Lenny Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, producer and actor. He portrayed Cinna in The Hunger Games film[1] and in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. He is best known for his roles in films such as Precious and Zoolander. He won the Grammy Award for song "Fly Away" "Best Male Rock Vocal Performance" four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and most consecutive wins in one category for a male.
Kravitz landed his role as Cinna without an audition. After Gary Ross saw his performance as Nurse John in Precious, he offered Kravitz the job, and the actor read the book that night before accepting the next morning.[2]
Early life[]
Kravitz was born in New York City on May 26, 1964. He is the son of Roxie Roker, an actress known for her character Helen Willis in the 1970s hit television sitcom The Jeffersons, and Sy Kravitz, an NBC television news producer. His father was from a Russian Jewish family (with origins from Ukraine). His mother was of Afro-Bahamian and African-American descent, and was from a Christian family. During his early years, Kravitz did not grow up in a religious environment. After a spiritual experience when he was thirteen, he started attending church, becoming a non-denominational Christian.
Kravitz was named after his uncle, Private First Class Leonard M. Kravitz, who was killed in action in the Korean War at the age of 20, while defending against a Chinese attack and saving most of his platoon; he was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross but was denied the Medal of Honor. On March 18, 2014, Private First Class Kravitz received the Medal of Honor in a ceremony that awarded it to 23 other servicemen who were passed because of their ethnicity. His daughter Zoë Kravitz and ex-wife Lisa Bonet are also actors.
External links[]
- Official website
- Lenny Kravitz on Wikipedia
- Lenny Kravitz at the Internet Movie Database
- Lenny Kravitz on Twitter
References[]
- ↑ Lenny Kravitz Cast as Cinna in The Hunger Games Comingsoon.net (05-23-2011). Retrieved on 05-23-2011.
- ↑ Warner, Kara (March 22, 2012). Lenny Kravitz Explains 'Subdued' Cinna In 'Hunger Games'. MTV.