Sanaa Lathan is a American actress, born September 19, 1971 in New York City. Her mother, Broadway performer Eleanor McCoy , and father, Stan Lathan, who worked for PBS, and was exposed at a very young age to the world of entertainment. Her parents divorced when she was young, Lathan spent her teenage years living in both New York City, and Beverly Hills, California. Sanaa went to college at the University of California, Berkeley, where she performed with the Black Theatre Workshop , and then went on to the Yale School of Drama, performing in several school productions.

After college, Lathan decided to live in New York, and began performing in off-Broadway productions, including A Movie Star Has to Be Born in Black and White , when her father convinced her to move back to California to seek her fortunes in Hollywood. She has since performed in several television programs including In the House , Moesha, NYPD Blue and Family Matters. She has also performed with the South Coast Repertory Theatre , most notably in its presentation of Our Town. She also appeared in several movies, such as Drive, Blade, Catfish in Black Bean Sauce , Love & Basketball , and Alien vs. Predator. She was nominated for a Tony Award in 2004 for Raisin in the Sun, and has received several nominations for NAACP Image awards. She was also honoured by Essence Magazine and BET, and in 2000 was named by Ebony as one of their 55 Most Beautiful People. Lathan has also been romantically linked with Omar Epps and Denzel Washington.