Sanaa Lathan Quick Info | |
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Height | 5 ft 7 in |
Weight | 56 kg |
Date of Birth | September 19, 1971 |
Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Sanaa Lathan is an American actress and voice actress who is best known for the characters that she has played in several films such as The Best Man Holiday (2013), Love & Basketball (2000), Brown Sugar (2002), and Alien vs. Predator (2004). She is also known for lending her voice to the character of Donna Tubbs in The Cleveland Show (2009-2013) and Family Guy. She has amassed a huge fan base with more than 5 million followers on Instagram, more than 2 million followers on Twitter, and more than 6 million followers on Facebook.
Born Name
Sanaa McCoy Lathan
Nick Name
Nana
Sun Sign
Virgo
Born Place
New York City, New York, United States
Residence
Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality
Education
Sanaa completed her schooling from the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley.
Later, she graduated with a master’s degree in drama from Yale University. After that, she went on to study acting under the careful guidance of professional acting teacher Earle R. Gister.
Occupation
Actress, Voice Actress
Family
- Father – Stan Lathan (Producer, Director)
- Mother – Eleanor McCoy (Broadway Performer)
- Siblings – Tendaji Lathan (Brother) (DJ)
- Others – Stanley Edward Lathan (Paternal Grandfather), Julia Elizabeth Dunston (Paternal Grandmother), Wesley Brice McCoy (Maternal Grandfather)
Manager
Sanaa is represented by –
- ICM Partners
- Stephen Barnes
Net Worth
In 2018, her net worth was estimated at $4 million.
Build
Voluptuous
Height
5 ft 7 in or 170 cm
Weight
56 kg or 123.5 lbs
Boyfriend / Girlfriend / Spouse
Sanaa has dated –
- Shemar Moore (1989-1996) – After dating for a brief period of time, Sanaa got engaged to actor and model, Shemar Moore in 1989. The couple got married in May 1990. However, things didn’t work out between them and they separated in 1996.
- Wesley Snipes (2000) – Sanaa reportedly dated actor Wesley Snipes in 2000.
- Omar Epps (1999-2002) – She started dating actor and rapper, Omar Epps in 1999. They dated for almost 3 years before breaking up in 2002.
- Tyrese Gibson (2008-2014)
- Colin Kaepernick (2013) – Sanaa was rumored to be dating professional football player Colin Kaepernick in 2013.
- French Montana (2015) – Rapper French Montana and Sanaa were rumored to have been dating in 2015. Claims of Sanaa being pregnant with his child were also being made at that time. However, during an appearance on The Reel, he denied all such rumors.
- Denzel Washington – Sanaa was linked with actor Denzel Washington in the past. It was rumored that the two met at a bar in Los Angeles.
- Regina Hall – Sanaa and her best friend actress Regina Hall were also rumored to have been dating each other in the past. Later, Sanaa spoke up about their friendship being more than 2 decades old.
Race / Ethnicity
Black
She has African-American ancestry.
Hair Color
Black (Natural)
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
Short twirly hair
Brand Endorsements
Through her social media, Sanaa has done endorsement work for several brands such as –
- Gucci
- Zimmerman
- Ralph Lauren
- Prada
- Mugler
- CELINE
Religion
Sanaa believes more in spirituality than religion. However, she has read the holy scriptures of several religions like The Bible, Quran, Hindu scriptures.
Best Known For
- Starring in several films such as Love & Basketball (2000), Out of Time (2003), A Raisin in the Sun (2008), and Something New (2006)
- Receiving several awards such as the NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture” (2001), Black Reel Award for “Best Actress” (2001 and 2004), and the Lucille Lortel Awards for “Outstanding Lead Actress” (2012)
First Film
Sanaa made her theatrical film debut as Carolyn Brody in Drive in 1997.
First TV Show
She made her first TV show appearance as Charese on the sitcom, In The House in 1996.
As a voice actress, she made her TV show debut as Donna Tubbs in The Cleveland Show in 2009.
