SLS 17RS-1076 ORIGINAL
2017 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 93
BY SENATOR COLOMB
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Lynn Whitfield on her many accomplishments.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To commend Lynn Whitfield on her many accomplishments.
3 WHEREAS, Lynn Whitfield was born Lynn Butler-Smith in Baton Rouge,
4 Louisiana, to Valerian Smith and Jean Butler-Smith; and
5 WHEREAS, she is the eldest of four children and a third-generation graduate from
6 Howard University; and
7 WHEREAS, her father was instrumental in developing Lynn's initial interest in
8 acting and was a prime figure in forming community theater in Baton Rouge; and
9 WHEREAS, first garnering attention on the stage by studying and performing with
10 the Black Repertory Company in Washington, DC, she married one of the company's
11 cofounders and pioneers of black theatre, Vantile Whitfield, in 1974; and
12 WHEREAS, Ms. Whitfield eventually moved to New York City and appeared
13 off-Broadway in such shows as The Great Macdaddy and Showdown before earning acclaim
14 in the 1977 Los Angeles production of the landmark black play For Colored Girls Who Have
15 Considered Suicide . . . When the Rainbow Is Enuf; and
16 WHEREAS, her Hollywood career unfolded under a talent development program at
17 Columbia Pictures in 1979, appearing on such established television shows as Hill Street
18 Blues; and
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SLS 17RS-1076 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, she made her film debut in Doctor Detroit in 1983 and doled out a
2 number of supporting roles in other popular films such as Silverado in 1985, The Slugger's
3 Wife in 1985, Jaws: The Revenge in 1987, and Dead Aim in 1987; and
4 WHEREAS, Ms. Whitfield garnered the most attention working on television in
5 leading and supporting roles; and
6 WHEREAS, her early highlights include topical social dramas such as The George
7 McKenna Story in 1986, Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI in 1986, and Oprah Winfrey's historical
8 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place in 1989; and
9 WHEREAS, she played classy, intelligent professional woman in series television
10 shows such as Heartbeat in 1988 and Equal Justice in 1990; and
11 WHEREAS, Ms. Whitfield achieved wide recognition in the title role of The
12 Josephine Baker Story in 1991, which required her to age from eighteen years old to
13 sixty-eight; and
14 WHEREAS, for that role, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead
15 Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie, the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in
16 a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special, and was nominated for the Golden
17 Globe Award for Best Actress - Miniseries or Television Film; and
18 WHEREAS, after her breakthrough role as Josephine Baker, Ms. Whitfield had the
19 recurring role in the legal drama Equal Justice and continued her career starring in
20 made-for-television movies including A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story in 1991,
21 Taking the Heat in 1993, State of Emergency in 1994, Sophie and Moonhanger in 1996, The
22 Wedding in 1998, The Color of Courage in 1998, and Deep in My Heart in 1999; and
23 WHEREAS, in 1992, Ms. Whitfield earned a NAACP Image Award for her role in
24 the miniseries Stompin' at the Savoy, appeared in Pauly Shore's comedy In the Army Now
25 in 1994, and returned to series television alongside Bill Cosby in the short-lived The Cosby
26 Mysteries in 1994; and
27 WHEREAS, she also appeared in the films A Thin Line Between Love and Hate in
28 1996, Gone Fishin' in 1997, The Planet of Junior Brown in 1997, and earned excellent
29 reviews for her supporting work in Eve's Bayou in 1997, a role that drew on her Louisiana
30 heritage; and
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SLS 17RS-1076 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Ms Whitfield starred as Dorthea Garibaldi in two Disney Channel films,
2 The Cheetah Girls in 2003, and The Cheetah Girls 2 in 2006; and
3 WHEREAS, she co-starred in the comedy film, Head of State in 2003, Redemption
4 in 2004, Madea's Family Reunion in 2006, The Women in 2008, The Rebound in 2009, and
5 Mama, I Want to Sing in 2011; and
6 WHEREAS, on television, Ms. Whitfield had recurring roles on Boston Public,
7 Without a Trace, How to Get Away with Murder, and Mistresses; and
8 WHEREAS, in 2015, she was cast in the leading role of Lady Mae Greenleaf, the
9 main villain in an Oprah Winfrey original scripted drama series Greenleaf about the
10 unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family and their sprawling Memphis megachurch; and
11 WHEREAS, Lynn Whitfield merits a special measure of commendation and
12 recognition for the depth of her artistic ability in theater, motion pictures, and television, and
13 for the tremendous pride that she brings to her family, friends, the Baton Rouge community,
14 and the state of Louisiana.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
16 commend and congratulate Lynn Whitfield on the extraordinary accomplishments and
17 recognition she has garnered as a thespian and wish for her a full measure of success and
18 happiness in her future endeavors.
19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Lynn
20 Whitfield.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Nancy Vicknair.
DIGEST
SCR 93 Original 2017 Regular Session Colomb
Commends Lynn Whitfield on her many accomplishments.
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