Actresses of Color that have played queer characters
by weirdstrike | created - 09 Nov 2015 | updated - 09 Nov 2015 | PublicHere are some actresses of color that have played queer characters on TV, movies, etc. This also includes voice actresses.
1. Viola Davis
Actress | Fences
Viola Davis is a critically revered actress of film, television, and theater and has won rave reviews for her multitude of substantial and intriguingly diverse roles. Audiences across the United States and internationally have admired her for her work- including her celebrated, Oscar-nominated ...
Annalise Keating - "Hot to Get Away With Murder"
2. Sherri Saum
Actress | Sunset Beach
Sherri Saum was born on October 1, 1974 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Sunset Beach (1997), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and Finding Home (2003).
Lena Adams-Foster - "The Fosters"
3. Tracie Thoms
Actress | Rent
Tracie Thoms has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her busy career.
Tracie's currently a series regular opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on the Apple series, Truth Be Told, while at the same time recurring on Fox's 9-1-1 and ABC's Station 19.
Tracie realized a ...
Joanne Jefferson - "RENT"
4. Shay Mitchell
Actress | The Possession of Hannah Grace
Shay Mitchell (born Shannon Ashley Mitchell; April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress, model, entrepreneur and author. She rose to prominence starring as Emily Fields in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010) (2010-2017).
She was born in Mississauga, Ontario, the daughter of Precious Garcia and...
Emily Fields - "Pretty Little Liars"
5. Bianca Lawson
Actress | Save the Last Dance
Bianca Lawson was born on March 20, 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Save the Last Dance (2001), The Feast of All Saints (2001) and Rogue (2013).
Maya St. Germain - "Pretty Little Liars"
6. Sara Ramirez
Actress | Grey's Anatomy
Sara Ramirez was born in Mazatlán, Mexico, on August 31, 1975, and moved to the United States at 7 after their parents' divorce. Sara is a graduate of The Juillard School (1997). Ramirez made their Broadway debut in the Paul Simon musical The Capeman (1998) before winning a Tony Award for their ...
Callie Torres - "Grey's Anatomy"
7. Jennifer Beals
Actress | Flashdance
Jennifer Beals is an internationally renowned actress who has over 90 credits to her name, including critically acclaimed feature films and some of the highest rated television series to date. Beals is currently executive producing and returning as a lead cast member in the revival of her hit ...
Bette Porter - "The L Word"
8. Sheetal Sheth
Actress | The World Unseen
Sheetal Sheth is an acclaimed actress, author, and producer, known for her provocative performances in a wide range of memorable roles on film and television. Sheetal burst onto the scene with raves in the groundbreaking films, 'ABCD' and Slamdance winner, 'American Chai.' She broke out and won ...
Leyla - "I Can't Think Straight" Amina - "A World Unseen"
9. Lisa Ray
Actress | Water
Lisa Ray was finishing high school in Canada with aspirations of majoring in Journalism at University when a celebrated fashion magazine approached her to model for them, and she ended up on the cover. This catapulted her into a state of instant celebrity. Her high-profile career got her noticed by...
Tala - "I Can't Think Straight" Miriam - "A World Unseen"
10. Adepero Oduye
Actress | 12 Years a Slave
Adepero Oduye hails from Brooklyn, New York City by way of Nigeria. She is a graduate of Cornell University; and has studied acting with Wynn Handman, Austin Pendleton, and Susan Batson. Her name is pronounced "Add-eh-pair-o Oh-due-yay."
Her theatre credits include Danai Gurira's play Eclipsed, at ...
Alike - "Pariah"
11. Uzo Aduba
Actress | Orange Is the New Black
Aduba began earning recognition for her work in 2003, with a performance in "Translations of Xhosa" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that won her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play. Her Broadway debut was in 2007 as Toby in "Coram Boy". She was...
Suzanne Warren - "Orange Is The New Black"
12. Samira Wiley
Actress | Orange Is the New Black
Samira Wiley was born on April 15, 1987 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Orange Is the New Black (2013), The Sitter (2011) and The Handmaid's Tale (2017). She has been married to Lauren Morelli since March 25, 2017.
Poussey Washington - "Orange Is The New Black"
13. Kimiko Glenn
Actress | Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Kimiko Elizabeth Glenn was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, where she grew up with her sister Amanda, and parents Mark and Sumiko. She started doing theater when she was ten years old at Valley Youth Theatre and there, began developing her love for performing.
Halfway through her freshman year of ...
Brook Soso - "Orange Is The New Black"
14. Diane Guerrero
Actress | Orange Is the New Black
Diane Guerrero (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black and Lina on Jane the Virgin. Among her other roles was a recurring role on Are We There Yet? Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there after...
Maritza Ramos - "Orange Is The New Black"
15. Jamie Chung
Actress | Big Hero 6
Jamie Chung was born and raised in California, the daughter of Korean parents. She studied Economics at the University of California, Riverside. Chung's break came in 2004, when she was working in a sports bar. MTV held auditions for The Real World (1992) there, she tried out, and was successful, ...
