Queen Latifah

Biography

Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album All Hail the Queen on November 28, 1989, featuring the hit single "Ladies First". Nature of a Sista' (1991) was her second and final album with Tommy Boy Records. Latifah starred as Khadijah James on the Fox sitcom Living Single from 1993 to 1998. Her third album, Black Reign (1993), became the first album by a solo female rapper to receive a RIAA certification, and spawned the single "U.N.I.T.Y.", which was influential in raising awareness of violence against women and the objectification of Black female sexuality. The record won a Grammy Award and peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100. She then starred in the lead role of Set It Off (1996) and released her fourth album, Order in the Court, on June 16, 1998, with Motown Records. Latifah garnered acclaim with her role of Matron "Mama" Morton in the musical film Chicago (2002), receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Latifah released her fifth album The Dana Owens Album in 2004. In 2007 and 2009, she released two more studio albums – Trav'lin' Light and Persona. She created the daytime talk show The Queen Latifah Show, which ran from 1999 to 2001, and again from 2013 to 2015, in syndication. She has appeared in a number of films, such as Bringing Down the House (2003), Taxi (2004), Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2005), Beauty Shop (2005), Last Holiday (2006), Hairspray (2007), Joyful Noise (2012), 22 Jump Street (2014) and Girls Trip (2017) and provided voice work in the Ice Age film series. Latifah received critical acclaim for her portrayal of blues singer Bessie Smith in the HBO film Bessie (2015), which she co-produced, winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. From 2016 to 2019, she starred as Carlotta Brown in the musical drama series Star. In 2020, she portrayed Hattie McDaniel in the miniseries Hollywood. Queen Latifah has been referred to as the "Queen of Rap" by several media articles, as well as "rap's first feminist". Latifah became the first hip hop artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2006). Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, and an Academy Award nomination. Description above from the Wikipedia article Queen Latifah, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Daily Show

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

Late Night with Seth Meyers

The Fairly OddParents

All Movies (86)

• Ice Age: Boiling Point2027 · as Ellie (voice)
• Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery2025 · as Self
• A GRAMMY Salute to 50 Years of Hip-Hop2023 · as Self
• 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony2023 · as Self
• End of the Road2022 · as Brenda Freeman
• Hustle2022 · as Teresa Sugerman
• The Tiger Rising2022 · as Willie May
• You're Watching Video Music Box2021 · as Self (archive footage)
• 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony2021 · as Self
• The Little Mermaid Live!2019 · as Ursula
• The Trap2019 · as Dr. Obayuwana
• And the Winner Isn't2017 · as Self
• Flint2017 · as Iza Banks
• Girls Trip2017 · as Sasha Franklin
• VH1 Hip Hop Honors: All Hail the Queens2016
• Ice Age: Collision Course2016 · as Ellie (voice)
• Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade2016 · as Ellie (voice)
• Miracles from Heaven2016 · as Angela Bradford
• The Wiz Live!2015 · as The Wiz
• The Making of the Wiz Live!2015 · as Self
• Bessie2015 · as Bessie Smith
• 22 Jump Street2014 · as Mrs. Dickson (uncredited)
• Teach2013 · as Self
• House of Bodies2013 · as Nicole
• Steel Magnolias2012 · as M'Lynn
• Ice Age: Continental Drift2012 · as Ellie (voice)
• Yo! The Story of ‘Yo! MTV Raps’2012 · as Self
• Tony Bennett: Duets II - The Great Performances2012 · as Self
• Joyful Noise2012 · as Vi Rose Hill
• Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas2011 · as Ellie (voice)
• The Dilemma2011 · as Dana
• Just Wright2010 · as Leslie Wright
• Valentine's Day2010 · as Paula Thomas
• Hollywood Singing & Dancing: A Musical History - 1980s, 1990s and 2000s2009 · as Self (archive)
• Michael Jackson Memorial2009 · as Self
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs2009 · as Ellie (voice)
• Zac Efron's Pool Party2009 · as Self
• We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial2009 · as Self
• The Secret Life of Bees2008 · as August Boatwright
• What Happens in Vegas2008 · as Dr. Twitchell
• Garrett's Gift2008
• Mad Money2008 · as Nina Brewster
• The Perfect Holiday2007 · as Mrs. Christmas
• You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Long Journey of "Hairspray"2007 · as Self
• Hairspray: Inside the Recording Booth2007 · as Self
• 'Hairspray' Extentions2007 · as Self
• It's 'Hairspray'!2007 · as Self
• Hairspray2007 · as Motormouth Maybelle
• Arctic Tale2007 · as Narrator
• Life Support2007 · as Ana
• Stranger Than Fiction2006 · as Penny Escher
• Ice Age: The Meltdown2006 · as Ellie (voice)
• Last Holiday2006 · as Georgia Byrd
• The Muppets' Wizard of Oz2005 · as Aunt Em
• Beauty Shop2005 · as Gina Norris
• Taxi2004 · as Isabelle 'Belle' Williams
• The Cookout2004 · as Security Guard
• Sesame Street: What's the Name of That Song?2004 · as Self
• Barbershop 2: Back in Business2004 · as Gina
• Scary Movie 32003 · as Aunt Shaneequa / The Oracle
• Bringing Down the House2003 · as Charlene Morton
• Chicago2002 · as Matron Mama Morton
• Brown Sugar2002 · as Francine
• The Country Bears2002 · as Cha-Cha
• Mama Africa2002 · as Host
• Living with the Dead2002 · as Midge Harmon
• Through the Years of Hip Hop Volume 1 Graffiti Extras2002
• Platinum Comedy Series: Roasting Shaquille O'Neal2002 · as Self - Host
• One Love: The Bob Marley All-Star Tribute1999 · as Self - Perfomer
• The Bone Collector1999 · as Thelma
• Bringing Out the Dead1999 · as Dispatcher Love (voice)
• Living Out Loud1998 · as Liz Bailey
• Sphere1998 · as Alice 'Teeny' Fletcher
• Hoodlum1997 · as Sulie
• Set It Off1996 · as Cleo
• I Hate The Way I Look1994 · as Self
• My Life1993 · as Theresa
• Sesame Street Jam: A Musical Celebration1993 · as Self - Special Guest
• Who's the Man?1993 · as Queen Latifah
• Juice1992 · as Ruffhouse M.C.
• House Party 21991 · as Zora
• Jungle Fever1991 · as Lashawn
• The Earth Day Special1990 · as Self
• Slammin' Rap Video Magazine Vol. 11990 · as Self
• Girls Trip 2— · as Sasha Franklin
• King of the South—

