Lenny Kravitz

Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. He is the son of actress Roxie Roker, a cousin of television anchor Al Roker, and the father of actress Zoë Kravitz. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category and setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male. He has been nominated for and won other awards, including American Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, Radio Music Awards, Brit Awards, and Blockbuster Entertainment Awards. Kravitz's hit singles include "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over" (1991) and "Again" (2000), each of which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 chart; other hits include "Let Love Rule" (1989), "Always on the Run" (1991), "Are You Gonna Go My Way" (1993), "Fly Away" (1998), and "American Woman" (1999), each of which reached the top 10 on the Alternative Airplay chart. Kravitz was ranked at No. 93 on VH1's "100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock". In his career, Kravitz has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. He was made an Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2011. He has played Cinna in the Hunger Games film series. Leonard Albert Kravitz was born on May 26, 1964 in New York City, the only child of NBC television news producer Sy Kravitz (1924–2005) and actress Roxie Roker (1929–1995). His mother came from a Christian family which was of African-American and Bahamian descent. Kravitz's father was of Russian-Jewish origin. Through his mother, Kravitz is a second cousin of television weather presenter Al Roker as their grandfathers were brothers. He was named after his uncle, Leonard M. Kravitz, a private first class who was killed in action in the Korean War at the age of 20, while single-handedly holding off a Chinese attack, enabling most of his platoon to escape.