Sanaa Lathan: A Journey Through The Actress’s Career Over The Years

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Sanaa Lathan is one of Hollywood’s most versatile and beloved actresses. From her breakthrough role in Love & Basketball to her amazing performances in films and TV shows, such as the fan favorite love film The Best Man or the hilarious cartoon Family Guy, Lathan has built a career that is both inspiring and groundbreaking.

She’s not just a talented performer; she’s an icon who has continuously reinvented herself while breaking down barriers for women of color in the entertainment industry. Let’s take a look back at the milestones of Sanaa Lathan’s career and her evolution as an artist.

The beginning of Lathan’s career.

Born on Sep. 19, 1971, in New York City, Lathan comes from a family with a rich artistic heritage. Her father, Stan Lathan, was a well-known television director, and her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was a dancer and actress, according to her IMDB profile. Lathan’s upbringing was immersed in the arts, and her early exposure to creative expression set the stage for her career in acting.

She attended Yale School of Drama, where she earned an MFA, and she also received a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Berkeley, California, honing her craft before moving to Los Angeles to pursue acting, according to Black Past and Geffen Playhouse. 

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Lathan’s breakout role came in 2000 with the film Love & Basketball, where she portrayed Monica Wright, a passionate basketball player trying to balance her athletic dreams while falling in love with her close friend Quincy McCall, played by Omar Epps. The film, which became a cult classic, showcased Lathan’s talent for blending vulnerability with strength, qualities that would define her career.

During an interview with People in 2024, Lathan reflected on Love & Basketball’s popularity, recalling how she received “a five-minute standing ovation” after the film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in 2000.

“I was just floored … and then the rest is history,” she said. “It became this thing where people watched it over and over and over again, and it crossed all racial and cultural lines.”

The celeb added, “What a gift it was that I was able to, at a young age, play this amazing, fierce character in this beloved movie. When we were making it, for me, I was nervous about the basketball because I really wasn’t a basketball player. I looked like a basketball player because I had a dance background, so I was able to really mimic.”

But that wasn’t the only highlight from the actress’s illustrious career. Here are a few more career highs from Lathan’s stunning Hollywood resume over the years.

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