Although she started her career as a rapper, Queen Latifah‘s filmography is a long list of memorable movies and TV shows. The actor has done drama, action, and even rom-coms. There is a bit of everything for everyone who wants to dive into her projects.
Whether it’s a movie from the 90s or a TV show that is still on the air, Queen Latifah has delivered some incredible performances that have made her one of the best actors of our generation. Her nominations for Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Emmys are just further proof of her talent.
Here are 10 must-watch Queen Latifah projects.
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The Equalizer (2021-Present)
Queen Latifah wearing a black leather jacket.
In 2021, Queen Latifah became Robyn McCall on The Equalizer. The role is the female version of Denzel Washington‘s Robert McCall, which he has portrayed in the movies of the same name. Just like in the movies, McCall is there to help those in need when the law has failed them, and they have nowhere else to turn.
On the show, McCall has the help of her friends Melody (Liza Lapira) and Harry (Adam Goldberg), guaranteeing she has the backup needed in every case. Parallel to her professional life, fans can watch McCall be a mom and a niece and the challenges this presents.
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Star (2016-2019)
Queen Latifah wearing a blue wig.
Any role that will allow Queen Latifah to showcase her talent as a singer is a great role in my book. Lucky for us, there are plenty of shows and movies in her filmography that have allowed her to step into her singing shoes and blow the audience away.
Star is one of those shows that allowed her to do that. This time around, Latifah portrayed Carlotta Brown, the woman who takes Star (Jude Demorest) and her sister Simone (Brittany O’Grady) in. Empire fans may also recognize Carlotta from Season 4 Episode 1, “Noble Memory.”
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Bessie (2015)
Queen Latifah wearing a lilac dress, a hat, and a pearl necklace with a matching bracelet.
Bessie is an HBO TV original film that tells the story of blues singer Bessie Smith. It sheds light on some of the challenges she had to face while growing up and how she became so popular in the twentieth century.
The movie also shows Bessie’s more intimate life as a queer woman. There’s the relationship she had with a woman, the marriage she had with a man, and the way she tried to balance everything while also battling alcoholism and facing racist attacks.
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Just Wright (2010)
Queen Latifah crossing her fingers while wearing a red basketball shirt.
If rom-coms are what you are looking for, Queen Latifah has the movie for you. In 2010, she became the leading lady in Just Wright, with Common as her love interest. Latifah plays a physical therapist who finally gets her dream job when she starts working with basketball star Scott McKnight.
While Leslie Wright starts falling in love with her client, McKnight remains completely oblivious to her feelings. At the same time, he begins focusing all of his attention on Wright’s best friend, Morgan (Paula Patton), who dreams of becoming a trophy wife.
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The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
a woman and a girl with their ears against a box which is a bee hive.
When books are transformed into movies or TV shows, there is a fear they might not be what the readers remember. However, for fans of The Secret Life of Bees is a solid adaptation by the hands of Sue Monk Kidd and Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The movie follows Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) as she runs away from her abusive father with her caregiver (Jennifer Hudson). The two of them end up in a town in South Carolina where they meet the Boatwright sisters, one of them being Queen Latifah. The sisters take them in and teach Lily about beekeeping, honey, and the Black Madonna.
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Hairspray (2007)
Queen Latifah wearing a blonde wig.
Personally, if I have to recommend a Queen Latifah movie, the first title to come to mind is Hairspray. I was in sixth grade when I first watched the movie, and it was my first time seeing Queen Latifah on screen. I immediately fell head over heels for her the moment I saw her singing “Big, Blonde, and Beautiful.”
As a musical, the movie allowed Latifah once again to showcase her talent as a singer. It opened the floor for her to be presented in front of a different audience. An audience that, like me, would fall in love with her and follow the rest of her career.
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Last Holiday (2006)
Last Holiday is the kind of movie that reminds people to live their lives to the maximum and will leave you with a sense of joy and hope after watching. Queen Latifah plays introverted saleswoman Georgia Byrd who is diagnosed with a terminal illness.
After her diagnosis, Byrd empties her bank account and travels to Europe, living as a millionaire. In her new life, she meets different people who don’t know her past or her current situation. Among them, she comes across Chef Didier (Gérard Depardieu), whom she spends a lot of time cooking with.
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Chicago (2002)
Queen Latifah wearing a tiara and sparkly outfit.
Who doesn’t love a good musical? Queen Latifah sure does and Chicago is yet another example of how amazing the actor is on screen when she combines her acting skills and her incredible singing voice. In Chicago, she does it once more by portraying Matron Mama Morton.
Even though many women have played Mama Morton on stage, Latifah’s performance was an incredibly memorable one. So much so that she was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.
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Living Single (1993-1998)
Queen Latifah sitting on a couch wearing a black shirt.
When it comes to TV shows about friends, most people will immediately talk about Friends. However, it wasn’t the only show that focused on the life of six friends living together or in the same apartment. Living Single was that show between 1993 and 1998 with a cast that included Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, John Henton, Kim Fields and Terrence C. Carson.
The show follows these six individuals living in a Brooklyn brownstone, sharing their lives. Three of the women share an apartment with another one visiting them constantly, while the two men live in the apartment above them.
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Set It Off (1996)
Closeup of Queen Latifah’s face smiling.
One of the first titles in Latifah’s filmography was Set It Off. This crime, action-filled movie put four women in the lead: Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Jada Pinkett Smith and Kimberly Elise. While all four of them are struggling financially (and some of them emotionally), they decide to start robbing banks using Frankie’s experience as a former bank teller. It all seems to be going in their favor until one detective (John C. McGinley) becomes obsessed with the case. Latifah plays Cleo, the lesbian of the group, another great queer character to add to her filmography.