Lena Waithe

Born: 1984-05-17 in Chicago, Illinois, USA

Known For: Acting

Biography

Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/; born May 17, 1984) 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 was nominated 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 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lena Waithe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Filmography

2025

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart ... (Executive Producer)
Move Ya Body: The Birth of House ... (Executive Producer)
Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television as Self
It's Dorothy! as Self
Reclaim the Flag as Self

2024

Meal Ticket ... (Executive Producer)
Bitter Leaf ... (Executive Producer)
Tender Thoughts ... (Executive Producer)
Play Hard ... (Executive Producer)

2023

Kokomo City ... (Executive Producer)
Sarajin ... (Executive Producer)
Being Mary Tyler Moore as Self (voice)
A Thousand and One ... (Producer)
Chang Can Dunk ... (Producer)
Last Days of the Lab ... (Executive Producer)
Order for Pickup ... (Executive Producer)
House Party as Lena Waithe
Sorry Grandpa Hsiao ... (Executive Producer)
My Nights Glow Yellow ... (Executive Producer)

2022

Sherri as Self - Guest
Black Santa ... (Executive Producer)
Beauty ... (Producer)
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder as College Maya (voice)
Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings ... (Executive Producer)
The 25th Filial Exemplar ... (Executive Producer)
Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration
Beast ... (Executive Producer)
100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu ... (Executive Producer)

2021

Them ... (Executive Producer)
Soñadora ... (Executive Producer)
Shoebox ... (Executive Producer)
Bad Hair as Brook-Lynne
The Beauty President ... (Executive Producer)
Amend: The Fight for America as Self
2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony as Self
Twenties After-Show With B. Scott as Self - Guest
The One and Only Dick Gregory as Self
Only the Moon Stands Still ... (Executive Producer)

2020

Onward as Officer Spector (voice)
The Forty-Year-Old Version ... (Producer)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire as Self - Contestant
Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 as Self
#blackAF as Lena Waithe
You Love Me ... (Screenplay)
Visible: Out on Television as Self - Narrator (voice)
You Ain't Got These

2019

Queen & Slim ... (Screenplay)
A Black Lady Sketch Show as Office Employee
Boomerang ... (Creator)
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner as Self
Fragile.com ... (Executive Producer)

2018

The Chi as Camille Hallaway
Ready Player One as Aech / Helen
Rising ... (Writer)
The Shop as Self
Step Sisters ... (Producer)

2017

Big Mouth as Lena (voice)
Dear White People as P. Ninny

2016

Westworld as Ash
This Is Us as Animal Shelter Clerk

2015

Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter as Self
Master of None as Denise Watkins

2014

Transparent as Jane
Dear White People ... (Producer)
Ladylike ... (Consulting Producer)

2010

I Will Follow ... (Production Coordinator)

2009

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen as Self - Guest
RuPaul's Drag Race as Self - Guest Judge

2005

Grey's Anatomy as Evynn Moore
Bones ... (Writer)
The Comeback as Summer