DesiMDB
Lena Waithe

Acting

Lena Waithe

EN, KO, ZH cinema · 54 credits

Born

17 May 1984 (age 42)

Birthplace

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Also known as Lena D. Waithe · 麗娜·維特

Lena Waithe (/weɪθ/; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–21). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present). Waithe gained recognition for her role in the Netflix comedy-drama series Master of None (2015–2021) and became the first African-American woman to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series in 2017 for writing the show's "Thanksgiving" episode, which was loosely based on her personal experience of coming out to her mother. She has also appeared in Steven Spielberg's 2018 adventure film Ready Player One and the HBO series Westworld. In 2023, she was nominated for Best Play at the 76th Tony Awards, her production work on the sketch-comedy play Ain't No Mo'. Waithe was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2018 and was included on Fast Company's Queer 50 list in 2021 and 2022. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lena Waithe, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Filmography

Untitled Friendship Breakup Film

Untitled Friendship Breakup Film

ENNot rated

Actor, Writer, Producer

Such a Fun Age

Such a Fun Age

ENNot rated

Producer

Talent Show

Talent Show

ENNot rated

Screenplay, Executive Producer

FREYR poster

FREYR

ENNot rated

Executive Producer

Grand Rising

Grand Rising

ENNot rated

Writer, Producer

Place to Be poster

Place to Be

EN · 2026Not rated

as Shy

It's Dorothy! poster

It's Dorothy!

EN · 20254.0

as Self

Reclaim the Flag poster

Reclaim the Flag

EN · 20255.5

as Self

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart poster

Long's Long Lost & Mini Mart

EN · 20255.0

Executive Producer

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House poster

Move Ya Body: The Birth of House

EN · 20256.0

Executive Producer

Window Cleaners poster

Window Cleaners

EN · 2025Not rated

Executive Music Producer

Honey Bare poster

Honey Bare

EN · 2025Not rated

Executive Producer

Meal Ticket poster

Meal Ticket

EN · 20248.0

Executive Producer

Bitter Leaf poster

Bitter Leaf

EN · 20246.0

Executive Producer

Play Hard poster

Play Hard

EN · 20248.0

Executive Producer

Tender Thoughts poster

Tender Thoughts

EN · 202410.0

Executive Producer

Corpse Fishing poster

Corpse Fishing

EN · 2024Not rated

Executive Producer

Being Mary Tyler Moore poster

Being Mary Tyler Moore

EN · 20236.7

as Self (voice), Producer

House Party poster

House Party

EN · 20235.6

as Self

Chang Can Dunk poster

Chang Can Dunk

EN · 20236.7

Producer

A Thousand and One poster

A Thousand and One

EN · 20236.6

Producer

Order for Pickup poster

Order for Pickup

EN · 2023Not rated

Executive Producer

Kokomo City poster

Kokomo City

EN · 20236.7

Executive Producer

Last Days of the Lab poster

Last Days of the Lab

EN · 20237.0

Executive Producer

My Nights Glow Yellow poster

My Nights Glow Yellow

EN · 20238.0

Executive Producer

Sarajin poster

Sarajin

KO · 20238.5

Executive Producer

Sorry Grandpa Hsiao poster

Sorry Grandpa Hsiao

EN · 20237.0

Executive Producer

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration poster

Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration

EN · 20224.4

Actor

Black Santa poster

Black Santa

EN · 2022Not rated

Executive Producer

Beauty poster

Beauty

EN · 20224.8

Producer, Writer

Beast poster

Beast

EN · 20227.0

Executive Producer

Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings poster

Crooked Trees Gon Give Me Wings

EN · 20229.0

Executive Producer

100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu poster

100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu

EN · 20229.0

Executive Producer

The 25th Filial Exemplar poster

The 25th Filial Exemplar

ZH · 202210.0

Executive Producer

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony poster

2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

EN · 20214.0

as Self

Bad Hair poster

Bad Hair

EN · 20215.6

as Brook-Lynne

The One and Only Dick Gregory poster

The One and Only Dick Gregory

EN · 20217.9

as Self, Executive Producer

Soñadora poster

Soñadora

EN · 20217.0

Executive Producer

Shoebox poster

Shoebox

EN · 20218.0

Executive Producer

The Beauty President poster

The Beauty President

EN · 20216.0

Executive Producer

Only the Moon Stands Still poster

Only the Moon Stands Still

EN · 20219.0

Executive Producer

Artistic poster

Artistic

EN · 2021Not rated

Executive Producer

Onward poster

Onward

EN · 20207.6

as Officer Spector (voice)

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020 poster

Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020

EN · 20208.6

as Self

The Forty-Year-Old Version poster

The Forty-Year-Old Version

EN · 20206.7

Producer

You Love Me poster

You Love Me

EN · 2020Not rated

Screenplay

Fragile.com poster

Fragile.com

EN · 20194.1

Executive Producer

Queen & Slim poster

Queen & Slim

EN · 20197.1

Screenplay, Story, Producer

Ready Player One poster

Ready Player One

EN · 20187.6

as Aech / Helen

Step Sisters poster

Step Sisters

EN · 20186.4

Producer

Rising poster

Rising

EN · 20183.0

Writer

Dear White People poster

Dear White People

EN · 20146.1

Producer

Ladylike poster

Ladylike

EN · 2014Not rated

Consulting Producer

I Will Follow poster

I Will Follow

EN · 20104.8

Production Coordinator