Greatest Black Comedian/Comedic Actors

1. Richard Pryor

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 ...

2. Redd Foxx

Actor | Sanford and Son

Redd Foxx began doing stand-up comedy on the infamous "Chitlin' Circuit" in the 1940s and 1950s. Foxx was one of the premier "blue humor" comedians. Blue humor was very dirty, too dirty for white audiences. For years his party albums were not available in white record stores. In the 1960s his ...

3. Eddie Murphy

Actor | The Nutty Professor

Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Lynch (born: Lillian Laney), a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a ...

4. Bill Cosby

Actor | The Cosby Show

Bill Cosby is one of the world's most well-known entertainers and comedians. William Henry Cosby, Jr. was born on July 12, 1937, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Anna Pearl (Hite), a maid and William Henry Cosby, Sr., a U.S. Navy sailor. After 10th grade, Cosby joined the Navy and completed high ...

5. Charlie Murphy

Actor | Norbit

Charlie Murphy was born on July 12, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Norbit (2007), Night at the Museum (2006) and Chappelle's Show (2003). He was married to Tisha Taylor Murphy. He died on April 12, 2017 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, ...

6. 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,...

7. Damon Wayans

Writer | My Wife and Kids

A tall (6'2"), sly, cueball-domed comedian of film and television satire, Damon Wayans hit outrageous 90's TV stardom playing various wise guys and streetwise slick characters on older brother Keenen Ivory Wayans' landmark, black-oriented TV sketch comedy In Living Color (1990). The show was pretty...

8. Kim Wayans

Actress | In Living Color

Kim Wayans was born on October 16, 1961 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for In Living Color (1990), My Wife and Kids (2000) and Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996). She is married to Kevin Knotts.

9. Shawn Wayans

Actor | White Chicks

Shawn Mathis Wayans is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. Along with his brother Marlon Wayans, he wrote and starred in The WB's sitcom The Wayans Bros.(1995-1999) and in the comedy films Don't Be a Menace (1996), Scary Movie (2000), Scary Movie 2 (2001), White Chicks (2004), Little...

10. Marlon Wayans

Actor | White Chicks

Marlon Wayans is an American actor, writer and comedian. He is known for playing Tyrone C. Love in Requiem for a Dream, Shorty Meeks from Scary Movie, Marcus Anthony Copeland II from White Chicks and Thunder from Marmaduke. He played Drake Winston/Robin in deleted scenes of Batman Returns and ...

11. Willie Best

Actor | The Hidden Hand

One of the hard-working, unappreciated African-American actors of Hollywood's "Golden Era" who produced good work with what he was given. He starred alongside some of film's great comedians including the Marx Brothers, Bob Hope, Laurel and Hardy and three films with Shirley Temple. Best is ...

12. Billie 'Buckwheat' Thomas

Actor | Pay As You Exit

Billie Thomas was an African-American child actor who was best-known for appearing in the "Our Gang" film series from 1934 to its end in 1944.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Thomas auditioned for an "Our Gang" role when he was three years old. He was cast as a background player in the short films "...

13. Moms Mabley

Actress | Boarding House Blues

One the most successful entertainers of the Black vaudeville stage, also known as the Chitlin Circuit, was Jackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken in 1894. At the apex of her long career, she was earning $10,000 a week at Harlem's Apollo Theatre. Mabley focused on conventional topics such as ...

14. Robin Harris

Actor | Do the Right Thing

Best remembered for his raunchy humor, Robin Harris became famous in supporting roles in movies such as Do The Right Thing as Sweet Dick Willie and House Party. He has left a legacy that fans and actors will truly miss due to his career which was cut by a massive heart attack at the age of 36. ...

15. John Witherspoon

Actor | Friday

John Witherspoon was an African-American actor from Detroit, Michigan known for playing Granddad from The Boondocks and Willie Jones from the Friday trilogy. He also acted in Boomerang, Little Nicky, Soul Plane, Vampire in Brooklyn, Black Jesus and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. He passed away in ...

16. David Alan Grier

Actor | Joe Pickett

David Alan Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Aretas Ruth (Dudley), a schoolteacher, and William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer. He trained in Shakespeare at Yale University, where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.

Grier began his professional career on Broadway as ...