All TV Shows (81)

• Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop2023
• Sherri2022 · as Self - Guest
• The Jennifer Hudson Show2022 · as Self - Guest
• Payback2022 · as Self - Funeral Attendee (archive footage)
• Maya and the Three2021 · as Gran Bruja (voice)
• The Equalizer2021 · as Robyn McCall
• Hollywood2020 · as Hattie McDaniel
• When the Streetlights Go On2020 · as Detective Grasso
• Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America2019 · as Self
• Untold Stories of Hip Hop2019 · as Self
• The Kelly Clarkson Show2019 · as Self
• Carpool Karaoke: The Series2017 · as Self
• Star2016 · as Carlotta Brown
• Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party2016
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self
• The Late Show with Stephen Colbert2015 · as Self - Guest
• Lip Sync Battle2015 · as Self
• Hot Ones2015 · as Self
• Empire2015 · as Carlotta Brown
• Variety Studio: Actors on Actors2014 · as Self
• Late Night with Seth Meyers2014 · as Self
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self - Guest
• The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon2014 · as Self
• Finding Your Roots2012 · as Self
• The Talk2010
• Hot in Cleveland2010 · as Aunt Esther Jean Johnson
• Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen2009 · as Self - Guest
• 30 Rock2006 · as Regina Bookman
• VH1 Rock Honors2006
• The Reichen Show2005 · as Self - Guest
• The Tyra Banks Show2005
• Hogan Knows Best2005
• Entourage2004 · as Dana Elaine Owens
• I Love the '80s Strikes Back2003
• Eve2003 · as Simone
• The Ellen DeGeneres Show2003 · as Self
• America's Next Top Model2003 · as Self - Guest
• American Idol2002 · as Self
• Living with the Dead2002 · as Midge Harmon
• Good Day Live2001 · as Self
• The Fairly OddParents2001 · as Pam Dromeda (voice)
• The Queen Latifah Show2000
• The Early Show1999 · as Self
• Mama Flora's Family1998 · as Diana
• Hollywood Squares1998 · as Self - Panelist
• The View1997 · as Self
• The View1997 · as Self - Guest
• Spin City1996 · as Robin Jones
• The Daily Show1996 · as Self
• The Rosie O'Donnell Show1996 · as Self - Guest
• MADtv1995 · as Self - Hostess
• Ellen1994 · as Queen Latifah (uncredited)
• The Critic1994 · as Queen Latifah (voice)
• Intimate Portrait1993 · as Self (archive footage)
• Late Night with Conan O'Brien1993 · as Self - Guest
• Late Show with David Letterman1993 · as Self - Guest
• Living Single1993 · as Khadijah James
• Hangin' with Mr. Cooper1992 · as Queen Latifah
• MTV Movie & TV Awards1992 · as Self - Presenter
• The Tonight Show with Jay Leno1992
• The Jenny Jones Show1991
• Roc1991
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air1990 · as Marissa Redman
• Yo! MTV Raps1988 · as Self
• LIVE with Kelly and Mark1988 · as Self - Guest
• MTV Video Music Awards1984 · as Self
• Entertainment Tonight1981 · as Self
• CBS News Sunday Morning1979 · as Self
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Host & Musical Guest
• Saturday Night Live1975 · as Self - Cameo (uncredited)
• People's Choice Awards1975 · as Self - Presenter
• People's Choice Awards1975 · as Self - Host
• American Music Awards1974 · as Self - Host
• Rock Concert1973 · as Self
• The Grammys1959 · as Self - Host
• The Grammys1959 · as Self
• The Oscars1953 · as Self
• The Oscars1953 · as Self - Performer
• Today1952 · as Self
• Golden Globe Awards1944 · as Self - Presenter