Sanaa McCoy Lathan (\/s\u0259\u02c8n\u0251\/ born September 19, 1971) is an American stage, film, television, and voice actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director\u00a0Stan Lathan. She earned bachelor’s degree in English from\u00a0University of California, Berkeley, and\u00a0a master’s degree in drama from Yale.<\/p>\n
She is best known for her roles as Robyn in The Best Man films and subsequent TV miniseries on Peacock, Naomi Hicks on Netflix’s Hit & Run, Violet Jones in Nappily Ever After, Ashe Akino on Fox’s drama Shots Fired, Deputy Director Natalie Austin in Now You See Me 2 (2016), Leah Vaughn in The Perfect Guy (2015), Jenelle Wilson on Showtime’s drama The Affair, Mona Fredricks on Starz’ drama Boss, Andrea in Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (2008), Beneatha Younger in ABC’s film adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun (2008), Kenya McQueen in Something New (2006), Ann Merai Harrison in Out of Time (2004), Sidney ‘Sid’ Shaw in Brown Sugar (2002), Monica Wright in Love & Basketball (2000), Zora Banks in Disappearing Acts (2000), Alicia in The Wood (1999), Vanessa Brooks – the mother of\u00a0Wesley Snipes’ title character – in Blade (1998), and Briana Gilliam on NBC’s sitcom Lateline.<\/p>\n
She had recurring roles on HBO’s Succession and FX’s Nip\/Tuck, and starred on NBC’s short-lived sitcom Built to Last. In 2022, she received a nomination for the\u00a0Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for her work on the television series\u00a0Succession.<\/p>\n
Her other movie credits include With\/In Vol 1 (2021) and Vol 2 (2022), American Assassin (2017), Contagion (2011), Powder Blue (2009), AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004), and more. She voiced Catwoman on HBO’s animated series Harley Quinn, and Donna Tubbs on The Cleveland Show and on all Family Guy appearances.<\/p>\n
In 2004, she starred on Broadway as Beneatha Younger in\u00a0A Raisin in the Sun with Sean Combs,\u00a0Audra McDonald, and\u00a0Phylicia Rashad, and received a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress. She later reprise her role in the 2008 film adaptation. In 2010, she starred in the all-black performance of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof at the Novello Theatre in London.<\/p>\n
She earned a\u00a0Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her recurring role on Succession. She received an NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance in Brown Sugar. She received a NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance in The Best Man. She earned an\u00a0Essence Award\u00a0for Best Actress for her performance in Disappearing Acts. She earned the 2001\u00a0NAACP Image Award\u00a0for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, an\u00a0Independent Spirit Award\u00a0nomination for Best Actress, and a\u00a0BET Award for her performance in Love & Basketball.<\/p>\n
In 2000, she was named by\u00a0Ebony\u00a0magazine as one of its\u00a055 Most Beautiful People\u00a0and was honored by\u00a0Essence\u00a0magazine and\u00a0Black Entertainment Television.<\/p>\n
In 2022, she made her directorial debut with the film\u00a0On the Come Up, in which she also has a supporting role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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