the Rainbow Is Enuf” in 1977, but it took nearly a decade for the talented performer to achieve genuine triumph thanks to her fine acting in the CBS TV films “Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI” and “The George McKenna Story” (both 1986). The ex-player of the Black Repertory Company earned additional attention for her work in the Oprah Winfrey-produced miniseries “The Women of Brewster Place” (1989), but it was her outstanding starring turn as an African-American who became a famous cabaret performer in Paris prior to her days as a civil rights activist in the HBO biopic “The Josephine Baker Story” (1991) that brought Whitfield international recognition and an Emmy Award. She also picked up an Image Award and a Golden Globe nomination for her work in the film.

Following her massive TV success, however, Whitfield had to deal with a setback and did not return to the spotlight until after having high-profile roles in such movies as “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (1996), “Sophie & the Moonhanger” (1996, TV), the Toronto-premiered “The Planet of Junior Brown” (1997, won an Image award) and “Eve's Bayou” (1997, earned an Image nomination. Subsequent notable credits include the miniseries “The Wedding” (1998), the telepics “Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story” (1999), “Love Songs” (1999) and The Cheetah Girls” (2003), and the movies “Head of State” (2003) and “Madea's Family Reunion” (2006). Her portrayal of Barbara Becnel in the made-for-TV film “Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story” (2004) even won the actress an Image Award and a Black Reel Award.

Moviegoers recently can found Whitfield starring in the film “Kings of the Evening” (2008). They should look forward for her impressive performances in such upcoming projects as “The Women” (2008), “Mama, I Want To Sing!” (2008) and “Pure Shooter” (2009).

A two-time divorcee, Whitfield married first husband playwright/director/actor Van Whitfield in 1974 until the late 1970s, but the marriage did not produce a child. She has a 17-year-old daughter, Grace, with her second husband, director Brian Gibson, whom she married from 1990 to 1992. The member of the Links Inc. and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. was briefly involved with actor Don Johnson in 1976. She also once dated Kweisi Mfume, a former Congressman and chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus as well as ex-head of the NAACP.

Hepburn's Fan

Childhood and Family:

Lynn Butler-Smith, who would later be popular as Lynn Whitfield, was born on May 6, 1953, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. A product of a noteworthy Louisiana southern nobility, her father, Valerian Smith (born in 1926, died in 1992), was the founder of the Baton Rouge Playhouse and worked on the musical scores of such movies as 1957's “Band of Angels” and 1967's “Hurry Sundown” as well as composed a number of musical stage productions. Mr. Smith was also a dentist and moonlighted as a local talent scout. Lynn's mother, Jean Butler, became the president of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency in the mid 1990s. It was her dad that had significant role in building up Lynn's interest in acting. As a child, she idolized Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn.

The eldest of four, Lynn has a younger brother, Valerian Butler-Smith II, and two younger sisters, Kimberleigh Butler-Smith and Shawne Langston.

In 1974, Lynn received a BFA in drama from Howard University in Washington, DC. Also in that same year, she married playwright/director/actor Van Whitfield, who was also one of the co-founders and pioneers of the D.C.-based Black Repertory Company, with which Lynn also performed. The marriage, however, ended in divorce in the late 1970s. Lynn was married for a second time in 1990 to director Brian Gibson and welcomed the couple's first child, daughter Grace Gibson, a year later on August 2, 1991. Lynn and her second husband divorced in 1992.

Eve's Bayou

Career:

Daughter of a prime figure in the development of community theater in her native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lynn Whitfield knew that she wanted to perform at an early age. The long-time fan of Audrey Hepburn and Bette Davis studied and acted with the Black Repertory Company while living in Washington D.C. and after gaining her drama degree from Howard University, she went on to appear in several Off-Broadway productions in New York City like “The Great Macdaddy” and “Showdown.” The future leading lady, however, did not have her first taste with success until she headed to Los Angeles and landed a costarring role in the L.A. production of the landmark black play “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide...When the Rainbow Is Enuf” (1977), opposite Alfre Woodard. The acclaimed she gained from playing one of the young women of color opened her doors in both film and television career, especially in choice stories that followed the roots of the black content.

In 1979, Whitfield launched her movie career under a talent development program at Columbia Pictures. After having a recurring role as Jill Thomas in three episodes of the Steven Bochco-created series “Hill Street Blues” (1981) and recreating her coveted stage role in the PBS TV version of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf” (1982), she broke into the big screen playing the supporting role of Thelma Cleland in the unsuccessful comedy “Doctor Detroit” (1983), which starred Dan Aykroyd in the title role, and resurfaced two years later with parts in such hits as the Neil Simon-written “The Slugger's Wife,” along side Michael O'Keefe and Rebecca De Mornay, and Lawrence Kasdan's “Silverado,” starring Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner and Danny Glover.

In between her film projects, Whitfield found herself playing recurring roles in “This is the Life” and “Cagney & Lacey” before making guest appearances in “Miami Vice,” Shelley Duvall's “Tall Tales and Legends” and “The Fall Guy,” but it was not until 1986 that the praised actress enjoyed true TV attainment. She was notable for playing the title role in “Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI,” based on the real life story of the first African-American female secret agent for FBI, and held her own against the more famous costar Denzel Washington in the biopic “The George McKenna Story.” Both TV films were aired on CBS. Prior to her next memorable performance as Ciel in the ABC miniseries “The Women of Brewster Place” (1989), adapted from the novel by Gloria Naylor and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, who also starred in the show as Mattie Michael, Whitfield had supporting roles in the movies “Jaws: The Revenge,” the most disappointing sequel of “Jaw” trilogy, and “Dead Aim” (both 1987), an indie-thriller from director William Vanderkloot, and the ABC medical series “HeartBeat” (1988), playing Dr. Cory Banks.

