Boyz n the Hood 1991 premiere

1. John Singleton

Writer | Boyz n the Hood

Son of Danny Singleton, a mortgage broker, and Sheila Ward, a pharmaceutical company sales executive, and raised in separate households by his unmarried parents, John Singleton attended the Film Writing Program at USC, after graduating from high school in 1986. While studying there, he won three ...

2. Ice Cube

Soundtrack | Friday

Ice Cube was born in South Central Los Angeles, to Doris (Benjamin), a custodian and hospital clerk, and Hosea Jackson, a UCLA groundskeeper. He first came to public notice as a singer and songwriter with the controversial and influential band N.W.A. His compositions with that group included many ...

3. Cuba Gooding Jr.

Actor | Jerry Maguire

Cuba Gooding Jr. was born on January 2, 1968, in The Bronx, New York. His mother, Shirley (Sullivan), was a backup singer for The Sweethearts. His father, Cuba Gooding, was the lead vocalist for the R&B group The Main Ingredient, which had a hit with the song "Everybody Plays The Fool". His ...

4. Morris Chestnut

Actor | Kick-Ass 2

A tall, handsome, and versatile American actor, Morris Chestnut was born in Cerritos, California, to Shirley (Wynn) and Morris Chestnut, Sr. He first came to be recognized by moviegoers starring as Ricky in Boyz n the Hood (1991), a role where he played a high school running back using his football...

5. 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 ...

6. Winona Ryder

Actress | Little Women

Winona Ryder was born Winona Laura Horowitz in Olmsted County, Minnesota, and was named after a nearby town, Winona, Minnesota. She is the daughter of Cynthia (Istas), an author and video producer, and Michael Horowitz, a publisher and bookseller. Her father's family is Ukrainian Jewish and ...

7. Denzel Washington

Actor | Fences

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at ...

8. Jasmine Guy

Actress | Harlem Nights

Actress-dancer-director Jasmine Guy has enjoyed a diverse career in television, theatre and film. She began her professional career at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City. Jasmine starred on Broadway in the original productions of Beehive and Leader of the Pack, and reprised hit...

9. Kathy Bates

Actress | Misery

Multi-talented, multi-award-winning actress Kathleen (Doyle) Bates was born on June 28, 1948, and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She is the youngest of three girls born to Bertye Kathleen (Talbot), a homemaker, and Langdon Doyle Bates, a mechanical engineer. Her grandfather was author Finis L. Bates...

10. Tony Danza

Actor | Don Jon

Tony Danza is an American actor, perhaps best known for starring on some of television's most beloved and long-running series, including "Taxi" (1978-1983) and "Who's the Boss?" (1984-1992).

Danza was born in Brooklyn, New York to Anne (Cammisa), a bookkeeper, and Matty Iadanza, a garbageman. His ...

11. Pia Zadora

Actress | The Lonely Lady

Pia Zadora was born on May 4, 1954 in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for The Lonely Lady (1983), Butterfly (1981) and Voyage of the Rock Aliens (1984). She has been married to Michael Jeffries since January 7, 2006. She was previously married to Jonathan Kaufer and Meshulam ...

12. Sandra Bernhard

Actress | The King of Comedy

Performer, actress, singer and author Sandra Bernhard appeared as a series regular in season three of the immensely popular FX Television/Ryan Murphy show "POSE" reprising her role as brassy but caring Nurse Judy Kubrack, who works with H.I.V. / AIDS patients, following a memorable season one guest...

13. Keenen Ivory Wayans

Writer | White Chicks

The trail-blazing linchpin of a sprawling family dynasty of comic entertainers, it was multi-talented writer/director/producer Keenen Ivory Wayans (born June 8, 1958, in New York City) who led the familial pack and was the first to achieve national prominence when he successfully created, launched,...

14. Wesley Snipes

Actor | Blade

Wesley Trent Snipes was born in Orlando, Florida, to Marian (Long), a teacher's assistant, and SMSGT Wesley Rudolph Snipes, an aircraft engineer. He grew up on the streets of the South Bronx in New York City, where he very early decided that dance and the theatre were to be his career. He attended ...