17. Steve Harvey

Producer | The Steve Harvey Show

Broderick Stephen Harvey, Sr. is an American television host, actor, writer, producer, and comedian. He hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, the Miss Universe competition, Family Feud Africa, and the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey.

Harvey began ...

18. D.L. Hughley

Actor | Inspector Gadget

Hughley is the second of four children. His father was an airline maintenance worker and his mother was a homemaker.

He grew up in L.A.'s South Central where he was a member of the Bloods gang after getting kicked out of high school. However, he turned his life around after a cousin was shot. He ...

19. Cedric The Entertainer

Actor | Barbershop

Cedric the Entertainer is an African-American comedian and actor known for being one of the Original Kings of Comedy. He is also known for his roles in the Barbershop trilogy, the Madagascar trilogy, The Steve Harvey Show, Ice Age, Planes, The Soul Man and The Neighborhood. He has had three ...

20. Bernie Mac

Actor | The Bernie Mac Show

Bernard Jeffrey McCollough was born in 1957 in Chicago, the son of Mary McCullough and Jeffery Harrison. He grew up in the city, in a rougher neighborhood than most others, with a large family living under one roof. This situation provided him with a great insight into his comedy, as his family, ...

21. Martin Lawrence

Actor | Martin

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an African-American comedian, producer, writer, director and actor. He is known for his roles in the Bad Boys trilogy, Martin, Def Comedy Jam, Big Momma's House, Open Season, House Party, Boomerang, Wild Hogs, What's Happening Now!!, Nothing to Lose, Life and Blue ...

22. Chris Rock

Actor | Top Five

Christopher Julius Rock was born in Andrews, South Carolina and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York. He is the son of Rosalie (Tingman), a teacher and social worker for the mentally handicapped, and Julius Rock, a truck driver and newspaper deliveryman, whose own father was a preacher.

...

23. 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, ...

24. Tommy Davidson

Actor | In Living Color

Davidson started his career as a stand-up comedian in Washington DC, earning an ardent following with sheer hard work in various comedy clubs. As one of the cutting-edge, young stand-ups, he was spotted by major concert promoters, who booked him as the opening act for A-list touring acts, including ...

25. Faizon Love

Actor | Friday

Langston Faizon Santisima is an African-American actor and comedian from Santiago de Cuba known for Wanda from Elf, Big Worm from Friday, Sean "Sweet" Johnson from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Jahmal Abdul Jackson from The Replacements, Bruce the Bear from Zookeeper, Robin Harris from Bébé's Kids...

26. Mike Epps

Actor | Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Mike Epps was born on November 18, 1970 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Friday After Next (2002) and The Hangover (2009). He has been married to Kyra Robinson Epps since June 23, 2019. They have two children. He was previously ...

27. Eddie Griffin

Actor | Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo

Eddie Griffin was born on July 15, 1968 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), John Q (2002) and Norbit (2007).

28. Bruce Bruce

Actor | xXx: State of the Union

Bruce Bruce was born in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is known for xXx: State of the Union (2005), Think Like a Man (2012) and Top Five (2014).

29. Affion Crockett

Actor | A Hip Hop Story

Affion Crockett is a rare multi hyphenate who is known as a rapper, dancer, stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He is known for his work on Wild'n Out, What We Do In The Shadows, and A Haunted House 1 & 2. He also produced and self financed his upcoming film A Hip Hop Story, a parody based comedy...

30. DeRay Davis

Actor | 21 Jump Street

Born and raised on the south side of Chicago, comedian-turned-actor DeRay Davis can most recently be "scene" starring opposite Taraji P. Henson's "Cookie Lyons" as her go-to hitman/cousin "Jermel" in seasons 1 and 2 of the Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, creative collaboration, Empire on the FOX ...

31. Kevin Hart

Actor | Ride Along

Kevin Darnell Hart is an African-American comedian and actor who is known for his roles in the Jumanji sequels including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), Undeclared (2001), Scary Movie 3 (2003), Think Like a Man (2012), Ride Along (2014), The Secret Life of ...

32. Flip Wilson

Writer | Flip

Flip Wilson was born on December 8, 1933 in Jersey City, New Jersey, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Flip (1970), The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979) and Uptown Saturday Night (1974). He was married to Cookie Mackenzie and Lovenia Patricia (Peaches) Wilson. He died on November 25, 1998 ...

