Beloved 1998 premiere

1. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey , often known simply as Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which was the highest-rated television program of its kind in history and ...

2. Cindy Adams

Actress | Singing in the Dark

Cindy Adams was born on April 24, 1930 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Singing in the Dark (1956), The Nanny (1993) and Best Actress (2000). She was previously married to Joey Adams.

3. Sidney Poitier

Actor | In the Heat of the Night

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 ...

4. Sean 'Diddy' Combs

Actor | Get Him to the Greek

Sean "Diddy" Combs has cemented himself as one of the most successful entrepreneurs and cultural icons of all-time. Standing as a respected symbol of relentless ambition, for three decades Combs' unrivaled influence is only matched by an unparalleled ability to innovate, evolve, and consistently ...

5. Lorraine Bracco

Actress | Goodfellas

Lorraine was voted the "ugliest girl in the 6th grade" at her Long Island grade school. She moved to France in 1974 where she became a fashion superstar for Jean-Paul Gaultier. Her sister is Elizabeth Bracco. Has two daughters, Stella Keitel by ex-boyfriend Harvey Keitel and Margaux Guerard by ...

6. Gayle King

Actress | The Manchurian Candidate

Gayle King was born on December 28, 1954 in Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for The Manchurian Candidate (2004), Queen & Slim (2019) and The Boss (2016). She was previously married to William G. Bumpus.

7. Toni Morrison

Writer | Song of Solomon

Toni Morrison was born on February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Song of Solomon, Beloved (1998) and American Experience (1987). She was married to Harold Morrison. She died on August 5, 2019 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.

8. Michael Bolton

Soundtrack | Back to School

Michael Bolton, the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and social activist, has sold more than 65 million albums and singles worldwide. He continues to tour the world every year, all while writing, recording and taping for a wide array of projects spanning music, film, television and ...

9. Brandy Norwood

Actress | I Still Know What You Did Last Summer

Brandy Norwood is an African-American singer-songwriter and actress from McComb, Mississippi. She is known for her roles in Moesha, Osmosis Jones and Cinderella. She has released many R&B albums and singles since the 1990s. She is known as "The Vocal Bible". She gave birth to a daughter named ...

10. Camryn Manheim

Actress | The Practice

Camryn grew up in Peoria, Illinois before moving to Long Beach California for middle school. She went on to receive a B.F.A. from U.C. Santa Cruz and then went on to earn a M.F.A from New York University in 1987. Her mother, Sylvia (Nuchow), was a schoolteacher, and her father, Jerry, was a math ...

11. Stedman Graham

Self | Bridging the Gap: The Joe Dulin Story

Stedman Graham was born on March 6, 1951 in Whitesboro, New Jersey, USA. He was previously married to Glenda Johnson.

12. Danny Glover

Actor | Lethal Weapon

Actor, producer and humanitarian Danny Glover has been a commanding presence on screen, stage and television for more than 35 years.

Glover was born in San Francisco, California, to Carrie (Hunley) and James Glover, postal workers who were also active in civil rights. Glover trained at the Black ...

13. Uma Thurman

Actress | Kill Bill: Vol. 1

Uma Karuna Thurman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, into a highly unorthodox and internationally-minded family. She is the daughter of Nena Thurman (née Birgitte Caroline von Schlebrügge), a fashion model and socialite who now runs a mountain retreat, and of Robert Thurman (Robert Alexander ...

14. Glenn Close

Actress | Fatal Attraction

Eight time Academy Award-nominated actress Glenn Close was born and raised in Greenwich, Connecticut. She is the daughter of Elizabeth Mary H. "Bettine" (Moore) and William Taliaferro Close (William Close), a prominent doctor. Both of her parents were from upper-class families.

Glenn was a noted ...

15. Barbara Walters

Producer | The Barbara Walters Special

Barbara Walters was born on September 25, 1929 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She was a producer and writer, known for The Barbara Walters Summer Special (1976), The View (1997) and 20/20 (1978). She was married to Merv Adelson, Lee Guber and Robert Henry Katz. She died on December 30, 2022 in ...

16. Tyra Banks

Actress | Coyote Ugly

Tyra Banks was born on December 4, 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Coyote Ugly (2000), Tropic Thunder (2008) and America's Next Top Model (2003).

17. Lela Rochon

Actress | Waiting to Exhale

Lela Rochon was born on April 17, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Waiting to Exhale (1995), Any Given Sunday (1999) and Gang Related (1997). She has been married to Antoine Fuqua since April 9, 1999. They have two children. She was previously married ...

18. Thandiwe Newton

Actress | Crash

Thandiwe Newton was born in London. She is the daughter of Zimbabwean mother Nyasha, a health-care worker from the Shona tribe, and British father Nick Newton, who worked as a lab technician. She lived in Zambia until political unrest caused her family to move back to the UK, where she lived in ...

19. Michael Eisner

Producer | Glenn Martin DDS

For four decades, Michael Eisner has been a leader in the American entertainment industry. He began his career at ABC, overseeing shows including Happy Days, Barney Miller, and Roots. He became president of Paramount Pictures in 1976, turning out hit films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, ...

20. Jesse L. Martin

Actor | Rent

Jesse Martin was born Jesse Lamont Watkins in Virginia's Blue Ridge mountain range. His mother, Virginia Price, was a college career counselor. His father, Jesse Reed Watkins, was a truck driver. His parents divorced when he was very young. His mother then moved his family to Buffalo, New York. He ...