15. Lynda Guber

The Deep

Lynda Guber is known for The Deep (1977) and Yoga Moves (1982). She has been married to Peter Guber since 1965. They have four children.

16. Peter Guber

Producer | Innerspace

Peter Guber, Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment Group, has been a force in the entertainment industry for over fifty years. He has leveraged his creativity and business acumen into record-breaking profits and critical acclaim, establishing him as an enormously successful executive and ...

17. Jim Belushi

Actor | Red Heat

James Adam Belushi was born June 15, 1954, in Chicago, to Agnes Demetri (Samaras) and Adam Anastos Belushi, a restaurant owner. His father was an Albanian immigrant, from Qytezë, and his mother was also of Albanian descent. The third of four children - his brother was comedian John Belushi - he ...

18. Hajna O. Moss

Casting_department | Boomerang

Hajna O. Moss was born in 1963. She is an actress and producer, known for Boomerang (1992), New York Stories (1989) and Class Action (1991).

19. Soleil Moon Frye

Actress | Punky Brewster

Soleil Moon Frye began acting at the age of two, after seeing her father, veteran actor Virgil Frye, and brother, Meeno Peluce, on TV. Her father got her an agent, Herb Tannen & Associates in Hollywood, and her career soon took off. Her mother, Sondra Peluce, became her manager. At age eight, she ...

20. Robert Townsend

Producer | Hollywood Shuffle

Robert Townsend transcends any medium he touches whether he's performing stand up, acting, writing, directing, producing, or running a television network. A Chicago native, Townsend is often referred to as one of the "Godfathers" of the Independent Film World." With over 30 years in the business, ...

21. Sheri Jones

22. Debbie Allen

Producer | Fame

Deborah Kaye Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to African-American parents, Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Debbie, her older brother, Andrew (called Tex), and her older sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, lived in Mexico to ...

23. Emmanuel Lewis

Actor | Webster

Emmanuel Lewis was born March 9th, 1971 in Brooklyn, New York. The youngest son of Margaret Lewis, a former computer-science professional, Emmanuel attended regular public schools in Brooklyn until his busy acting career took him to Hollywood. He has four siblings. His acting career began one day ...

24. Al B. Sure!

Soundtrack | New Jack City

Al B. Sure!, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, social activist, radio host and former Motown Records executive. Born in Boston, MA and raised in $ Earnin' Mount Vernon, New York. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Brown was one of new jack swing's pioneers and most ...

25. Sarah Gooding

26. Marc Anthony Danza

Actor | Taxi

Marc Anthony Danza was born on January 29, 1971 in the USA. He is an actor, known for Taxi (1978), The John Davidson Show (1980) and The View (1997). He is married to Julie. They have one child.

27. Terry Semel

Producer | Rules Don't Apply

Terry Semel was born on February 24, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. He is a producer and executive, known for Rules Don't Apply (2016), Tales from the Warner Bros. Lot (2013) and Casting By (2012). He has been married to Jane Bovington since March 4, 1977. They have three children. He was ...

28. Heavy D

Actor | The Cider House Rules

Dwight Arrington Myers (May 24, 1967 - November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American rapper, record producer, and actor. Myers was the leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a group which included dancers/hype men G-Whiz (Glen Parrish), "Trouble" T. Roy (Troy Dixon), and ...

29. Debbi Morgan

Actress | Eve's Bayou

Debbi Morgan moved to New York City when she was three months old. Her most memorable role was on the television series All My Children (1970). She played Angie Baxter. Her performance in the series earned her four Daytime Emmy Award nominations, and one win. With over 50 film and television ...

30. Olivia Brown

Actress | Throw Momma from the Train

Olivia Brown was born on April 10, 1960 in Livonia, Michigan, USA. She is an actress, known for Throw Momma from the Train (1987), 48 Hrs. (1982) and Miami Vice (1984). She is married to James Okonkwo. They have two children. She was previously married to Mykelti Williamson.

31. Linda Hamilton

Actress | Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Born in Salisbury, Maryland, USA, following high school Linda studied for two years at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, before moving on to acting studies in New York. In New York she attended acting workshops given by Lee Strasberg. Her first parts were small parts in TV series, with ...