33. Bill Bellamy

Writer | Bill Bellamy: I Want My Life Back

1 brother (deceased) - per TV series "UnSung Hollywood - Bill Bellamy" (S3 Ep7)

Recently aired on TVOne as a repeat on 11/16/2016, It's a Documentary show which details archival film footage and personal, revealing interviews, about the lives and careers of some of the world's most highly talented ...

34. 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...

35. Mo'Nique

Actress | Precious

Mo'Nique received a standing ovation when she stepped on stage for the first time in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, giving her confidence to pursue a career as a stand-up comedian. After numerous stand-up performances, she took a leap forward with one of the starring roles in The Parkers (...

36. Sinbad

Actor | Jingle All the Way

Sinbad was born in Benton Harbor, Michigan to two parents, Louise and the Baptist Rev. Dr. Donald Beckley Adkins and was then known as David Adkins. He is primarily known as an actor and somewhat a writer and proved his comedic acting style in House Guest (1994), Jingle All the Way (1996), First ...

37. Ajai Sanders

Actress | A Different World

Ajai Sanders was born on April 24, 1967 in North Trenton, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress, known for A Different World (1987), Jack Frost (1998) and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990). She was previously married to Michael Brownlee.

38. Mark Curry

Actor | Armageddon

A class clown since his earliest years, Mark quickly learned that a wild sense of humor could take him places. While working at a drugstore after quitting college he honed and polished a comedy act that he regularly practiced on customers. It was these customers, as well as his family and friends, ...

39. Katt Williams

Actor | Norbit

Multi-talented actor/comedian Katt Williams was born in Cincinnati and raised in Dayton, Ohio. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, where he is simultaneously working on several projects on camera and behind the scenes for your viewing pleasure in the near future. Throughout his journey...

40. Sommore

Actress | Friday After Next

She is the half sister of Nia Long who played in the first Friday. She and Long share the same father and have never been in the same movie. She attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia (where movies like Drumline and Stomp the Yard were filmed). Sommore appeared with Monique in the ...

41. Adele Givens

Actress | The Players Club

Adele Givens was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She is known for The Players Club (1998), Beauty Shop (2005) and Martin (1992).

42. Dave Chappelle

Writer | Chappelle's Show

Dave Chappelle's career started while he was in high school at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC where he studied theatre arts. At the age of 14, he began performing stand-up comedy in nightclubs. Shortly after graduation, he moved to New York City where he quickly established ...

43. Paul Mooney

Actor | Bamboozled

Paul Mooney was born on August 4, 1941 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for Bamboozled (2000), Brewster's Millions (1985) and Pryor's Place (1984). He was married to Yvonne Mooney. He died on May 19, 2021 in Oakland, California, USA.

44. Lenny Henry

Actor | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Lenworth George Henry was born on August 29, 1958, in Dudley, West Midlands in England to a family of Jamaican immigrants. He made his TV debut on a talent show called "New Faces" in 1975 at the age of 16. He won and went on to things such as The Fosters (1976) and Tiswas (1974), which was when his...

45. Tracy Morgan

Actor | 30 Rock

Tracy Morgan is an African-American comedian and actor from New York City who is known for playing Tracy Jordan from 30 Rock, Luiz from the Blue Sky Studios Rio franchise, Tray Barker from The Last O.G. and several roles on Saturday Night Live. He also was in Scoob, Fist Fight, G-Force, The ...

46. Lahmard J. Tate

Actor | Barbershop

Lahmard J. Tate was born in 1970. He is an actor and producer, known for Barbershop (2002), Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996) and Rocky Balboa (2006).

47. Lil J.J.

Actor | Twenty to One

Lil J.J. was born on October 31, 1990 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Twenty to One (2019), Tales (2017) and Wild 'N Out (2005).

48. Jimmie 'JJ' Walker

Actor | Good Times

He symbolized the 70s American dream of success -- the former kid from the ghetto who rose to wisecracking TV superstardom. While in his element as the broadly strutting, gleamy-toothed J.J. Evans of the popular urban-styled sitcom Good Times (1974), Jimmie Walker lived the extremely good life. ...

49. Kenan Thompson

Actor | Saturday Night Live

Kenan Thompson was born on May 10, 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Saturday Night Live (1975), Snakes on a Plane (2006) and Good Burger (1997). He has been married to Christina Evangeline since November 11, 2011. They have two children.

