# Jenifer Lewis
**Jenifer Lewis** (full name Jenifer Jeanette Lewis) is an American film, theater, and television actress, comedian, and singer, best known for playing Ruby Johnson on ABC's *black-ish* and for voicing Flo in Disney/Pixar's *Cars* and Mama Odie in Disney's *The Princess and the Frog*.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/jenifer-lewis) Her screen career, built largely on maternal roles, has led to her nickname "the Black Mother of Hollywood."[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jenifer_lewis)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957, Kinloch, Missouri; youngest of seven children, born to a nursing aide mother, Dorothy, and a factory worker father[3](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jenifer-lewis) • [4](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf) |
| Signature TV role | Ruby Johnson on ABC's *black-ish*, played across eight seasons; the role earned a 2016 Critics Choice Award nomination[4](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf) • [5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) |
| Voice work | Flo in *Cars* and *Cars 2*, Mama Odie in *The Princess and the Frog*[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) |
| Broadway credits | *Eubie!*, *Comin' Uptown*, *Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years*, and *Hairspray* (as Motormouth Maybelle replacement, 2008)[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jenifer-lewis-83628) |
| Memoirs | *The Mother of Black Hollywood* (2017, with Malaika Adero); *Walking in My Joy: In These Streets* (2022, with Natalie Guerrero)[7](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780062410405) • [8](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063079656) |
| Mental health | Diagnosed with bipolar disorder at age 33; became a mental health advocate, named Pacific Clinics' 2019 Champion of Mental Health[7](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780062410405) • [9](https://www.pacificclinics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jenifer-lewis-article.pdf) |
## Early life
Lewis was born in 1957 in Kinloch, Missouri, to Dorothy Mae Lewis, a nursing aide, and Edward James Lewis, a factory worker, and was the youngest of seven children.[3](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jenifer-lewis) • [4](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf) Kinloch, a small town near St. Louis, was a poverty-stricken, predominantly Black community where, as she later recalled, the librarian, police officers, firefighters, mayor, and superintendent of schools were all Black and all supported her.[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-jc-jenifer-lewis-20171129-htmlstory.html) Her first taste of applause came at age five, when her church congregation roared its approval of a solo; she has described that response as the catalyst for her life on stage and screen.[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-jc-jenifer-lewis-20171129-htmlstory.html) She studied theater at [Webster University](https://www.edgepedia.org/webster-university) before moving to New York to pursue a performing career.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jenifer_lewis)
## Theater and early career
Her professional base was Broadway. IBDB lists her Broadway credits as *Eubie!* (in several engagements between 1978 and 1981), *Comin' Uptown* (1979-1980), *Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years* (1982), and the original production of *Hairspray*, in which she took over the role of Motormouth Maybelle from April through August 2008.[6](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jenifer-lewis-83628) [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway), she performed in *Mother Courage and Her Children* at the Delacorte Theatre, *The Vagina Monologues* at the Westside Theatre, and *The Diva is Dismissed* at the Public Theater.[1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/jenifer-lewis)
**Back-up singing.** In the 1980s Lewis joined [Bette Midler](https://www.edgepedia.org/bette-midler)'s backing band, the Staggering Harlettes, performing with Midler on HBO specials and in the film *Beaches* (1988); the position led to her first television appearances.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jenifer_lewis) • [4](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf) She later built a concert career of her own, presenting more than 200 concerts in 49 states and on four continents, including a 2014 [Carnegie Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnegie-hall) appearance with the New York Pops orchestra that drew a standing ovation.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8)
## Screen career
After arriving in Hollywood via Broadway and cabarets, Lewis landed her film breakthrough as [Tina Turner](https://www.edgepedia.org/tina-turner)'s mother, Zelma Bullock, in *What's Love Got to Do With It* (1993). She was about two years older than the film's star, [Angela Bassett](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-bassett), and later recalled nearly slamming down the phone when offered the maternal part, until she heard the salary.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/how-blackish-star-jenifer-lewis-became-the-mother-of-black-hollywood/) The role established the pattern of a career spent, in her own framing, playing "the mother of nearly every up-and-coming Black actor and actress of the last 30 years."[10](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-jc-jenifer-lewis-20171129-htmlstory.html) The Washington Post tallies those roles as mother or grandmother to [Will Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-smith) (*The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*), Angela Bassett, Tupac Shakur (*Poetic Justice*, 1993), Whitney Houston (*The Preacher's Wife*, 1996), Jill Marie Jones (*Girlfriends*), Raven-Symoné (*That's So Raven*), Taraji P. Henson (*Not Easily Broken*, 2009), and Anthony Anderson on *black-ish*.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/how-blackish-star-jenifer-lewis-became-the-mother-of-black-hollywood/)
Her other screen work includes [Tom Hanks](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-hanks)'s boss in *Cast Away*, characters in [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s *Madea's Family Reunion* and *Meet the Browns*, Clint Eastwood's *Hereafter* opposite [Matt Damon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-damon), and *The Wedding Ringer*, *Think Like a Man*, and *Think Like a Man Too*.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) On television she was a regular as Aunt Helen on *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*, Veretta Childs on UPN/CW's *Girlfriends*, and receptionist Lana Hawkins for six seasons on Lifetime's *Strong Medicine*, with guest roles on *Friends*, *Boston Legal*, and *A Different World*, where she played Dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) • [1](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/jenifer-lewis)