21. Ol Parker

Writer | Now Is Good

Ol Parker was born on June 2, 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a writer and director, known for Now Is Good (2012), Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018) and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011). He has been married to Thandiwe Newton since July 11, 1998. They have three children.

22. Nia Long

Actress | The Best Man

Stunning pop culture icon, Hollywood leading lady and three-time NAACP award winner Nia Long returns to the big screen this fall in the highly anticipated Universal Pictures sequel The Best Man Holiday (in theaters November 15th) where she reunites with original castmates Taye Diggs ("Private ...

23. Jann Carl

Actress | Captain America

Jann Carl was born on May 19, 1960 in Carthage, Missouri, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Captain America (1990), Bulworth (1998) and Josie and the Pussycats (2001). She has been married to David Sears since September 3, 1988. They have two children.

24. Nick Ashford

Soundtrack | The Bodyguard

Nick Ashford was born on May 4, 1941 in Fairfield, South Carolina, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for The Bodyguard (1992), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). He was married to Valerie Simpson. He died on August 22, 2011 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.

25. Valerie Simpson

Soundtrack | The Bodyguard

Valerie Simpson was born on August 26, 1945 in The Bronx, New York, USA. She is a composer and actress, known for The Bodyguard (1992), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and Crazy Rich Asians (2018). She was previously married to Nick Ashford.

26. Joe Roth

Producer | The Great Debaters

Joe Roth was born on June 13, 1948 in New York City, New York, USA. He is a producer and director, known for The Great Debaters (2007), Maleficent (2014) and Snow White and the Huntsman (2012). He has been married to Irene Oh since April 8, 2006. He was previously married to Donna Roth.

27. Maya Angelou

Actress | Poetic Justice

Maya Angelou was an American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years. She received dozens of awards and more ...

28. Richard LaGravenese

Writer | Freedom Writers

Richard LaGravenese was born on October 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Freedom Writers (2007), Paris, I Love You (2006) and Behind the Candelabra (2013). He is married to Ann Weiss. They have one child.

29. Jessye Norman

Soundtrack | Wild at Heart

Jessye Norman was born on September 15, 1945 in Augusta, Georgia, USA. She was an actress, known for Wild at Heart (1990), The Hours (2002) and Choke (2008). She died on September 30, 2019 in New York City, New York, USA.

30. Asake Bomani

Self | Great Railway Journeys

Mother of Mandisa Glover.

31. Anika Poitier

Director | The Devil Cats

Anika Poitier was born on February 29, 1972 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and actress, known for The Devil Cats (2004), Swordfish (2001) and Yard Sale (2010).

32. Steven Meisel

Director | Subjective Reality

Steven Meisel was born on June 5, 1954 in Fresh Meadows, Queens, New York, USA. He is a director and cinematographer, known for Subjective Reality (2015), Either Way (2019) and Chloé: Fall Winter 2018 - A film by Steven Meisel (2018).

33. Jonathan Demme

Director | The Silence of the Lambs

Jonathan Demme was born on February 22, 1944 in Baldwin, Long Island, New York, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Rachel Getting Married (2008) and Philadelphia (1993). He was married to Joanne Howard and Evelyn Purcell. He died on April 26, 2017 in ...

34. Wally Lamb

Writer | We Are Water

Wally Lamb is known for We Are Water, I Know This Much Is True (2020) and Wishin' and Hopin' (2014).

35. Ed Bradley

Self | 60 Minutes

A graduate of Thomas More Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia and Cheyney State Teachers College (now Cheyney University), Ed Bradley was teaching sixth grade in the Philadelphia public school system when he accepted a dare to report the news on a local radio station; he fell in love with it...

36. Deborah Schindler

Producer | After Hours

Deborah Schindler is known for After Hours (1985), Perfect Stranger (2007) and Maid in Manhattan (2002). She has been married to Dr. Evan Matros since April 25, 2015. She was previously married to Todd Thaler.

37. David Dinkins

Actor | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

David Dinkins is an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th Mayor of New York City, from 1990 to 1993. He was the first and, to date, the only African American to hold that office.

Before entering politics, Dinkins was among the more than 20,000 Montford Point Marines, the ...

38. Cornel West

Actor | The Matrix Reloaded

Cornel West was born on June 2, 1953 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for The Matrix Reloaded (2003), The Matrix Revolutions (2003) and The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009).

39. Usher

Actor | The Faculty

Usher Raymond IV was born in Dallas, Texas, to Jonetta Patton (née O'Neal) and Usher Raymond III. He began singing when he was six years old, joining the local church choir at the behest of his mother who acted as choir director. Jonetta, a single mom, raised Usher and his younger brother, James, ...

40. Jon Hendricks

Actor | White Men Can't Jump

A Law student and part-time drummer in the early 1940s, Jon's life changed when Charlie Parker heard him scat and urged him to dedicate himself to singing. His career crystalized in the late 50s with the formation of vocal jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Their first album, Sing a Song of ...

41. Ahmad Rashad

Actor | Space Jam

Ahmad Rashad was born on November 19, 1949 in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Space Jam (1996), Best of the Best (1989) and Monsters (1988). He has been married to Ana Luz Rodriguez-Paz since April 30, 2016. He was previously married to Sale Johnson, Phylicia Rashad, ...