50. Kel Mitchell

Actor | Good Burger

Acting Career - Hailing from the Windy City, Kel Mitchell began his acting career at the young age of 12 with the ETA Creative Arts Foundation. Young Kel wowed audiences with his on-stage performances in Chicago theatrical productions such as "Kasimu & the Coconut Palm" and "Dirt." But it was his ...

51. Joe Torry

Actor | Poetic Justice

Joe Torry was born on September 28, 1965 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Poetic Justice (1993), Tales from the Hood (1995) and NCIS (2003). He has been married to Crystal Torry since 2001. They have three children.

52. Guy Torry

Actor | American History X

Guy Torry is a native of St. Louis, Missouri. Known as "Torry" by college friends, Guy attended Southeast Missouri State University, the alma mater of fellow comedian and St. Louisan, Cedric The Entertainer. His comic genius was evident to fellow students during these college years. Guy often held ...

53. Reynaldo Rey

Actor | Friday

Reynaldo Rey was born on January 27, 1940 in Sequoyah County, Oklahoma, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Friday (1995), White Men Can't Jump (1992) and First Sunday (2008). He was married to Evelyn. He died on May 28, 2015 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

54. J. Anthony Brown

Actor | xXx: State of the Union

J. Anthony Brown was born in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. He is known for xXx: State of the Union (2005), Drumline (2002) and Think Like a Man (2012).

55. Jedda Jones

Actress | Bulworth

Jedda Jones is known for Bulworth (1998), Ray (2004) and Indecent Proposal (1993).

AKA Ms. Dupree

56. Tyler Perry

Writer | Diary of a Mad Black Woman

Perry was born and raised in New Orleans, to Willie Maxine (Campbell) and Emmitt Perry, Sr. His mother was a church-goer and took Perry along with her once a week. His father was a carpenter and they had a very strained and abusive relationship, which led Perry to suffer from depression as a ...

57. LaVan Davis

Actor | House of Payne

LaVan Davis was born on September 21, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor, known for House of Payne (2006), Black Dynamite (2009) and Puff, Puff, Pass (2006).

58. David Mann

Actor | Meet the Browns

David Mann was born on August 7, 1966 in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Meet the Browns (2009), Meet the Browns (2008) and Madea Goes to Jail (2009). He has been married to Tamela J. Mann since June 9, 1988. They have four children.

59. Tamela J. Mann

Actress | Madea Goes to Jail

Tamela J. Mann was born on June 9, 1966 in Limestone County, Texas, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Madea Goes to Jail (2009), Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005) and Meet the Browns (2008). She has been married to David Mann since June 9, 1988. They have four children.

60. Tasha Smith

Actress | The Whole Ten Yards

Tasha Smith is a multifaceted actress and director whose work brings style and intensity to the projects she works on, whether in front of or behind the camera. From her roles as "Carol" on Fox's hit drama Empire, "Brenda" in Netflix's Running Out Of Time, to her critically-acclaimed portrayal of ...

61. Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson

Actor | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

The son of a minstrel and circus tightrope walker, Eddie Anderson developed a gravel voice early in life which would become his trademark to fame. He joined his older brother Cornelius as members of "The Three Black Aces" during his vaudeville years, singing for pennies in the hotel lobby. He ...

62. 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.

63. Anthony Johnson

Actor | Friday

Anthony Johnson was born on February 1, 1966 in Compton, California, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Friday (1995), Menace II Society (1993) and The Players Club (1998). He was married to Lexis Jones Mason. He died on September 6, 2021 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

64. Tisha Campbell

Actress | Little Shop of Horrors

Tisha Michelle Campbell was born on October 13, 1968 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma & raised in Newark, New Jersey. Her first TV appearance was at the age of 8 on episode #006 of the PBS show, The Big Blue Marble (1974). The show featured stories on the life and culture of children from around the ...

65. John Henton

Actor | The Hughleys

John Henton was born on November 23, 1960 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for The Hughleys (1998), Living Single (1993) and One on One (2001).

66. Niecy Nash

Actress | Reno 911!

Niecy Nash was born on February 23, 1970 in Palmdale, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Reno 911! (2003), Guess Who (2005) and Claws (2017). She has been married to Jessica Betts since August 29, 2020. She was previously married to Jay Tucker and Don Nash.

