The Tap Dance Kid National Tour (1985-1986) From August 1, 1985, to July 6, 1986, Lewis performed in the chorus and as the character Dulcie in the National Tour of the
Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid under the name "Dawnn J. Lewis".
A Different World (1987–1992) Lewis appeared in the first five of six seasons of
A Different World as Jaleesa Vinson (later Vinson–Taylor), from 1987 until 1992. Lewis co-wrote the theme song to
A Different World, with
Bill Cosby and
Stu Gardner, and co-performed the song for the first season. Although her character was married to another of the main characters on the show, her character disappeared from the series without explanation, similar to the Chuck Cunningham character in
Happy Days. Lewis appeared in a special week-long segment of
A Different World called the
Hillman College Reunion airing on
Nick at Nite, along with
Lisa Bonet,
Jasmine Guy,
Kadeem Hardison,
Darryl M. Bell,
Cree Summer, and
Sinbad. On her
Super Password appearance in 1988, she was paired with
Dallas star
Ken Kercheval, not any of her co-stars.
''Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'' (1992–1993) In September 1992, Lewis began starring in ABC's ''
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'' alongside
Mark Curry and
Holly Robinson. Lewis appeared in 20 of the 22 episodes of the first season as Robin Dumars, Mark's childhood best friend and roommate. Lewis did not appear on the two shows concurrently – she left
A Different World to star in ''Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
. Lewis and Holly Robinson, along with R&B quartet En Vogue, performed the theme song for season one of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
. Sometime before the end of season one, the show producers decided to scale back on the updated version of the 1970s ABC sitcom Three's Company'' concept. Lewis left the show after the conclusion of the first season due to the producers deciding to change the direction of the show, replacing her character with a mother and child; Mark's cousin Geneva Lee (portrayed by
Saundra Quarterman) and her daughter Nicole (portrayed by
Raven-Symoné).
Other work Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Next Dimension University, an unaccredited Bible school, on August 17, 2019 Lewis provided additional voices in the video game,
True Crime: New York City. She portrayed Deloris Van Cartier in
Peter Schneider's
Sister Act the Musical, which opened at the
Pasadena Playhouse on October 24, 2006. Lewis has voiced
Storm of the
X-Men in three
games, most recently
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2. She also voiced
Granny Grim on
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and voiced the female Shokan (
Sheeva) in
Mortal Kombat: Defenders of the Realm. Lewis has also done voice work as
LaBarbara Conrad, wife of
Hermes Conrad, in the animated TV series
Futurama, Detective Terri Lee on
Spider-Man: The Animated Series, villainess Di Archer on
Bruno the Kid, and voiced a number of characters on
The Boondocks. Additionally, she voiced the character Sharona on
King of the Hill. Lewis co-starred in two
Disney Channel Original Movies,
The Poof Point as Marigold Ballord, and as Gail DeBarge in
Let It Shine. In 2000, Lewis played Blabberwort the Troll in the five-episode
NBC miniseries The 10th Kingdom.
2006–present In 2006, Lewis starred as Melba Early in the film adaptation of
Dreamgirls. Lewis released her debut CD, entitled
Worth Waiting For, in 2006. She played Addaperle in
The Wiz with
New York City Center's
Encores! In 2009, Lewis played Denise Fields on
One Tree Hill. In 2010, Lewis played a minor recurring role as Lauren's mother in
The Secret Life of the American Teenager. In 2012, she voiced Malora in
Strange Frame. She also appeared as Dr. Knapp on
Days of Our Lives in 2012–2013. In 2014 Lewis starred in
The Divorce along with Vanessa Bell Calloway, Tatyana Ali & Freda Payne. In 2014, she started a recurring role that ran the final four seasons of
Major Crimes as Patrice, a love interest and later wife of Lt. Provenza, whom he met during a case. In that same year, she also voiced Ruby's mother Helen Hanshaw in one episode of
Sofia The First. In March 2016, Lewis was cast in
Disney Junior's animated series
Doc McStuffins as the voice of Grandma McStuffins. In 2017 she provided the voice of Maybelle Mundy in the film
Bunyan and Babe. In 2018 she began voicing Fannie Granger on
DreamWorks's
Spirit Riding Free and Dr. Jones in
Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, while in 2019 began voicing The Chief on
Netflix's animated
Carmen Sandiego. She voiced Attorney General's special agent Lenora Carter in
The Simpsons episode "
The Fat Blue Line" in 2019, and became the voice of Bernice Hibbert starting with "
Uncut Femmes" in 2021. From November 2019 to January 2022, she began portrayed Zelma,
Tina Turner's mother, in the musical
Tina on
Broadway. From August 2020 to December 2024, she starred as the voice of Captain Carol Freeman in the animated series
Star Trek: Lower Decks. From 2021 to 2022, Lewis voiced Ms. Jackie Washington, the Neighborhood Council President of Hansberry Heights, in the animated series ''
Karma's World''. In 2021, Lewis was among the first honorees to be inducted into the
Women Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lewis is an honorary member of the
Zeta Phi Beta sorority. ==Filmography==