Lathan was born in New York City and attended Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics. Her first name means "brilliance" in Arabic and "work of art" in Swahili.[3] She is of African American and Native American descent.[4][5] Her mother, Eleanor McCoy, was an actress and dancer[6] who performed on Broadway with Eartha Kitt. Her father, Stan Lathan, worked behind the scenes in television for PBS, as well as a producer on shows such as Sanford & Son and Russell Simmons' Def Comedy Jam. Her brother is Tendaji Lathan (now a DJ).
She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in English.[7] Lathan contemplated a career in law, but instead enrolled at the Yale School of Drama.
I know there are a lot of beautiful Hollywood actresses on the big screen but she has been my favorite for a long time coming now. She just seems so down to earth to me and although stunningly beautiful she also looks quite ordinary. Check out some pics of her below from Ask Men.com