67. Slappy White

Actor | Amazon Women on the Moon

Slappy White was born on September 20, 1921 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an actor, known for Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), Sanford and Son (1972) and The Man from O.R.G.Y. (1970). He was married to La Vern Baker. He died on November 7, 1995 in Brigantine, New Jersey, USA.

68. Whitman Mayo

Actor | Sanford and Son

Noted for portraying characters older than his actual age, Whitman Mayo was in his early 40s in the early 1970s when he first played the sexagenarian "Grady" on "Sandford & Son" -- a role that popularized the expression "Good Goobily Goop!" Nearly thirty years later his "Grady" role had just about ...

69. LaWanda Page

Actress | Friday

Best known for her role as Aunt Esther Anderson on "Sanford And Son", she appeared in many films including "Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood" (1996), "Friday" (1995), "The Legend of Dolemite" (1994), "West From North Goes South" (1993), "The Meteor Man" (1993...

70. Don 'D.C.' Curry

Actor | Next Friday

Don 'D.C.' Curry was born on September 7, 1961 in Forth Worth, Texas, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Next Friday (2000), Friday After Next (2002) and Two Degrees (2001).

71. Kym Whitley

Actress | Rango

Kym Whitley was born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Khartoum, Sudan (Africa). Kym knew she was blessed with the gift to make people laugh, after a chance encounter with Redd Foxx, who told her "she had the Comedic Goods". Kym began living her dream as a stand up comedian in Hollywood. Kym Whitley...

72. Anthony Anderson

Actor | The Departed

Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host who is known for playing Louis Booker from Kangaroo Jack, Glen Whitmann from Transformers, Ray Ray from The Proud Family and Antwon Mitchell from The Shield. He also acted in Blackish, Hoodwinked, The Departed, Agent Cody Banks 2 ...

73. Thomas Miles

Actor | Think Like a Man

Thomas "Nephew Tommy" Miles has built a career that encompasses radio, television, film and more. Thomas' role as co-host of the nationally syndicated Steve Harvey Morning Show puts him in front of a live radio audience of more than 8 million listeners daily. As Nephew Tommy he provides a key role ...

74. Sheryl Underwood

Actress | Bulworth

Sheryl Underwood was born on October 28, 1963 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Bulworth (1998), I Got the Hook Up (1998) and The Odd Couple (2015). She was previously married to Michael.

75. Rickey Smiley

Actor | Friday After Next

Rickey Smiley was born on August 10, 1968. He is an actor and producer, known for Friday After Next (2002), First Sunday (2008) and Baggage Claim (2013).

76. Butterfly McQueen

Actress | Gone with the Wind

Thelma McQueen attended public school in Augusta, Georgia and graduated from high school in Long Island, New York. She studied dance with Katherine Dunham, Geoffrey Holder, and Janet Collins. She danced with the Venezuela Jones Negro Youth Group. The "Butterfly" stage name, which does describe her ...

77. Arnez J.

Actor | The Stuff

Arnez J. is known for The Stuff (2018), Up Against the 8 Ball (2004) and Eazy-E: Real Muthaphuckkin G's (1993).

78. Dick Gregory

Actor | The Hot Chick

Dick Gregory was born on October 12, 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for The Hot Chick (2002), The Leisure Seeker (2017) and Reno 911! (2003). He was married to Lillian Gregory. He died on August 19, 2017 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA.

79. Scatman Crothers

Actor | The Shining

Scatman Crothers was born Benjamin Sherman Crothers on May 23, 1910 in Terre Haute, Indiana. Songwriter ("Dearest One"), actor, composer, singer, comedian, and guitarist who, after high school, appeared in nightclubs, hotels, and films, and on television. He made many records, including his own ...

80. Mantan Moreland

Actor | Charlie Chan in the Secret Service

Although his bulgy-eyed brand of humor was once popular and considered funny, "second banana" character actor Mantan Moreland, who maintained a steadfast career playing cocky but jittery characters in late 1930s and early 1940s comedy, would later be ostracized for it. The talented funnyman, who ...

81. Nipsey Russell

Actor | The Wiz

Nipsey Russell was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1918. He got his start in Rock and Roll Review and other music revues in the 1950s. In the 1960s Russell achieved his first major role as Officer Anderson in Car 54, Where Are You? (1961). After being on the show for a year, Russell was a mainstay on ...

