Jenifer Lewis (born 25 January 1957; age 68) is an American actress who voiced the Alien Bartender in the Star Trek: Lower Decks second season episode "An Embarrassment Of Dooplers". She also portrayed the Interpretor in the "Captain Sulu Adventures" audio novel Envoy.
She started out as one of Bette Midler's back-up-singing "Harlettes" prior to acting.
Perhaps best known for her portrayals of strong-willed, matronly characters, her film roles include parts in Sister Act (1992, with Whoopi Goldberg, Ellen Albertini Dow, Isis J. Jones, Max Grodénchik, and Jeremy Roberts), What's Love Got to Do with It (1993, starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, with Penny Johnson), Girl 6 (1996, with Debra Wilson), The Preacher's Wife (1996), Mystery Men (1999, with Doug Jones), Cast Away (2000, starring Tom Hanks, with Michael Forest and Nan Martin), The Brothers (2001, with Gabrielle Union), Madea's Family Reunion (2006, starring, directed, written, and produced by Tyler Perry), Who's Your Caddy? (2007, with Robert Curtis Brown), Think Like a Man (2012, with Gabrielle Union), and The Wedding Ringer (2015).
From 2000 to 2006, she starred as Lana Hawkins in Whoopi Goldberg's Strong Medicine, featuring Michelle Horn in a recurring role. Guest performers on this show included Robert Foxworth, Joanna Miles, Michelle Forbes, Ed O'Ross, April Grace, Natalia Nogulich, Sandra Nelson, Ian Patrick Williams, Kellie Waymire, James Avery, Clyde Kusatsu, Molly Hagan, Jenette Goldstein, Bonita Friedericy, Freda Foh Shen, Anthony Azizi, Bruce French, Terri Garr, Heidi Swedberg, Joel Brooks, Rosana DeSoto, Gina Hecht, Martha Hackett, Jack Donner, Tina Lifford, Chelsea Bond, Kim Rhodes, Robert Pine, Iris Bahr, Don McManus, Nan Martin, Randy Oglesby, Tim Kelleher, Nikita Ager, Kara Zediker, Time Winters, Rick Avery, Michael Krawic, Harve Presnell, John Rubinstein, Leigh Taylor-Young, Claire Rankin, Spencer Garrett, Dawnn Lewis, Cyia Batten, Eric Pierpoint, Ellen Bry, Kieran Mulroney, Gene LeBell, Nikki Tyler, Tamlyn Tomita, Stephanie Erb, Dey Young, Keone Young, Dennis Cockrum, Thomas Kopache, Larry Cedar, Irene Tsu, Albie Selznick, Kavi Raz, James Frain, Jamie McShane, David Clennon, Kelli Dawn Hancock, and Whoopi Goldberg herself.
From 2014 to 2022, Lewis played the recurring, later regular role of Ruby Johnson in Black-ish. Baron Vaughn, Stacey Abrams, Marc Evan Jackson, Andy Richter, Golden Brooks, Phil Morris, Rosalind Chao, Derek Graf, and Daniel Edlund appeared in guest roles in episodes featuring Lewis.
In 2022, she co-starred in I Love That for You, with Matt Malloy and Rosalind Ingledew in guest roles. In 2023, she appeared in an episode of Hulu's History of the World, Part II and in 2024 an episode of the new Night Court, starring John Larroquette.