Lee was born in Mount Vernon, New York on July 16, 1974. A graduate of
Yale University (1991) and
Columbia Law School, Lee began her acting career as part of the ensemble cast of the romantic comedy
Hav Plenty in 1997, which was shown at Toronto Film Festival. She spent the following years working in smaller films, and well as co-starred in television movies include
The Runaway opposite
Debbi Morgan. On television, Lee also guest-starred on
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and
Numbers. She also appeared in R&B singer
Usher's music video for his 2004 single "
Confessions Part II". In 2003, Lee appeared in two films, action comedy
National Security, with
Martin Lawrence and
Steve Zahn, and opposite
LL Cool J and
Gabrielle Union in the romantic comedy
Deliver Us from Eva. In 2005, Lee had a role in box-office hit
Hitch, starring
Will Smith. In 2008, she co-starred again with Smith in the drama film
Seven Pounds playing his character's fiancee. As lead actress, she starred in the 2008 comedy-drama
This Is Not a Test. In 2009, Lee co-starred alongside
Don Cheadle in the comedy film
Hotel for Dogs. In 2007, Lee had a recurring role on the
TBS sitcom ''
Tyler Perry's House of Payne and shot an independent film called This Is Not a Test. From 2013 to 2014, she played Avery Daniels in the first season of the critically acclaimed BET drama series, Being Mary Jane. From 2017 to 2018, she starred in the Syfy horror drama series, Superstition''. Lee played Ros Bailey in
Fifty Shades Darker (2017) and
Fifty Shades Freed (2018), the sequels to
Fifty Shades of Grey. Lee's debut novel
The Idea of You was published on June 13, 2017, by
St. Martin's Press. The story follows Solène Marchand, a 40-year-old mother and owner of a prestigious art gallery in Los Angeles, who falls for a considerably younger British popstar, idolized by her 12-year-old daughter. The audiobook, read by Lee herself, was released on April 3, 2018, by
Tantor Media. A
film adaptation by
Jennifer Westfeldt was announced in June 2021, entered production in 2022 and released on May 2, 2024 starring
Anne Hathaway. ==Filmography==