Star Facts:
Birth Name:
  • Dana Elaine Owens
Birth Date:
  • 18 March 1970
Birthplace:
  • Newark, NJ
Quote:
  • "There are times you can't really see or even feel how sweet life can be. Hopefully its mountains will be higher than its valleys are deep. I know things that are broken can be fixed. Take the punch if you have to, hit the canvas and then get up again. Life is worth it."
Claim to Fame:
  • Starred in "Living Single" (Fox, 1993-97)
Education:
  • Irvington Public High School (NJ)
  • Manhattan Community College, New York City
Family:
  • Father: Lance Owens, former policeman; separated from Rita Owens when Latifah was nine; trained Latifah and Lance, Jr. in karate and use of guns
  • Mother: Rita Owens, high school art teacher, executive; born 1949
  • Brother: Lance Owens Jr., policeman; born 1969; killed in an off-duty motorcycle accident in 1992; Latifah dedicated the song "Winky's Theme" (from the album Black Reign) to him
Factoids:
  • Nicknamed "Latifah" (Arabic for delicate and sensitive) by a cousin while she was in her teens.
  • Is CEO of Flavor Unit, a management/production company whose clients include Naughty by Nature, Fu-Schnickens, Apache and Nikki D. The firm is run by Latifah's mother.
Feature Film
Credits:
  • Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (voice), The Secret Life of Bees (2009)
    What Happens in Vegas..., Mad Money (2008)
    The Perfect Holiday, Hairspray (2007)
    Stranger Than Fiction, Ice Age: The Meltdown (voice), Last Holiday (2006)
    Beauty Shop (2005)
    Taxi, The Cookout, Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)
    Scary Movie 3, Bringing Down the House (2003)
    Brown Sugar, Chicago, The Country Bears (2002)
    The Bone Collector (1999)
    Sphere, Living Out Loud (1998)
    Hoodlum (1997)
    Set It Off (1996)
    My Life (1993)
    Juice (1992)
    House Party 2, Jungle Fever (1991)
Academy Awards®:
  •  Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role 2002: CHICAGO

  • 1 nomination