• Sanaa Lathan was born in New York City, USA in 1971 and is an actress and voice actress.
• She has a net worth of over $4 million, mostly earned through her acting career.
• She was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age and attended the University of California, Berkeley and Yale University.
• She has received awards and acclaim for her work in films such as “Blade”, “Life”, “The Best Man”, “Love & Basketball”, “Catfish in Black Bean Sauce”, and “Now You See Me 2”.
• She is close friends with actresses Regina Hall and Gabrielle Union, and has expressed her desire to help African-Americans and women get more roles in the acting industry.
Sanaa Lathan was born on 19 September 1971, in New York City, USA, and is an actress and voice actress, best known from her appearances in numerous films over the course of her career, including “Alien vs. Predator”, “Now You See Me 2”, and “Contagion”.
The Wealth of Sanaa Lathan
How rich is Sanaa Lathan? As of mid-2018, sources inform us of a net worth that is over $4 million, mostly earned through a successful career in acting. She also received a lot of acclaim for her Broadway performance in “A Raisin in the Sun”, which earned her a Tony Award nomination.
Early Life and Education
Sanaa’s name means artistry in Swahili and shining light in Arabic. She grew up with her brother who would go on to become a DJ. Sanaa was exposed to the entertainment industry at a young age as her mother was a dancer and actress who performed on Broadway. Her father worked on PBS television behind the scenes, and was a producer of various shows such as “Def Comedy Jam” and “Sanford & Son”. Sanaa attended the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, and after matriculating enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, where she completed a degree in English, after which she furthered her education at Yale University completing a master’s degree in drama.
Acting Career
Sanaa initially performed in a number of Shakespearean plays, slowly earning popularity for her off-Broadway performances. With the encouragement and help of her father, she also started to find guest roles in television shows, including “In the House” and “NYPD Blue”, before winning a Best Actress NAACP Theatrical Award for her performance in “To Take Arms”. In 1998, Lathan earned a lot of recognition when she played the role of the mother of Wesley Snipes’ character in the film “Blade”. She then continued with a string of films including “Life”, “The Best Man”, and “The Wood”. “The Best Man” which became one of the top grossing African-American films, and she earned a NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance. She would go on to win an Award for Outstanding Actress in “Love & Basketball” before appearing in the off-Broadway production of “The Vagina Monologues”.
In 2001, Lathan’s acclaim was increased even further with the film “Catfish in Black Bean Sauce”, and she then appeared in the HBO film “Disappearing Acts” which got her an Essence Award for Best Actress. The following year, she appeared in the romantic comedy film “Brown Sugar” before starring in the 2004 Broadway production of “A Raisin in the Sun”, which earned her a Tony Award nomination, before she reprised her role in the television production made by the ABC. She also co-starred with Denzel Washington in the film “Out of Time” before getting a lead role in “Alien vs. Predator”.
Later Work
In 2006, Sanaa appeared in another romantic comedy – “Something New” – in which she co-starred with Simon Baker. She also appeared during the fourth season of “Nip/Tuck” before co-starring with Matthew Broderick in “Wonderful World”, released in 2009. This was also the time that she started foraying into voiceover work, and was a part of “The Cleveland Show” from 2009 to 2013. In 2011, she was one of the stars of “Contagion”, alongside Matt Damon and Jude Law, a film about the spread of a virus transmitted by fomites.
Five years later, Sanaa had a role in the “Now You See Me” sequel entitled “Now You See Me 2”, which became a box office hit. In 2017 she returned to television with a lead role in the series “Shots Fired”, while she also appeared in the movie “American Assassin”, before being cast in a recurring role in “The Affair”, and is now the lead of the Netflix film entitled “Nappily Ever After”.
Personal Life
Not much is known about Lathan’s romantic relationships, as she has’t been reported to have been linked with anyone over the course of her career. Many sources believe that it is likely that she has had romances, but has managed to keep them away from the eyes of the media. She has mentioned in interviews that she is best friends with actress Regina Hall, and she is also close friends with actress Gabrielle Union. Lathan also mentioned that she didn’t originally think about becoming an actress, but would eventually discover her knack for it when growing up. She mentioned that she wants to help African-Americans and women get more roles, and breakdown barriers in the acting industry.
General Info
Full Name
Sanaa Lathan
Net Worth
$4 Million
Date Of Birth
September 19, 1971
Height
1.7 m
Profession
Voice Actor
Education
Yale School of Drama, Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, BET Award for Best Actress, Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress
Nominations
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play, Independ...
Movies
The Perfect Guy, Love & Basketball, Now You See Me 2, The Best Man Holiday, Alien vs. Predator, The Best Man, Something New, Out of Time, Brown Sugar, Approaching the Unknown, Blade, The Family That Preys, American Assassin, Disappearing Acts, The Wood, Vipaka, A Raisin in the Sun, Wonderful World, ...
TV Shows
The Cleveland Show, Boss, Nip/Tuck, LateLine, Built to Last
I grew up in the business. My dad is a director/producer and my mom is a dancer, she performed with Alvin Ailey, but I didn't even think about becoming an actress.
Facts
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Fact
1
Appearing on Broadway as Beneatha in "Raisin In The Sun". [April 2004]
2
Graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a B.A. in English.
Voted one of Ebony magazine's 55 Most Beautiful People. [2000]
8
Says her name is pronounced Sa-NA, "like Sinatra without the tra".
9
Her name is Swahili for "work of art".
10
Yale School of Drama graduate.
11
Sanaa was raised partly in Beverly Hills with her father, director Stan Lathan, and partly in New York with her mother, Eleanor McCoy, a Broadway stage actress.