Sanaa Lathan Net Worth

Sanaa Lathan’s Life: Career, Achievements and Early Years

Sanaa Lathan is a talented and accomplished American actress who has a net worth of $5 million. She is known for her appearances in many notable films like ‘Alien vs. Predator’, ‘The Best Man’, ‘Love & Basketball”, “Brown Sugar” and “The Family That Preys”. With her accolades both off-Broadway as well as on the Los Angeles stage, Lathan has brought a fresh air into Hollywood and television entertainment industry.

Early Life

Sanaa Lathan was born in New York City, New York on September 19, 1971. Her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was an actress and a dancer who performed on Broadway with Eartha Kitt. On the other hand, her father Stan Lathan is known for working for PBS as well as being a producer for such shows as ‘Sanford & Son’ and ‘Def Comedy Jam’.

Lathan had a mixed ancestry- her father being African-American and her mother came from a part-Irish background. Her first name means ‘piece of art’ in Arabic and ‘art’ in Swahili. She attended the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics before earning a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. Afterwards, she pursued her Master’s Degree at Yale University in Drama where she studied with Earle R. Gister and performed in a number of Shakespeare’s plays.

Career

After graduating from Yale University, Sanaa Lathan quickly started making waves both off-Broadway and on the Los Angeles stage with huge critical acclaim from all corners. Encouraged by her father, she started to make Los Angeles her professional homebase after auditioning and landing early television roles on episodes of such shows as In the House, NYPD Blue, Moesha and Family Matters.

1998 was the year Sanaa received widespread appreciation and acclaim when she appeared as the character involved in Wesley Snipes’ in ‘Blade.’ Soon after, she starred next to Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy in ‘Life’ before gaining back-to-back roles in ‘The Best Man,’ which stared Tay Diggs, and ‘The Wood,’ which starred Omar Epps. ‘The Best Man’ ended up becoming one of the top ten highest-grossing African American films in history. Lathan even went ahead to receive a NAACP Image Award nomination for her performance.

The true test came with her portrayal of Monica Wright, a young woman who aspires to become a professional basketball player, in 200’s ‘Love & Basketball.’ Her performance got her awarded the 2001 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. Furthermore, Lathan picked up a BET Award and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for the film. The same year she appeared in ‘The Vagina Monologues’ at an off- broadway production which starred Teri Garr and Julianna Marguiles.

Achievements

Sanaa Lathan has had exemplary performances both on stage and on screen. In 2004, she was nominated for a Tony Award for her show-stopping performance as Beneatha Younger on Broadway in “A Raisin in the Sun.” She reprised her role years later in an ABC network production of the same play.

In 201, Lathan acted in an all-black rendition of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” at the Novello Theatre located in London. Further, she was casted in the title role of Second Stage Theatre’s “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark” by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage co-starring with Stephanie J. Block and David Garrison.

In 2011, she had a chance to feature in the international box office hit ‘Contagion’. Lathan played alongside stars like Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow , and Laurence Fishburne in Steven Soderbergh’s thriller movie. She starred in the movie “Wonderful World” alongside Matthew Broderick.

From 2009-2013, Sanaa voiced Donna Tubbs on ‘The Cleveland Show.’ In 2011, she went ahead acting alongside Anthony Mackie and Forest Whitaker in “Vipaka”, a psychological thriller. Sanaa played a regular part as Mona Fredricks in season two of Starz’ original series ‘Boss’, starring Kelsey Grammer.

In the year 2013, Lathan shared a screen with Denzel Washington in the movie ‘Out of Time.’ Soon after, she was cast as the lead in ‘Alien vs. Predator,’ which became a box office success with world net worth of over $171 million. In 2013, Lathan reprised her role as Robyn in ‘The Best Man”s sequel, ‘The Best Man Holiday.’ She later appeared in 2016’s ‘Now You See Me 2,’ which emerged as a box office success.

Conclusion

Sanaa Lathan remains as one of Hollywood’s ever-shining stars that has set herself apart from the pack with top-notch performances in highly acclaimed films and plays. Despite her success in the industry, she remained humble, inspired many fans with her work ethic, and frequently educated the public through interviews on popular topics like health and wellness, her vegetarian lifestyle, etc. She continues to inspire many and is one of the most respectable personalities in the entertainment industry.