Black Stars on Screen and TV!

1. Sidney Poitier

Sidney Poitier was a native of Cat Island, Bahamas, although born, two months prematurely, in Miami during a visit by his parents, Evelyn (Outten) and Reginald James Poitier. He grew up in poverty as the son of farmers, with his father also driving a cab in Nassau. Sidney had little formal ...

2. Louis Gossett Jr.

Actor | An Officer and a Gentleman

Louis Gossett Jr. was one of the most respected and beloved actors on stage, screen and television and was also an accomplished writer, producer and director. Off-screen, he was a social activist, educator, and author dedicated to enriching the lives of others. He was the first African-American to ...

3. Sammy Davis Jr.

Actor | The Cannonball Run

Sammy Davis Jr. was often billed as the "greatest living entertainer in the world".

He was born in Harlem, Manhattan, the son of dancer Elvera Davis (née Sanchez) and vaudeville star Sammy Davis Sr.. His father was African-American and his mother was of Cuban and African-American ancestry. Davis Jr....

4. Harry Belafonte

Actor | Bobby

Harold George Belafonte was born on March 1, 1927 in New York City. He was educated at the New York Dramatic Workshop. He grew up in Jamaica, British West Indies, and did folk-singing in nightclubs and theaters, and on television and records. His debut was at the Village Vanguard in New York. Also,...

5. Arsenio Hall

Actor | Coming to America

Arsenio Hall was born on February 12, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Coming to America (1988), Coming 2 America (2021) and Harlem Nights (1989).

6. Michael Winslow

Actor | Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol

Michael Winslow was born on September 6, 1958 in Spokane, Washington, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), Spaceballs (1987) and Police Academy (1984). He was previously married to Sharon Larrieu, Angela Baytops and Belinda Church.

7. John Amos

Actor | Coming to America

A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. He has found it a constant ...

8. Reginald VelJohnson

Actor | Die Hard

Reginald VelJohnson was born on August 16, 1952 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Die Hard (1988), Ghostbusters (1984) and Die Hard 2 (1990).

9. Jaleel White

Actor | Family Matters

Jaleel White is an American actor, producer, and writer who is known for playing Steve Urkel from "Family Matters" and voicing Sonic the Hedgehog in three cartoon series released during the 1990s. He also acted in "Big Fat Liar" starring Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes, "Scooby-Doo", "Guess Who", "...

10. Don Franklin

Actor | SeaQuest DSV

Don Franklin was born on December 14, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor, known for SeaQuest 2032 (1993), Bosch (2014) and Insecure (2016).

11. Tim Russ

Actor | Spaceballs

Timothy Darrell Russ was born on June 22, 1956, in Washington, D.C., to Air Force officer Walt and his wife Josephine. He and his younger siblings Michael and Angela grew up on several military bases, including Niagara Falls, Elmendorf (Alaska) AFB, Omaha, Taiwan, Philippines and Turkey. During ...

12. James Brown

Actor | The Blues Brothers

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer, and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and ...

13. Avery Brooks

Actor | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Avery Franklin Brooks was born on October 2, 1948 in Evansville, Indiana to a musically talented family. His maternal grandfather, Samuel Travis Crawford, was a tenor who graduated from Tougaloo College in Mississippi in 1901. Crawford toured the country singing with the Delta Rhythm Boys in the ...

14. Cirroc Lofton

Actor | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cirroc Lofton was born on August 7, 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), Beethoven (1992) and Invasion (2005).

15. Delroy Lindo

Actor | Get Shorty

On the stage and on the big screen, Delroy Lindo projects a powerful presence that is almost impossible to ignore. Alhough it was not his first film role, his portrayal of the bipolar numbers boss West Indian Archie in Spike Lee's Malcolm X (1992) is what first attracted attention to Lindo's ...

16. Yaphet Kotto

Actor | Alien

Physically imposing, intense Yaphet Kotto was one of the few actors of his generation to succeed in breaking racial stereotypes in Hollywood. He was born in Harlem, New York, the son of Gladys, a nurse and army officer, and Abraham Kotto, a businessman-turned-construction worker. His father was a ...

17. Chiwetel Ejiofor

Actor | 12 Years a Slave

English actor, writer and director Chiwetel Ejiofor is renowned for his portrayal of Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave (2013), for which he received Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations, along with the BAFTA Award for Best Actor. He is also known for playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things...

