Stan Lathan

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Stan Lathan is an African-American television director, notably of The Steve Harvey Show for the WB and HBO's Def Comedy Jam. He first came to prominence working behind the scenes of the landmark local public t.v. series "Say Brother", a Black public affairs show in Boston. The series featured art, history, literature, healthcare, drama, culture, and specials on subjects such as the Nation of Islam, and Negro League baseball. One host was future Boston anchorwoman Sarah Ann Shaw, who was discovered at a community panel. It also marked the beginning of Lathan's professional relationship with future "Martin" sitcom producer Topper Carew.

Stan Lathan was born into a working-class family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on July 8, 1945. He was always pushed by his parents to develop good self-esteem and to strive hard to achieve goals. He was married to Broadway actress Eleanor McCoy, whom he divorced in 1977. He has one son, Tendaji, and three daughters: Sanaa, Liliane, Arielle.

As a child Lathan was encouraged to go to college. His family worked together to provide the finances for his education. They served chicken dinners and the proceeds were put into Lathan's college fund. The profits from the dinner sales and scholarships enable him to enroll at Pennsylvania State University. Lathan studied theater at Penn State and received his B.S. in 1967. While pursuing his degree, Lathan satisfied his need to direct. He liked creating and executing theatrical works, rather than focusing on acting.

Lathan began his career in the public television industry where he directed educational programming. He was director of Sesame Street, a fledgling television series, from 1971-1975. Prior to directing puppets, Lathan received acclaim for his production efforts for the PBS series Black Journal. He continues to direct and produce episodic television as either a side project or his only project for a variety of cable networks. Lathan has directed episodes of notable series such as: "Sanford and Son", "Remington Steele", "Miami Vice", "Martin", and "The Steve Harvey Show".

Lathan received multiple awards for his directorial efforts in both the cinematic and television realms. He was honored with the Emmy Award for Magazine Programming in 1970 for Black Journal. Lathan received the Best Director award at the Jamaican Film Festival in 1974 for Save the Children. In 1978, Lathan was given the Eudora Welty Award for Outstanding Public Television Drama for The Trial of the Moke. He was frequently recognized throughout the 1980s for his various television and films works. Lathan was awarded the San Francisco International Film Festival's award for Best Feature for Television in 1985 for Go Tell It on the Mountain.

Stan Lathan currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

He is also noted for directing one of the first films to be based on the hip hop genre, Beat Street (1984).

He is the father of actress, Sanaa Lathan.