82. Chris Tucker

Actor | Rush Hour 2

At one point in time, Chris Tucker was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.

Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Mary Louise (Bryant) and Norris Tucker, who owned a janitorial service. After graduating from high school, Tucker made a change to move to Hollywood from Georgia to pursue a career in ...

83. Will Smith

Producer | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden ...

84. Reginald Ballard

Actor | Horrible Bosses

Reginald Ballard is known for Horrible Bosses (2011), Martin (1992) and Menace II Society (1993).

85. George Wallace

Actor | Batman Forever

George Wallace was born on July 21, 1952 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Batman Forever (1995), The Ladykillers (2004) and The Wash (2001).

86. Wanda Sykes

Actress | Monster-in-Law

Wanda Sykes has been called one of the funniest stand-up comics by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America. Her smart-witted stand-up has sent her career in many different areas.

She was previously seen in Comedy Central's Wanda Does It (2004), where she tried ...

87. Sherman Hemsley

Actor | The Jeffersons

Sherman Hemsley played characters known to be wise-cracking, "Weezy" loving, boisterous fools which America and the entire world laughed with kindheartedly. Sherman Alexander Hemsley, Air Force veteran and actor, was born on Feb. 1, 1938 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, William Hemsley, ...

88. Terri J. Vaughn

Actress | The Steve Harvey Show

Terri J. Vaughn was born on October 16, 1969 in San Francisco, California, USA. She is an actress and director, known for The Steve Harvey Show (1996), Friday (1995) and All of Us (2003). She has been married to Karon Riley since January 19, 2008. They have two children. She was previously married ...

89. Whoopi Goldberg

Actress | Ghost

Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in...

90. Earthquake

Actor | Clerks II

Nathaniel Martin Stroman (born May 29,1963), best known as "Earthquake", is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice artist and radio personality. He presently hosts a radio show entitled, Quakeshouse for SiriusXM and Kevin Hart's Laugh Out Loud Network. Earthquake performed a half-hour HBO ...

91. Ricky Harris

Actor | Heat

Ricky Harris was born October 5, 1965 in Long Beach, California as Richard George Harris II. He was an actor known for roles in Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Bones (2001), Moesha (1996-2001), Poetic Justice (1993), and Dope (2015). He gained fame after appearing on HBO's Def Comedy Jam in the ...

92. Charlie Barnett

Actor | Miami Vice

He first made a name for himself in the late 1970s and early 1980s, performing several shows of raunchy comedy a day at outdoor parks in New York City, most notably in Washington Square Park, where he competed for crowds with musicians, Frisbees players, jugglers and other entertainers. Charlie was...

93. Rudy Ray Moore

Actor | Dolemite

Rudy Ray Moore was born on March 17, 1927 in Fort Smith, Arkansas, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Dolemite (1975), The Human Tornado (1976) and Disco Godfather (1979). He died on October 19, 2008 in Akron, Ohio, USA.

94. Laura Hayes

Actress | Virus

Laura Hayes is known for Virus (2006), I Got the Hook Up (1998) and Martin (1992).

95. Garrett Morris

Actor | Coneheads

Garrett Morris was born on February 1, 1937 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Coneheads (1993), Saturday Night Live (1975) and How High (2001). He has been married to Freda Morris since September 20, 1996.

96. Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham

Actor | Junction 88

Dewey 'Pigmeat' Markham was born on April 18, 1904 in Durham, North Carolina, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Junction 88 (1947), Mr. Smith Goes Ghost (1940) and House-Rent Party (1946). He was married to Bernice Penn, Marita L. Greene and Cecilia. He died on December 13, 1981 in New ...

97. 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).

98. Nell Carter

Actress | Gimme a Break!

Her trademark sass complemented by a distinctively adenoidal voice that could out-snarl Eartha Kitt and Fran Drescher put together, short (4'11"), round, and robust Nell Carter was one indomitable, in-your-face firecracker...and it made her a star. She was born Nell Ruth Hardy in 1948 in Birmingham...

99. Marla Gibbs

Actress | The Jeffersons

Armed with an acid dry wit and a full arsenal of sarcasm and sass, African-American character comedienne Marla Gibbs showed up on 1970s television with a bang in middle age (44). Landing the feisty maid role on the popular ground-breaking CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975), eventually led to her very...

100. 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....