18. Hugh Quarshie

Actor | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace

Hugh Quarshie was born on December 22, 1954 in Accra, Ghana. He is an actor and director, known for Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999), Highlander (1986) and Nightbreed (1990). He is married to Annika Sundström.

19. Jamie Foxx

Actor | Collateral

Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy...

20. Ray Charles

Actor | The Blues Brothers

A tragic fate may have given this visionary a heightened sensitivity, perception, awareness, even expansion to his obvious musical gifts that he may have never touched upon had he not suffered from his physical affliction. Whatever it was, Ray Charles revolutionized American music and was ...

21. Christopher Judge

Actor | Stargate SG-1

Douglas Christopher Judge was born and raised in Los Angeles, and is of African-American and Cherokee ancestry.

Judge always knew that he wanted to be an actor, wanting to invoke feelings in others that he was receiving from the shows. He realized quickly that sports would be the stepping stone to ...

22. Keith Hamilton Cobb

Actor | Andromeda

Keith Hamilton Cobb Graduated Sleepy Hollow High School and Westchester Community College. As well as New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He attended Circle in the Square Theatre School and Playwrights Horizons Theater School. His hobbies are writing, photography & renovating home. He ...

23. Harold Perrineau

Actor | Romeo + Juliet

Harold Perrineau is an American actor best known for his roles as Michael Dawson on the television series Lost (2004-2008; 2010), Augustus Hill in the television series Oz (1997-2003), Link in The Matrix franchise (2003), and Mercutio in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996). He has also starred in ...

24. Gary Dourdan

Actor | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

From the time he was a young lad, Gary Dourdan knew that he wanted to be an actor. Despite a myriad of interests, which included music, athletics and even break dancing, Dourdan focused much of his passion centered on acting. His determination, of course, eventually paid off - after an increasing ...

25. Hill Harper

Actor | CSI: NY

Hill Harper, an accomplished film, television and stage actor, stars in the hit CBS drama series, CSI: NY (2004). He portrays "Dr. Sheldon Hawkes", a reclusive coroner who walked away from a promising surgical career after the traumatic loss of two patients. This February, he will star in the HBO ...

26. Eriq La Salle

Actor | ER

Actor/director/producer Eriq La Salle is best known to worldwide television audiences for his award-winning portrayal of the commanding Dr. Peter Benton on the critically acclaimed and history-making medical drama ER. Educated at Juilliard and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, his credits range from ...

27. Hari Rhodes

Actor | Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

Hari Rhodes was born on April 10, 1932 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), Shock Corridor (1963) and Coma (1978). He was married to Mlmi Christie Segura . He died on January 15, 1992 in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA.

28. Yasiin Bey

Soundtrack | The Italian Job

Regarded as one of hip-hop's most introspective and insightful artists, Mos Def has shaped a career that transcends music genres and artistic medium. Taking a cue from the Afrocentric stylings of the Native Tongues crew, which included De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest and Andres ...

29. Anthony Montgomery

Actor | Enterprise

Anthony Montgomery was born on June 2, 1971 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Star Trek: Enterprise (2001), General Hospital (1963) and The Family Business (2018). He was previously married to Adrienne.

30. Tyrese Gibson

Actor | Baby Boy

Tyrese Darnell Gibson was born December 30, 1978 in Watts, Los Angeles, California, where he was raised. He is an R&B singer, songwriter, actor, author, television producer and model. He is well known for his actor role as Roman Pearce in the The Fast and Furious movie franchise. Other popular ...

31. Don Cheadle

Actor | Crash

Donald Frank Cheadle was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 29, 1964. His childhood found him moving from city to city with his family: mother Bettye (née North), a teacher; father Donald Frank Cheadle Sr., a clinical psychologist; sister Cindy; and brother Colin. After graduating from high...

32. Bumper Robinson

Actor | Enemy Mine

Larry C. Robinson II is an American actor known for voicing Damas from Jak 3, Cyborg from Justice League Doom, Dwight Conrad from Futurama, Clarence The So Fine, Bumblebee and Blitzwing from Transformers Animated, Falcon from Avengers Assemble and the Chipmunks from Brother Bear. He is married to ...

33. Stan Shaw

Actor | The Monster Squad

Stan Shaw was born on July 14, 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Monster Squad (1987), Cutthroat Island (1995) and Daylight (1996). He has been married to Dr. Zoe Shaw since June 30, 1994. They have four children.

34. Laurence Fishburne

Actor | The Matrix

Critically hailed for his forceful, militant, authoritative figures and one of Hollywood's most talented and versatile performers, Laurence (John) Fishburne III has been the recipient of numerous awards, including a number of NAACP Image honors.

