Lena Waithe(I)

Producer
Writer
Actress

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Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe is the ambassador for the 2023 American Black Film Festival. While you may know Lena from her on-screen performances in "Master of None" and 'Ready Player One,' she's also a creator, producer, and an Emmy-winning writer of multiple projects. "No Small Parts" takes a look at her multifaceted career in film and television.

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The Rise of Lena Waithe

Lena Waithe was born on 17 May 1984 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Master of None (2015), Ready Player One (2018) and Queen & Slim (2019). She was previously married to Alana Mayo.

More at IMDbPro

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Won 1 Primetime Emmy
- 10 wins & 26 nominations total

LGBTQIA+ Icons and Allies

LGBTQIA+ Icons and Allies

We celebrate the actors, performers, and filmmakers who have become icons and allies for LGBTQIA+ audiences through the years.

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Production art

Photos195

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Known for

Aziz Ansari in Master of None (2015)

8.2

TV Series

Producer

Steven Spielberg, Ben Mendelsohn, George Michael, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, Perdita Weeks, Kamara Benjamin Barnett, Mandy June Turpin, T.J. Miller, Lena Waithe, Stephen Mitchell, Neet Mohan, Win Morisaki, Elliot Barnes-Worrell, Kae Alexander, Sarah Sharman, Robert Gilbert, Raed Abbas, Letitia Wright, Tye Sheridan, Asan N'Jie, Hannah John-Kamen, Cara Theobold, Olivia Cooke, Alphonso Austin, Amy Clare Beales, Jane Leaney, Kathryn Wilder, and Philip Zhao in Ready Player One (2018)

Ready Player One

7.4

Aech
Helen

2018

Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith in Queen & Slim (2019)

7.1

Producer(p.g.a.)

2019

The Chi (2018)

7.5

TV Series

Producer

Credits

Producer

The Chi
7.5
TV Series
- executive producer
- 2018–2025
Tender Thoughts
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
Back Home
8.3
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
In the Fold
Short
- executive producer
- producer
- 2024
Technicians
8.5
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
Endling
9.1
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
Fireline
8.3
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
Bitter Leaf
Short
- executive producer
- 2024
Sarajin
7.1
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
Rocky Road on Channel Three
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
In Your Light, Do We See Light
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
The Gag
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
My Nights Glow Yellow
8.0
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
Order for Pickup
7.9
Short
- executive producer
- 2023
Last Days of the Lab
7.8
Short
- executive producer
- 2023

Writer

The Chi
7.5
TV Series
- created by
- written by (creator)
- 2018–2025
Kym
4.1
Podcast Series
- written by
- 2022
Beauty
4.2
- written by
- 2022
Twenties
6.9
TV Series
- created by
- written by (creator)
- 2020–2021
Master of None
8.2
TV Series
- written by
- 2017–2021
Boomerang
5.7
TV Series
- developed by
- written by (creator)
- 2019–2020
Girls Room
6.9
TV Series
- Writer
- 2020
Queen & Slim
7.1
- screenplay
- story
- 2019
Rising
8.1
Short
- Writer
- 2018
Bones
7.8
TV Series
- staff writer
- written by (as Lena D. Waithe)
- 2014–2015
Hello Cupid
8.0
TV Series
- story
- creator
- 2013
M.O. Diaries
3.8
TV Series
- Writer
- 2012
How to Rock
5.3
TV Series
- written by
- 2012
Save Me
5.0
Short
- writer
- 2011

Actress

Big Mouth
7.8
TV Series
- Lena (voice)
- 2020–2025
Grey's Anatomy
7.6
TV Series
- Dr. Evynn Moore
- 2025
House Party
4.4
- Lena Waithe
- 2023
Tab Time
9.1
TV Series
- 2021–2022
Kym
4.1
Podcast Series
- The Funeral Director
- The Drive Thru Employee
- Christina the Hairdresser
- 2022
Better Things
7.9
TV Series
- Eli
- 2022
La famille fière: plus forte et plus fière
3.2
TV Series
- College Maya (voice)
- 2022
The L Word: Generation Q
7.4
TV Series
- Eddie
- 2021
Master of None
8.2
TV Series
- Denise
- 2015–2021
The Chi
7.5
TV Series
- Camille Hallaway
- 2020
Westworld
8.4
TV Series
- Ash
- 2020
#BlackAF
6.8
TV Series
- Lena Waithe
- 2020
En avant
7.4
- Officer Spector (voice)
- 2020
Bad Hair
5.6
- Brook-Lynne
- 2020
Un ami aux petits soins
6.6
TV Series
- Lord Dingwall (voice)
- 2020

In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos44

The Rise of Lena Waithe

The Rise of Lena Waithe

How Teyana Taylor Reflects New York City's Women in 'A Thousand and One'

How Teyana Taylor Reflects New York City's Women in 'A Thousand and One'

How Teyana Taylor Reflects New York City's Women in 'A Thousand and One'

How Teyana Taylor Reflects New York City's Women in 'A Thousand and One'

7 Tribeca Festival Films We Can't Wait to See

7 Tribeca Festival Films We Can't Wait to See

Kevin Smith's 6 Films to Watch Out For at Sundance 2020

Kevin Smith's 6 Films to Watch Out For at Sundance 2020

I Think You Should

I Think You Should

How 'Queen' Met 'Slim' on a Powerful Film of Firsts

How 'Queen' Met 'Slim' on a Powerful Film of Firsts

Personal details

Official sites
- Facebook
- Instagram
Alternative name
- Lena D. Waithe
Height
- 1.75 m
Born
- May 17, 1984
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Spouse
- Alana MayoNovember 2019 - May 2021 (divorced)
Parents
- Ethel Laverne
Relatives
- Sibling(Sibling)
Other works
TV commercial for Nike
Publicity listings
- 1 Interview
- 1 Article

Did you know

Trivia
She became the first African-American woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Thanksgiving (2017).

Quotes
Here's the thing. I was raised on deep dish pizza. So, what you guys call pizza, I don't think that it's pizza. I think it's cheese bread.

Nickname
- Katraukus

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