Dawnn Lewis

Dawnn Lewis
Born August 13, 1961
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Occupation Actress, Singer
Years active 1988–present
Spouse(s) Johnny Newman (2004–2006)

Dawnn Lewis (born August 13, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress and singer, known for her roles as Cheryl in the 1988 movie I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor on the NBC television sitcom A Different World, and as Robin Dumars on the ABC sitcom Hangin' With Mr. Cooper during its first season.

Career

She co-wrote the theme song to A Different World. In A Different World, Lewis appeared for the first five of the six-season run as "Jaleesa Vinson-Taylor" (1987–92). Although her character was married to one of the main characters on A Different World, her character disappeared from "A Different World" without explanation, like Chuck Cunningham of Happy Days. Lewis appeared in a special week-long segment of A Different World called the Hillman College Reunion airing on Nick At Nite, along with Lisa Bonet, Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, and Sinbad. In Super Password, she only appeared with Dallas star Ken Kercheval and Bert Convy back in 1988. In Hangin' with Mr. Cooper Lewis appeared in the first of the five seasons as "Robin Dumars" (1992). She did not appear on the two shows concurrently - she left A Different World to star in Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. She and Holly Robinson Peete, along with R&B quartet En Vogue, performed the theme song for Season 1 of Mr. Cooper. Since then, Lewis has appeared in numerous TV series (including Futurama as LaBarbara), sitcoms, and has done voice-over work. In 2000 Lewis played Blabberwort the Troll in the miniseries The 10th Kingdom.

Lewis portrayed Deloris Van Cartier in Peter Schneider's Sister Act the Musical, which opened at the Pasadena Playhouse on October 24, 2006. She has voiced Storm in three games, most recently Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. She can currently be seen as Melba Early in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls. She also voiced Granny Grim on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, voiced the female Shokan (Sheeva) in Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm, and co-starred as Gail DeBarge in the Disney Channel Original Movie Let It Shine. Lewis is also playing a minor role as Lauren's mother in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2009, she played a role as Denise Fields on One Tree Hill. In 2012, she played a role in Strange Frame.

Current

In 2006, Lewis released her debut CD, entitled Worth Waiting For. She most recently played Addaperle in The Wiz with New York City Center Encores! She appeared as Dr. Knapp on Days of Our Lives.

Personal

Lewis was born in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Joyce and Carl Lewis.[1] She is a graduate of the University of Miami.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Dawnn Lewis Biography (1960-)
  2. ↑ Meet Olympic Diver Greg Louganis and Actor Dawnn Lewis at the SoC

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dawnn Lewis.