Ms. Sanaa Lathan was born in 1971 in New York City. Her name (pronounced Sa-na) is Swahili for “work of art” or “beauty.” The daughter of director Stan Lathan and Broadway actress-dancer Eleanor McCoy, Sanaa was destined to be in the business. Sanaa also took dance and gymnastics lessons to add a little diversity to her craft. Although Sanaa’s parents later divorced while she was a young child, she never lost her passion for the art of acting. She split her time between New York where her mother was and Los Angeles where her father resided.
When Sanaa reached the 10th grade she remained in New York with her mother and attended an arts high school. Next on her agenda she went to UC Berkeley where she majored in English. Ms. Lathan was on her way to becoming a lawyer when a college recruiter encouraged her to attend the Yale School of Drama. This driven woman attended Yale and received a MFA in acting.
Growing up Sanaa often went to the theater where she longed to be on Broadway. However, she couldn’t seem to land any jobs in the theater so her father encouraged her to move to Los Angeles and actively pursue her acting career. In 1996 and 1997 he had success with appearances on Moesha, In the House and NYPD Blue in 1998. Sanaa also starred in two short-lived TV series during the same period; Built to Last and Late Line. Sanaa had her first movie role in Drive (1997), and then played Wesley Snipes’ mother in Blade (1998).
Sanaa’s movie career went to the next level when she starred in The Wood (1999), opposite Omar Epps. The two quickly became an item, and their relationship lasted a number of years and they have a child together. She and Epps worked together again onscreen for the romantic comedy Love & Basketball in 2000. Sanaa won a number of awards, including an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress. The same year, Sanaa also reunited with Wesley Snipes, this time not as his mother, but his steamy co-star in the HBO movie Disappearing Acts, which was, adapted from a novel by Terry McMillan. In 2002, Sanaa starred in Brown Sugar with Taye Diggs and then came the thriller with one of Hollywood’s leading men, Denzel Washington, in 2003. After Sanaa’s role along side Denzel Washington it was rumored that he was leaving his wife of 20 plus years for her. Of course the rumors were just that, rumors and completely unfounded. Lathan best known for her romantic comedy roles displayed her range by playing lead in 2004’s AVP: Alien vs. Predator. Although Sanaa is not your typical Hollywood stick figure, she has a good range and will be a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry.
Later in 2004, Sanaa’s dream of being on Broadway came true when she was cast along side the star Sean (Diddy) Combs in “A Raisin in the Sun”. Sanaa received many accolades and even a Tony nod for best actress. No doubt, will see more from this star in the very near future. Stay tuned.
