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| Also Known As: | Lynn Butler-Smith | Died: | |
| Born: | May 6, 1953 | Cause of Death: | |
| Birth Place: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA | Profession: | actor |
Biography CLOSE THE FULL BIOGRAPHY
Scion of an achievement-oriented Baton Rouge clan with roots in southern black aristocracy, toothsome, energetic leading lady Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Bette Davis in "All About Eve" from the vantage of her grandmother's lap, attired in mink-trimmed frocks and seeing no reason she could not some day play those same types of roles. After gaining attention on the stage as one of the young women of color who people Ntozake Shange's poetic panorama of the black female experience, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf", Whitfield began appearing in supporting roles in such films as "Doctor Detroit" (1982) and "Silverado" (1985) but did not achieve real success until starring in television films ("The George McKenna Story", "Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI", both CBS 1986) and miniseries (the acclaimed "The Women of Brewster Place" ABC 1989).
Scion of an achievement-oriented Baton Rouge clan with roots in southern black aristocracy, toothsome, energetic leading lady Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Bette Davis in "All About Eve" from the vantage of her grandmother's lap, attired in mink-trimmed frocks and seeing no reason she could not some day play those same types of roles. After gaining attention on the stage as one of the young women of color who people Ntozake Shange's poetic panorama of the black female experience, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf", Whitfield began appearing in supporting roles in such films as "Doctor Detroit" (1982) and "Silverado" (1985) but did not achieve real success until starring in television films ("The George McKenna Story", "Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI", both CBS 1986) and miniseries (the acclaimed "The Women of Brewster Place" ABC 1989).
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CAST: (feature film)
Milestones close milestones
Notes
Whitfield has purchased the rights to Angela Davis' life story and plans to produce and star in a movie about the activist.
"Co-parenting in a divorced environment is rarely easy. I'm a child of divorce, so I was particularly concerned that the trickle-down effects I experienced as a child wouldn't affect her. Grace is the most important thing in my life, and probably the reason I didn't have a breakdown or try to numb myself with narcotics or alcohol after the [second] divorce. You can let that kind of thing turn you ugly, or you can find a place of peace. Grace helped me find the latter." --Lynn Whitfield quoted in NEW YORK POST, November 5, 1997
"I find it interesting that 'The Wedding' was one of the last books Jackie Kennedy edited at Doubleday. I think the Massachusettes society trophy-wife phenomenom was part of what attracted her to the story." --Whitfield to TV GUIDE, February 21, 1998
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