Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971)
is an
American actress and
voice actor. She has starred in numerous
movies, including the box-office hits
Love & Basketball,
Alien vs. Predator,
Something New, and
The Family That Preys, and was nominated for a
Tony Award for her performance on
Broadway in
A Raisin in the Sun. She is the voice of the character
Donna Tubbs in
The Cleveland Show.
Early life
Lathan was born in
New York City and attended
Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Her first name means "work of art" in Swahili.
[www.imdb.com/name/nm0005125/bio] She is of
African American and
Native American descent.
Her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was an actress and dancer
[www.filmreference.com/film/65/Sanaa-Lathan.html] who performed on Broadway with
Eartha Kitt. Her father,
Stan Lathan, worked behind the scenes in television for
PBS, as well as a producer on shows such as
Sanford & Son and Russell Simmons'
Def Comedy Jam. Her brother is Tendaji Lathan (now a DJ).
