Co-starred with Denzel Washington, in the Broadway revival of "Raisin in the Sun," for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress. LaTanya replaced Diahann Carroll who dropped out of the production.
Recorded backing vocals on a record for The Commodores.
Was a member with her future husband Samuel L. Jackson of the children's improv troupe of the Academy Theatre, the first integrated theater in the South.