**black-ish.** Lewis played grandmother Ruby Johnson on ABC's *black-ish* for eight seasons, a portrayal that earned her a 2016 Critics Choice Award nomination; [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) dubbed her a "national treasure" for the performance.[4](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf) • [5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) A planned spinoff, *Old-ish*, starring [Laurence Fishburne](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurence-fishburne) and Lewis as their *black-ish* characters, was developed at ABC, and an *Old-ish* season listing credits her again as Ruby Johnson.[12](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19674/filmographie/)
## Voice work and music
Her dramatic alto found a second home in animation.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/how-blackish-star-jenifer-lewis-became-the-mother-of-black-hollywood/) She voiced Flo in *Cars* and *Cars 2* and Mama Odie in *The Princess and the Frog* (2009), where she also sang "Dig a Little Deeper" on the soundtrack.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) • [13](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621225884) Later voice work includes Nazara in the Netflix/Skydance animated film *Spellbound* (2024), for which she recorded the songs "My Parents are Monsters" and "Step by Step."[13](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621225884)
## Memoirs and advocacy
Lewis published her first memoir, *The Mother of Black Hollywood* (Amistad, 2017), written with Malaika Adero. Publishers Weekly described it as opening on a cruise ship where Lewis considers retiring from her 40-year career, and as frank about her bipolar disorder diagnosis at age 33, her sexual addiction, and the deaths of many young male theater friends from AIDS in the 1980s.[7](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780062410405) The memoir was based on diaries she had kept since seventh grade.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/how-blackish-star-jenifer-lewis-became-the-mother-of-black-hollywood/) A second memoir, *Walking in My Joy: In These Streets* (Amistad, 2022), written with Natalie Guerrero, covers her childhood in poverty in 1960s Kinloch, her reactions to national tragedies, and her career; Publishers Weekly called it a dynamic collection of essays.[8](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063079656)
Public disclosure of her illness turned her into a working mental health advocate. Diagnosed in 1990, she has spoken and written openly about living with bipolar disorder, and Pacific Clinics named her its 2019 Champion of Mental Health.[14](https://whyy.org/articles/dream-sustained-black-ish-star-jenifer-lewis-living-mental-illness/) • [9](https://www.pacificclinics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jenifer-lewis-article.pdf) In 2015 her work as an entertainer and community activist was recognized with an honorary doctorate from Webster University and the American Black Film Festival's Career Achievement Award.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) Her activism has also taken public forms: at the 2018 [Emmy Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/emmy-awards) she wore a Nike sweatshirt in solidarity with [Colin Kaepernick](https://www.edgepedia.org/colin-kaepernick), telling Variety, "I'll wear Nike to say thank you. Thank you for leading the resistance."[15](https://time.com/5398823/emmys-2018-jenifer-lewis/)
## Recent work
By volume, Lewis's screen work is extensive: ABC credits her with more than 300 film and television appearances, and Metacritic counts 71 television shows, 39 movies, and 15 games in her credits.[5](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8) • [16](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jenifer-lewis/) Recent and upcoming projects include the animated film *GOAT* (2026), in which she voices Flo Everson, *Spellbound* (2024), [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez)'s *This Is Me... Now: A Love Story* (2024), *Haunted Hotel* (2025), the Netflix *A Different World* revival (2026, as President Davenport), and the announced films *Sister Act 3* and *Women Like Us*, a Netflix comedy with Whoopi Goldberg and Vanessa Williams.[17](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507338/?nmdp=1) • [18](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/45528/jenifer-lewis)
## References
1. [Jenifer Lewis, Los Angeles Theatre Works artist profile](https://latw.org/artist-public-profile/jenifer-lewis)
2. [Jenifer Lewis, Rotten Tomatoes celebrity page](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jenifer_lewis)
3. [Jenifer Lewis's Biography, The HistoryMakers](https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/jenifer-lewis)
4. [Jenifer Lewis, Los Angeles City Clerk document (2022)](https://cityclerk.lacity.org/onlinedocs/2022/22-0007-S13_misc_2_6-08-22.pdf)
5. [Jenifer Lewis, Actor Biography, ABC black-ish cast page](https://abc.com/cast/e64a708b-a7ef-4daa-b5cb-2c1653c406a8)
6. [Jenifer Lewis, Broadway Cast & Staff, IBDB](https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/jenifer-lewis-83628)
7. [Jenifer Lewis: The Mother of Black Hollywood, Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780062410405)
8. [Walking in My Joy: In These Streets, Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063079656)
9. [Jenifer Lewis Q&A, Pacific Clinics](https://www.pacificclinics.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jenifer-lewis-article.pdf)
10. [Q&A: Jenifer Lewis is literally 'The Mother of Black Hollywood', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-jc-jenifer-lewis-20171129-htmlstory.html)
11. [How 'Blackish' star Jenifer Lewis became 'the mother of black Hollywood', The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/gender-identity/how-blackish-star-jenifer-lewis-became-the-mother-of-black-hollywood/)
12. [Jenifer Lewis: Filmographie, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/personne/fichepersonne-19674/filmographie/)
13. [Jenifer Lewis, Apple Music and Apple Podcasts snapshot](https://snapshot.apple.com/us/person/6621225884)
14. ['The dream that sustained me:' 'Black-ish' star Jenifer Lewis on living with mental illness, WHYY](https://whyy.org/articles/dream-sustained-black-ish-star-jenifer-lewis-living-mental-illness/)
15. [How Jenifer Lewis Made a Statement in a Sweatshirt on the Emmys 2018 Red Carpet, Time](https://time.com/5398823/emmys-2018-jenifer-lewis/)
16. [Jenifer Lewis, Metacritic person page](https://www.metacritic.com/person/jenifer-lewis/)
17. [Jenifer Lewis, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507338/?nmdp=1)
18. [Jenifer Lewis, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/45528/jenifer-lewis)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Le to L*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license