An illustrious TV star, Whitfield scored huge victory in 1991 when she was cast in the the title role of an extremely touristy but profoundly annoyed “Jazz Age” Follies Bergere star turned civil rights fighter in the HBO biopic “The Josephine Baker Story.” Under the direction of Brian Gibson, the edible performer offered a hard-hitting performance that required her to age from 18 to 69 and was handed a 1991 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special and a 1993 Image for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie for her work in the show. She was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV. Also in 1991, she could be seen playing the recurring role of a TV news anchorwoman named Maggie Mayfield on the prime-time serial courtroom drama “Equal Justice” (ABC).

Apart from her success, Whitfield found herself being so closely related to the legendary entertainer that other chances were slow to come up. Therefore, after starring as Esther in the CBS miniseries “Stompin' at the Savoy” (1992) and a part in the Pauly Shore vehicle “In the Army Now” (1994), she returned to series TV opposite Bill Cosby in the NBC short-lived “The Cosby Mysteries” (1994). Thanks to her appearances in Martin Lawrence's comedy/thriller “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” (1996), which saw her as a victim turned villaness, and Christopher Cain's comedy “Gone Fishin'” (1997), the light-skinned actress gained some exposure and her starring role in the Lifetime film “Sophie & the Moonhanger” (1996), which explored the relationship of the wife of a KKK Wizard and her longtime black housekeeper, gradually put Whitfield back in the limelight. She furthered verified she was on the radar again with her well-received portrayal of Roz Batiste, the head of a booming black family in Louisiana in “Eve's Bayou” (1997), a drama film written and directed by Kasi Lemmons, and an Image award-winning starring turn as Mrs. Brown in the Toronto Film Festival-screened “The Planet of Junior Brown” (1997). In the following year, she reunited with Oprah Winfrey for the Winfrey-executive produced miniseries “The Wedding” (1998), where she played clubby Martha's Vineyard matron Corinne Coles and took home an Image nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Television Movie or Mini-Series for her work in the film. She won a 1998 Image for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Dr. Serena Hall in the series “Touched by an Angel” (1997).

The rest of the decade saw roles in the drama “Stepmom” (1998), which starred Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon and Ed Harris), Lee Rose's “The Color of Courage” (1999, TV), costarring with Linda Hamilton, and “Deep in My Heart” (1999, TV), opposite Anne Bancroft. She also starred as civil rights activist Lori Jackson on the based-on-book telepic “Dangerous Evidence: The Lori Jackson Story” (1999), for which she netted an Image nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie/Miniseries/Dramatic Special, and played Jean Simpson on “Love Songs” (1999), where her good acting received a Black Reel nomination for Network/Cable - Best Actress.

In the new millennium, Whitfield maintained her busy work by undertaking small roles in Peter Gilbert's “A Time for Dancing” (2000) and “A Girl Thing” (2001, TV) and recurring roles in the David E. Kelley-created “Boston Public” (2001), as Louanna Harper, and the CBS series “Without a Trace,” playing Paula Van Doran from 2002 to 2006. She teamed up with Chris Rock and Bernie Mac the box office hit comedy “Head of State” (2003), where her role as Debra Lassiter was nominated for a BET Comedy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Box Office Movie, portrayed Dorthea Garibaldi in the musical TV film “The Cheetah Girls” (2003), a role she reprised later for the 2006 sequel “The Cheetah Girls 2,” and costarred with Jamie Foxx as Barbara Becnel in the TV film “Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story” (2004). Her fine performance in the latter production won an Image for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special and a Black Reel for Best Actress, Network/Cable Television.

In 2006, Whitfield picked up a Black Movie nomination for her scene-stealing turn as Victoria in the independent comedy/drama “Madea's Family Reunion” (2006), which was directed and penned by and starring Tyler Perry. She also portrayed Dr. Page on Lawrence Page's “Confessions,” premiered at the 2006 American Black Film Festival, and appeared as Anita Astin in the pilot episode of the crime series starring James Woods, “Shark” (2006).

Recently costarring with Tyson Beckford in the drama film “Kings of the Evening” (2008), as Gracie, 55-year-old Whitfield has completed filming the remake “The Women” (2008), directed and scripted by Diane English. The comedy film stars Eva Mendes as Crystal Allen, Meg Ryan as Mary Haines, Carrie Fisher as Nancy Blake, Jada Pinkett Smith as Miriam Aarons, Bette Midler as Flora DeLave, Debra Messing as Edith Potter and Annette Bening as Sylvia Fowler, among others. She will also be cast as Ciara's mother, Lillian Winter, in the musical “Mama, I Want To Sing!” (2008) and star as Artelia 'Art' Jones in the drama “Pure Shooter” (2009).

Awards:

• Black Reel: Best Actress, Network/Cable Television, “Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story,” 2005

• Image: Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, “Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story,” 2005

• Image: Outstanding Performance in a Youth or Children's Series/Special, “The Planet of Junior Brown,” 2000

• Image: Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, “Touched by an Angel,” 1998

• Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, “I'll Fly Away,” 1994

• Image: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, Mini-Series or Television Movie, “The Josephine Baker Story,” 1993

• Emmy: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special, “The Josephine Baker Story,” 1991