Photo: Gage Skidmore / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Sanaa Lathan is one of those actors who makes everything look effortless, which I think is why she doesn't always get the loud mainstream credit she deserves. Born in New York, trained at UC Berkeley, she came up through theatre and earned a Theatre World Award in 2004 — so her foundation is serious, not just Hollywood-by-accident. Her work in Love & Basketball still hits differently; that film holds up precisely because she brought real emotional weight to Monica, not just a sports-movie protagonist. She's done film, television, voice acting, Broadway — a genuinely versatile range — and won a Lucille Lortel Award and an NAACP Image Award along the way. I've always felt like she operates a level above the material she's sometimes handed, carrying scenes on pure presence. She's the kind of performer I'll watch in anything without needing to check reviews first.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Sanaa Lathan
- Name (Japanese)
- サナ・レイサン
- Reading
- さな・れいさん
- Born
- September 19, 1971 (age 54)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Boar
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Occupation
- stage actor / musical theatre actor / film actor / television actor / voice actor
2. Background
- University
- University of California, Berkeley
Awards & achievements
- 2004 Theatre World Award
- 2016 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
- 2012 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Lead Actress
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Sanaa Lathan born?
Born September 19, 1971 (age 54).
Where is Sanaa Lathan from?
Sanaa Lathan is from New York City, New York, United States.
What does Sanaa Lathan do?
Sanaa Lathan works as stage actor, musical theatre actor, film actor, television actor, voice actor.
Stage actor — see all → · Musical theatre actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.