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Lena Waithe

Highest Rated: 100% The One and Only Dick Gregory (2021)

Lowest Rated: 22% BEAUTY (2022)

Birthday: May 17, 1984

Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA

Multi-talented Lena Waithe made her name as a writer and producer on the likes of "The Real World" (MTV, 1992-), "Bones" (Fox, 2005-17) and "Dear White People" (2014) before stepping in front of the camera in Aziz Ansari comedy "Master of None" (Netflix, 2015-). Born in Chicago, IL in 1984, Waithe graduated from Columbia College with a degree in writing, producing and television and shortly after landed her first job as an editorial assistant on ground-breaking reality show "The Real World" (MTV, 1992-). Waithe went onto assist in the production of long-running sitcom "Girlfriends" (UPN, 2000-08) and several "E! Live from the Red Carpet" (E!, 1996-) specials, as well as the big screen adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's fable "The Secret Life of Bees" (2008), Biggie Smalls biopic "Notorious" (2009) and Ava DuVernay's feature film debut "I Will Follow" (2010). After taking the director's chair herself on "Save Me" (2011), a short film about a 9-year-old boy's quest to find the man who saved his life, Waithe penned two episodes of kids musical comedy "How to Rock" (Nickelodeon, 2012), served as producer on race relations satire "Dear White People" (2014) and joined the staff of writers on crime procedural "Bones" (Fox, 2005-). Following a one-off appearance in Lisa Kudrow's meta-comedy "The Comeback" (HBO, 2005-), Waithe landed her first recurring acting gig as Dev's best friend Denise in "Master of None" (Netflix, 2015-). In September 2017, Waithe became the first black woman to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, for co-writing the second-season "Master of None" episode "Thanksgiving" with Ansari. Her impassioned acceptance speech was one of the night's most memorable moments.

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Highest rated movies

100% The One and Only Dick Gregory
Watchlist
99% 70% KOKOMO CITY Watchlist 97% 85% A Thousand and One Watchlist 97% 78% Being Mary Tyler Moore Watchlist
96% 73% Chang Can Dunk
Watchlist
91% 61% Dear White People
Watchlist
88% 95% Onward Watchlist 82% 92% Queen & Slim Watchlist 72% 77% Ready Player One Watchlist 62% 40% Bad Hair Watchlist

Filmography

Movies

Credit
99% 70% KOKOMO CITY Executive Producer $77.1K 2023
97% 78% Being Mary Tyler Moore Producer - 2023
97% 85% A Thousand and One Producer $3.4M 2023
96% 73% Chang Can Dunk Producer - 2023
22% 0% BEAUTY Screenwriter,
Producer
- 2022
No Score Yet 56% Stand Out: An LGBTQ+ Celebration Self - 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Huella Executive Producer - 2022
100% No Score Yet The One and Only Dick Gregory Self,
Executive Producer
- 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Coche Bomba Executive Producer - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Soft Sounds of Peeling Fruit Executive Producer - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Shoebox Executive Producer - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Cinephile: A Rising Voices Film Executive Producer - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Soñadora Executive Producer - 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Only the Moon Stands Still Executive Producer - 2021
62% 40% Bad Hair Brook-Lynne (Character) - 2020
88% 95% Onward Officer Spector (Voice) $60.4M 2020
82% 92% Queen & Slim Screenwriter,
Producer
$43.8M 2019
72% 77% Ready Player One Aech/Helen (Character) $137.0M 2018
22% 45% Step Sisters Producer - 2018
91% 61% Dear White People Producer $4.4M 2014

TV

Credit
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Talk Guest 2018 2021-2022 2024
No Score Yet 63% The Chi Writer,
Creator,
Executive Producer
2018-2024
79% 75% Westworld Ash (Character) 2020 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Ellen DeGeneres Show Guest 2019 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Finding Your Roots Guest 2022
No Score Yet No Score Yet Twenties After Show With B. Scott Executive Producer 2021
88% 90% Twenties Creator 2021
No Score Yet 42% Jimmy Kimmel Live! Guest,
Host
2018-2019 2021
94% 71% Master of None Denise (Character),
Writer
2015 2017 2021
79% 79% Them Executive Producer 2021
No Score Yet No Score Yet Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Guest 2021
No Score Yet 18% The Late Late Show With James Corden Guest 2018-2020
100% 70% Boomerang Executive Producer 2020
75% No Score Yet You Ain't Got These Executive Producer,
Host
2020
No Score Yet 50% The Late Show With Stephen Colbert Guest 2018-2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet The Wendy Williams Show Guest 2018-2019
80% 65% Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Guest 2019
84% 74% RuPaul's Drag Race Judge 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Top Chef Guest 2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Guest 2018-2019
No Score Yet No Score Yet Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter Guest 2018
No Score Yet 61% Late Night With Seth Meyers Guest 2018
No Score Yet 12% The View Guest 2018
94% 81% This Is Us Animal Shelter Clerk (Guest Star) 2018
No Score Yet No Score Yet Desus & Mero Guest 2018
91% 76% Transparent Jane (Guest Star) 2016
No Score Yet No Score Yet Last Call With Carson Daly Guest 2015
74% 88% The Comeback Summer (Guest Star) 2014