Lynn Whitfield was born in the Louisiana State in the city of Baton Rouge. She is a daughter of Jean, who was an officer of Finance agency and of Valerian Smith who was a dentist. She is the eldest child in the four children. Her father, who was a dentist, was the first person who made her to develop the interest in acting since he was among the people who formed the community theater in the Native Baton Rouge. Whitfield’s stable, middle-class parents had always viewed their artistic pursuits as a leisure activity and were disappointed when their daughter chose a career in show business. “No, it wasn’t acceptable to primarily be an artist and to have no other form of income. It was very frightening, it was not encouraged,” Whitfield told Jacqueline Trescott of the Washington Post After spending a year at Southern University in Louisiana.
Whitfield transferred to Howard University in Washington, DC, becoming the third generation of her family to attend Howard, one of the country’s premiere traditionally black colleges. While a student at Howard, Whitfield acted with the D.C. Black Repertory Theatre in several productions including the musical Owen’s Song, and the play Changes, in which she played a waitress at a “soul food” restaurant. During this time she married Vantile Whitfield, a founder of the D.C. Black Repertory, who was more than twenty years her senior. The marriage lasted about five years. “The first time I saw her I was struck by her presence. A lot of people don’t come to the art form knowing this is what they want to do. They are “try-it”-type people. This is what Lynn wanted,” Vantile Whitfield told Trescott.
She got the first attention when she was on the stage when she was learning and also performing with Black Repertory Company of Washington, D.C. Afterwards, she got the role in the Los Angeles production like For colored Girls who Have Considered Suicide: When the Rainbow is Enuf and she starred together with Alfre Woodard. She was also in How To Get Away with Murder, where she played as a Villain Mary Walker.
She started acting career in Theater and Television before she started to play in the supporting roles in the films. Whitfield made her professional screen debut in the NBC critically acclaimed serial drama, Hill Street Blues as Jill Thomas in 1981. In 1983, she appeared in the comedy film Doctor Detroit (1983), playing the supporting role of Thelma Cleland. She later co-starred in films The Slugger's Wife, Silverado, and Jaws: The Revenge. She also starred in the television films The George McKenna Story opposite Denzel Washington, Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI as a title character, and in the ABC miniseries The Women of Brewster Place alongside Oprah Winfrey and Cicely Tyson. She also was a regular cast member in the short-lived 1988 ABC female-driven medical drama series, HeartBeat alongside Kate Mulgrew, Laura Johnson, and Gail Strickland. In 2000s, Whitfield had many supporting roles on television and film. She co-starred in the Chris Rock's comedy film, Head of State (2003), and Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion (2006). Whitfield also appeared in The Women (2008), The Rebound (2009) and Mama, I Want to Sing (2011), and had many roles in a low-profile B-Movies. She also starred as Dorthea Garibaldi in both Disney Channel films The Cheetah Girls and The Cheetah Girls 2.
| Birth Date: | 6 May, 1953 |
| Age: | 66 yrs |
| Occupations: | Actor Television actor Film actor |
| Citizenship: | United States of America |
| Birth Place: | Baton Rouge |
| Education: | Howard University |
| Gender: | Female |
| Description: | American actress |
| Twitter Id: | MsLynnWhitfield |
| Spouse: | Brian Gibson[1990-1992] Vantile Whitfield[1974-1978] |
| Net Worth 2021: | 3 million |