Born in Augusta, Georgia on July 30, 1961, to Hattie ...

35. Dorian Harewood

Actor | Full Metal Jacket

Dorian Harewood was born on August 6, 1950 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is an actor, known for Full Metal Jacket (1987), Space Jam (1996) and Sudden Death (1995). He has been married to Nancy Harewood since February 14, 1979. They have two children.

36. LeVar Burton

Actor | Star Trek: Generations

LeVar Burton was born on February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. He is an actor and director, known for Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). He has been married to Stephanie Cozart Burton since October 3, 1992. ...

37. Jaden Smith

Actor | The Karate Kid

Jaden Smith is an actor, known for The Pursuit of Happyness (2006), The Karate Kid (2010) and After Earth (2013). In addition to being an actor he is also a dancer, songwriter and rapper who won an MTV award for his performance in The Pursuit of Happyness. He co-starred with his father Will Smith ...

38. Robert Townsend

Composer | Schoolboy Q: Groovy Tony

Robert Townsend is known for Schoolboy Q: Groovy Tony (2016), Movin' on Up (2011) and Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1996).

39. Richard Pryor

Actor | Superman III

Highly influential, and always controversial, African-American actor/comedian who was equally well known for his colorful language during his live comedy shows, as for his fast paced life, multiple marriages and battles with drug addiction. He has been acknowledged by many modern comic artist's as ...

40. Jeffrey Wright

Actor | The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun

Born and raised in Washington DC, Jeffrey Wright graduated from Amherst College in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to ...

41. Bernie Casey

Actor | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Bernie Casey was born on June 8, 1939 in Wyco, West Virginia, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Never Say Never Again (1983) and Revenge of the Nerds (1984). He was married to Paula. He died on September 19, 2017 in Los Angeles, California, ...

42. James Earl Jones

Actor | Rogue One

Widely regarded as the one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native USA and internationally, James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. At an early age, he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred ...

43. Malcolm-Jamal Warner

Actor | The Cosby Show

Emmy-nominated actor and director Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was named after Malcolm X and legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.

Warner first rose to national prominence by starring on the celebrated and long-running classic television series "The Cosby Show." His ...

44. Tony Todd

Actor | Candyman

Perhaps best known for his chilling performance as "Candyman", the charismatic 6' 5" actor Tony Todd has consistently turned in compelling performances since his debut in the fantasy film Sleepwalk (1986). Born in Washington, D.C., Todd spent two years on a scholarship at the University of ...

45. Philip Michael Thomas

Actor | Miami Vice

Philip Michael Thomas - the multi-talented performer best known as Detective Rico Tubbs in the iconic 1980s TV series Miami Vice (1984) - made his Broadway debut in 1971 in the Pulitzer Prize-winning play No Place to Be Somebody...and hasn't looked back since.

In a remarkable career that spans ...

46. Jim Brown

Actor | Mars Attacks!

Often mentioned as the greatest player in NFL history, this ruggedly handsome African American fullback for the Cleveland Browns first appeared on movie screens in the western Rio Conchos (1964), followed by a strong supporting role as convict commando "Jefferson" in the terrific WWII action film ...

47. Djimon Hounsou

Actor | Blood Diamond

Djimon Hounsou was born in Cotonou, Benin, in west Africa to Albertine and Pierre Hounsou, a cook. He moved to Lyon, France, when he was 13. Hounsou has graced the catwalks of Paris and London as a popular male model. He has since left his modeling career and has worked on Gladiator (2000) by ...

48. Idris Elba

Actor | Beasts of No Nation

An only child, Idrissa Akuna Elba was born and raised in London, England. His father, Winston, is from Sierra Leone and worked at Ford Dagenham; his mother, Eve, is from Ghana and had a clerical duty. Idris attended school in Canning Town, where he first became involved in acting, before he dropped...

49. Peter Mensah

Actor | Jason X

Peter Mensah has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old, growing up in St. Albans, England, just north of London. A former engineer, Mensah came to Canada 11 years ago. He'd worked for British Gas developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay and had done theatre in school. He comes from an ...

50. Boris Kodjoe

Actor | Resident Evil: Retribution

Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe, better known as Boris Kodjoe, is a German actor known for his roles as Jason in the 2000 film Love & Basketball (2000), and the sports-courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama series Soul Food (2000).

Kodjoe was born in Vienna, Austria, the ...