These are Lynn Whitfield’s best movie roles ranked.
The Howard University graduate has brought an unmatched level of authenticity and poise to every part she portrays. Whether it’s a famed entertainer building her legacy before the world or a deranged lover making someone pay for the pain they’ve caused, Whitfield effortlessly breathes life into each character on screen. She’s considerably one of the greatest actresses of our time.
Due to the Emmy-winning diva’s undeniable talent, she’s seen many successes, with production after production setting the bar and becoming a timeless classic in Hollywood.
In a 2017 interview with Parlé Magazine, while speaking on her game-changing run as “Lady Mae” in OWN’s Greenleaf series, Whitfield gushed about her longevity and high honor in the industry.
“I feel grateful. I feel that, if I’m respected, I have to continue to provide a reason why I’m respected,” she told us. “It makes me feel like I have to continue to earn the respect. I want to continue to expand my reach to do more, to be better.”
Let’s get into the leading lady’s ‘Top 5’ stellar performances below.
5 of Lynn Whitfield’s Best Movie Roles Ranked
#5 – The Cheetah Girls will forever live in our hearts, and so will Lynn Whitfield.
The Cheetah Girls was an overnight phenomenon when it was released in 2003. Based on the 1999 book series of the same name, the Whitney Houston-produced musical captured four teen girls in New York as they pursued their dream of attaining nationwide fame as a girl group. The film saw Whitfield as acclaimed fashion designer Dorothea Garibaldi, the mother of Galleria (Raven-Symoné).
#4 – We can’t forget her contribution to the iconic Eve’s Bayou.
It was only right that Whitfield was grabbed for this Southern Gothic drama. Eve’s Bayou debuted in 1997. The legendary tale shed light on a fictional Creole family in the 1960s and the groundbreaking secrets, lies, and betrayals around the murky waters of their prestigious Louisiana home. Whitfield acted as Roz Batiste, the mother of the main character, Eve, and her problematic older sister, Cisely (Meagan Good)Monica Schipper/Getty Images.
#3 – Lynn Whitfield in Madea’s Family Reunion is a memorable mid-2000s moment.
Madea’s Family Reunion premiered in 2006, and Whitfield’s role as Victoria Breaux is still talked about all these years later. The blockbuster delved into the drama-filled lives of the uber-funny Madea’s dynamic family as they all prepared for their reunion. Whitfield’s character, Victoria, was Madea’s niece, the saditty mother of two daughters who bore the pressures of living up to her picture-perfect standards.
#2 – A Thin Line Between Love and Hate showed her range.
Whitfield stunned the world in 1996 when she played an obsessive older woman named Brandi Web in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. The dark-humored romance chronicled a self-proclaimed ladies’ man and nightclub manager (Martin Lawrence) captivated by successful businesswoman Brandi. Ultimately, it’s only a matter of time before the playboy realizes everything that glitters isn’t gold, and he’s just gotten himself an emotionally unstable stalker.
#1 – Lynn Whitfield literally embodied The Josephine Baker Story.
In 1991, Whitfield took on the role of the honorable Josephine Baker in her biopic, The Josephine Baker Story. The film followed the French entertainer’s groundbreaking rise to stardom as a dancer, singer, and actress. Baker was recognized as the first Black woman to star in a major motion picture, which happened to be Siren of the Tropics (1927).
During her sit-down with us, Whitfield recalled how the opportunity impacted her career. “[Josephine Baker] was the most demanding of all and the most rewarding,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that so much of the work that I’ve done still maintains its value. Not a lot of it is disposable.”
Main Image Credit: Monica Schipper/Getty Images
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