Lenny Kravitz Biography

Pop singer and fashionista Lenny Kravitz had hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but today’s audience might know him more for his supporting role as Cinna in The Hunger Games movies. His bi-racial background is part of his public identity: his dad was a Jewish TV producer, and his mom was an African-American actress known for her supporting role in the TV series The Jeffersons. Kravitz grew up in Manhattan and southern California, and studied music at Beverly Hills High School. He married actress Lisa Bonet (of The Cosby Show) in 1987, but escaped the “Mr. Lisa Bonet” tag with the success of his first record, 1989’s Let Love Rule. (Kravitz and Bonet divorced in 1993.) He’s since had a career influenced by the rock sound of the 1960s and high fashion, with hit songs including “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over,” “American Woman” and the Grammy winning “Fly Away.” Although Kravitz has made several cameo appearances on screen — notably in Ben Stiller‘s Zoolander — his acting career began with 2009’s Precious. His other roles include The Hunger Games (2012, starring Jennifer Lawrence), Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013, starring Forest Whitaker) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013, starring Josh Hutcherson).