Kasi Lemmons

Kasi Lemmons (born Karen Lemmons, February 24, 1961) is an American film director, screenwriter, and actress. She gained prominence as a director with her debut film, Eve's Bayou (1997), and went on to direct other notable films such as Talk to Me (2007), Black Nativity (2013), Harriet (2019), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). She has also directed episodes of TV shows including the Netflix limited series Self Made (2020) and ABC's Women of the Movement (2022). Lemmons started her career as an actress and appeared in commercials for McDonald's and Levi's. She made her film debut in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988) and acted in films like Vampire's Kiss (1989), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Candyman (1992). Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Lemmons comes from a family of educators.