Personal Trainer
Sanaa prefers to stick to a vegan diet (along with some fish) and tries to stick to 1200 calories a day. Her typical diet plan is as follows –
- Breakfast – Smoothies that are in rich in protein and contain a mix of various fruits and green veggies such as blueberries and spinach
- Lunch – Vegetable sushi roll, Garlic pumpkin miso soup, and Synergy gingerade kombucha
- Dinner – A salad topped with romaine lettuce, red onion, cucumber, Beyond Meat vegan crumbles, apple cider vinegar and raspberry vinaigrette, and a steaming Broccoli soup
- Dessert – A scoop of vegan chocolate ice cream
In order to maintain a calm and level-headed state of mind, she practices Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes on a daily basis.
Sanaa also goes to the gym and works out with celebrity trainer Mike T at Force Fitness Inc. in Los Angeles.
Sanaa Lathan’s Favorite Things
- Hair Oil – Caudalie Vinotherapie Divine Oil
- Mascara – L’Oréal Paris Carbon Black Voluminous Volume Building Mascara in Carbon Black
- Thing To Write Or Draw On – Minimalism Art Classic Notebook Journal
- Medicinal Herb – Zane Hellas Pure Greek Essential Oil of Oregano With 86 Percent Minimum Carvacrol
- Low-Calorie Chocolate Brand – Keto Bark from ChocZero
- Antiperspirant – Home Health Herbal Magic Roll-On Deodorant, Unscented
- Fitness Trampoline – Bellicon Classic 39” Fitness Trampoline
- Blender To Make Her Smoothies And Shakes In – Magic Bullet Mini High-Speed Blender and Mixer
- Sneakers – Alexander McQueen Metallic Leather Exaggerated-sole Sneakers
- Incense – Nag Champa Satya Sai Baba Temple Incense Cones Carton
- Apparel Brand – ATM Anthony Thomas Melillo Long Sleeve Crew Tee
Source – NY Mag
Sanaa Lathan’s Facts
- Her first name Sanaa is pronounced as “Sa-NAA” just as “Sinatra would be pronounced with missing tra”.
- Sanaa had been exposed to celebrities and entertainment since her childhood years as both her parents are well-known in the entertainment industry.
- Growing up, she took part in gymnastics and dance and also indulged in performing arts and athletics.
- She was quite young when both her parents separated from each other and she used to part her time between Beverly Hills and New York.
- Sanaa in Swahili means “work of art” and “beauty”.
- In the year 2000, she was featured as Ebony magazine’s “55 Most Beautiful People”.
- She is best pals with actress Regina Hall.
- In the past, she started a foundation called the Sanaa Lathan Foundation that helps empower communities that may be at any kind of risk.
- In 2018, Tiffany Haddish spread the word during an interview that Sanaa had bitten Beyoncé in the face during a Jay-Z concert. She denied the allegations saying “I adore Beyoncé. I would never do anything malicious like that to her, or to anyone. It’s so bizarre.” However, celebrities like Tiffany Haddish and Oprah Winfrey found it hard to believe that for some reason.
- Sanaa was 5 years old when she met the legendary singer-songwriter, Bob Marley.
- She went straight to 7th grade after she completed her 5th grade.
- She enjoys watching the TV show, The Real Housewives.
- In August 2021, during an interview, Sanaa revealed that she had stopped drinking 3 years ago.
- She takes her incense wherever she goes to feel at home.
- She tries to take regular breaks from social media.
- In 2017, for the movie Nappily Ever After (2018), she had shaved her head.
- For Love & Basketball (2000), her audition went on for almost 5 months in which she was required to do acting and basketball auditions.
- She is a dog lover.
- According to her, she has one of the tastiest recipes for macaroni and cheese because that is her grandmother’s.
- Sanaa loves everything about Jamaica.
- Singer Prince once personally invited Sanaa and other members for a private dinner before his concert.
- Sanaa used to do roller skating daily when in third grade.
- She misses the Indian food in London, England.
- She likes to eat her salty popcorn by mixing it with some Raisinets (chocolate-covered raisins). She likes the sweet-salty taste of the end product.
- If she could have dinner with any one person (dead or alive), she would like to do it with James Baldwin.
- She is a big user of coconut oil and uses it on her hair, her skin, as a makeup remover, and for cooking.
Featured Image by Gage Skidmore / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0