07/08/2026
It is with the most profound sadness I am posting this obit. Jenn was a true friend and so loyal to the Bell Agency. Our talent will be forever missed. She came to us many many years ago and stayed no matter how big she got, she stayed with her friends ! God bless you Jenn - fly high and entertain the heavens like you always have.
OBITUARY
JENNIFER ANNE LANIER (1959-2026)
Jennifer Anne Lanier completed her journey on the red road June 9, 2026 at age 67, surrounded by her wife of 17 years, Dustina Haase-Lanier, their sons, D’Artagnan & Darius, and many loved ones.
Jennifer was a two-spirit le***an, African American and Native American from the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation. Born on a military base in Washington state and raised in North Carolina, she received her classical theater training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She made her way to Hawai’i and eventually found her home and family in the Pacific Northwest. Jen was an exceptional award-winning actor, comedian, drag artist, fierce activist, and dedicated mentor. She was the founder of Many Horses Productions, Co-Artistic Director of Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, and the board president for Portland Center Stage.
Lanier’s film debut was in the1988 CBS TV biopic, Quiet Victory: The Charlie Wedemeyer Story, about a high school coach with ALS. By the early 2010s, Lanier was playing Special Agent Elaine Delacourt on Season 5 of Leverage; had guested on multiple episodes of Grimm; did turns in the TV miniseries Microaggressions. The New York Times called Jen’s one-woman show, None of the Above, “a rollicking rollercoaster.” Other credits include a feature role in Thin Skin, Woodstock or Bust, The Last Champion, and her most recent film role in Netflix’s propulsive 2025 hit, Night Always Comes (alongside Vanessa Kirby and Jennifer Jason Leigh).
Jen approached the world with a spirit of love, deep joy, and belief in The Creator. Jen loved her wife and sons dearly and lived life with great passion. She was the kind of gregarious extrovert who could connect with strangers and immediately create a bond through her authentic interest. She befriended hundreds of strangers and made close friends feel her eagerness for connection. Even when separated by distance or disease she had the ability to transmit that she treasured those she loved. Part of her secret was seeing the intrinsic value in every human being and her determination to leave the world a better place by focusing on the three E’s: equality, equity, and empathy.
Whether playfully taking the role of Black Santa, breaking boundaries within the Original Practice Shakespeare Festival, revolutionizing the approach to gynecological exam training, and exposing the racist history of patient simulation as part of her work at OHSU, Jen had a way of encouraging folks to challenge their biases and work to become better versions of themselves. Her influence is immeasurable. She impacted the hearts and minds of more people than she could ever know, and she will be deeply missed.
On July 13th, we will commemorate this amazing woman and celebrate the impact she has had on her family, friends, and community, including a viewing in Vancouver, WA at (Evergreen Staples, 10am–2pm), a funeral service (Beautiful Savor Lutheran, 2:30-5:30pm), and a celebration of life at Portland Center Stage at 6:30 pm. An additional invite-only funeral will be held on tribal land in Mebane, North Carolina, on July 18.
In lieu of flowers, please help support the family’s funeral costs at http://bit.ly/3SNAmCL