Mulan - "Once Upon a Time"
16. Sonja Sohn
Actress | Slam
Sonja Sohn was born on May 9, 1964 in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Slam (1998), The Wire (2002) and Baltimore Rising (2017). She was previously married to Adam Plack.
Kima Greggs - "The Wire"
17. Serayah
Actress | Empire
Serayah was born on June 20, 1995 in Encinitas, California, USA. She is an actress, known for Empire (2015), Takeover and The Sound of Christmas (2022).
Tiana - "Empire"
18. Michelle Ang
Actress | Fear the Walking Dead
Michelle is well known around the world from her early work as a regular cast member on the Australian show "Neighbours" and the hit teen shows "The Tribe" and "Underemployed".
Emmy-nominated for her role of Alex in "Fear the Walking Dead; Flight 462", she won "Best Actress in A Feature Film" at the...
Sophia Swanson - "Underemployed"
19. Angel M. Wainwright
Actress | The Unit
Angel Wainwright got her first break on "The Wire", and continues to do theater, film and television internationally. She has worked in New York, Los Angeles, England UK and Prague. She is best known for her role in "The Unit" as Betsy Blane and Nurse Regina on General Hospital.
Laura - "Underemployed"
20. Vanessa Morgan
Actress | Riverdale
Vanessa Morgan was born on March 23, 1992 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Riverdale (2017), The Latest Buzz (2007) and My Babysitter's a Vampire (2010). She has been married to Michael Kopech since January 4, 2020. They have one child.
Bird Castro - "Finding Carter"
21. Kelsey Asbille
Actress | Fargo
Kelsey Asbille Chow is the oldest of three siblings, a younger brother and younger sister. At a young age she studied dance, and grew to love performing. School plays led to community theater, then she was member of the Hammond Select Ensemble, which she has performed with in Italy and other places...
Sonya - "Girls Like Girls" (Music video)
22. Seychelle Gabriel
Actress | The Last Airbender
Seychelle Gabriel is from Burbank, CA and has been acting professionally for over a decade. She began doing background work when she was a child and moved into principle roles towards her later high school years, after performing in the Frank Miller film, The Spirit. She has since then performed in...
Asami Sato - "Legend of Korra" (Animation)
23. Deedee Magno
Actress | Steven Universe
Deedee Magno was born on April 2, 1975 in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA. She is an actress and cinematographer, known for Steven Universe (2013), Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and Steven Universe: Attack the Light! (2015). She has been married to Cliffton Hall since April 27, 2003. They have ...
Pearl - "Steven Universe" (Animation)
24. Erica Luttrell
Actress | Westworld
Erica Luttrell was born on March 20, 1982 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She is an actress, known for Westworld (2016), Salvation (2017) and David Makes Man (2019).
Sapphire - "Steven Universe" (Animation}
25. Charlyne Yi
Actress | This Is 40
Californian Charlyne Yi has many strings to her bow as an actress, comedian, writer, musician and artist. She grew up in the Inland Empire in California. After attending the University of California, Riverside, she left and began a career as a comedian. Her innovative routine includes jokes, music,...
Ruby - "Steven Universe" (Animation)
26. Michelle Krusiec
Actress | Hollywood
Michelle Krusiec is an award winning Taiwanese American director, writer and actor whose lengthy career has proven to be a versatile and influential presence in the industry. Michelle writes and directs in genre, weaving in personal narrative and comedy. She's an alumnae of the AFI Directing ...
Wil Pang - "Saving Face"
27. Lynn Chen
Actress | Grey's Anatomy
At the age of five, Lynn Chen began singing on the stage of The Metropolitan Opera House. She has been performing ever since. Her feature film debut was in Sony Pictures Classics' Saving Face, a role that won her the title of "Outstanding Newcomer" at the 2006 AXAwards. She has been a fixture on ...
Vivian Shing - "Saving Face"
28. Ester Dean
Soundtrack | Pitch Perfect
Ester Renay Dean is an American Singer, Actress and Grammy Award Nominated Songwriter.
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and raised in Tulsa, Ester is the youngest of five children and was raised in a single mother, low-income household. At a young age she learned how to channel her pain into music, using...
Cynthia Rose - "Pitch Perfect 1 & 2"
29. Valarie Rae Miller
Actress | Crank
Valarie Rae Miller was born on April 16, 1974 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. She is an actress, known for Crank (2006), Dark Angel (2000) and La La Land (2016).
Cynthia McEachin - "Dark Angel"
30. Freema Agyeman
Actress | Doctor Who
Freema Agyeman is a British actress who is known for playing Martha Jones in the BBC science fiction series Doctor Who (2007-2010), Alesha Phillips in crime procedural drama Law & Order: UK (2009-2011), Amanita Caplan in the Netflix science fiction drama Sense8 (2015-2018), and Dr. Helen Sharpe in ...
Amanita - "Sense8"
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