The Best Black Actors of all Time
by EmmaWatson42 | created - 08 Feb 2012 | updated - 12 Feb 2012 | Public
1. Morgan Freeman
Actor | Driving Miss Daisy
With an authoritative voice and calm demeanor, this ever popular American actor has grown into one of the most respected figures in modern US cinema. Morgan was born on June 1, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee, to Mayme Edna (Revere), a teacher, and Morgan Porterfield Freeman, a barber. The young Freeman...
Favorites: Shawshank Redemption and Deep Impact.
2. 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 ...
Favorites: Stargate SG-1 and A Dog's Breakfast.
3. 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 ...
Favorites: 2012 and Shooter.
4. Michael Clarke Duncan
Actor | The Green Mile
Michael Clarke Duncan was born on December 10, 1957 in Chicago, Illinois. Raised on Chicago's South Side by his single mother, Jean, a house cleaner, Duncan grew up resisting drugs and alcohol, instead concentrating on school. He wanted to play football in high school, but his mother wouldn't let ...
Favorites: Kung Fu Panda, Planet of the Apes, and Chuck.
5. Craig Robinson
Actor | This Is the End
Craig Robinson is an African-American actor, singer, musician and comedian who is known for portraying Darryl Philbin from The Office, LeVar Brown from The Cleveland Show, Doug Judy from Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Cookie from Shrek Forever After, himself from This Is The End, and Nick Webber-Agnew from ...
Favorite: The Office.
6. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Actor | Farming
Born and raised in London, England, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje began his career as a model in Milan. He graduated with a masters degree in Law from London's prestigious Kings College, before moving to Los Angeles to make the transition to acting. Fluent in several languages, including English, ...
Favorites: G.I Joe and LOST.
7. Mark Christopher Lawrence
Actor | The Island
Mark Christopher Lawrence was born on May 22, 1964 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Island (2005), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and K-PAX (2001).
Favorites: Chuck and Heroes.
8. Dennis Haysbert
Actor | Far from Heaven
Dennis Haysbert was born on June 2, 1954 in San Mateo, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Far from Heaven (2002), 24 (2001) and Heat (1995). He was previously married to Lynn Griffith and Elena Simms.
Favorites: 24 and Kung Fu Panda 2.
9. Samuel L. Jackson
Actor | Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000), Formula 51 (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), ...
Favorites: Star Wars 1, Incredibles, and Iron Man 2.
10. Carl Lumbly
Actor | Men of Honor
Carl Lumbly is an actor respected for his steadfast talent, versatility and class. His prolific career includes over 150 credits in theatre, film, television and voiceover, with extensive critical acclaim for his work.
A familiar face on television, Lumbly's most recent memorable appearance was in ...
Favorites: Alias and Chuck.
11. 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 ...
Favorites: Unstoppable and Remember the Titans.
12. 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 ...
Favorites: Radio, Pearl Harbor, and Rat Race.
13. Terrence Howard
Actor | Crash
Terrence Howard was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Anita Jeanine Williams (née Hawkins) and Tyrone Howard. He was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His love for acting came naturally, through summers spent with his great-grandmother, New York stage actress Minnie Gentry. He later began his acting career ...
Favorites: Iron Man and August Rush.
14. Leslie David Baker
Actor | The Office
Leslie David Baker is an African-American actor from Chicago, Illinois who is widely known for playing the pretzel and crossword puzzle loving worker Stanley Hudson from The Office. He also acted in Raven's Home, Vivo, The Happytime Murders, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Key & Peele, ...
Favorite: The Office.
15. Mr. T
Actor | Rocky III
Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud on 21 May 1952, in the rough south side ghetto of Chicago. He is the second to youngest of twelve children (he has four sisters and seven brothers) and grew up in the housing projects. His father, Nathaniel Tureaud, left when Laurence was 5, and his mother raised the...
Favorite: The A-Team.
16. 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 ...
Favorites: Star Trek Voyager and Live Free or Die Hard.
17. Barry Shabaka Henley
Actor | Collateral
Barry Shabaka Henley was born on September 15, 1954 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Collateral (2004), The Terminal (2004) and Rush Hour (1998).
Favorites: FlashForward and Heroes.
18. Brandon T. Jackson
Actor | Tropic Thunder
Brandon Timothy Jackson was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Beverly Yvonne (Bozeman) and Wayne Timothy Jackson. His parents are both pastors, and his maternal grandfather was a Pentecostal child preacher. He credits his sense of humor to both his father and his life straddling the ...
Favorites: Day the Earth Stood Still and Percy Jackson.
19. 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 ...
Favorites: Independance Day and I, Robot.
20. Courtney B. Vance
Actor | The Hunt for Red October
From studying history at Harvard, and acting at Yale Drama School, to making history in Hollywood, Courtney B. Vance has carefully cultivated an exceptional career that showcases his passion, talent, and intellect. His penchant for successfully finding the dignity and honor in each character ...
Favorite: FlashForward.
21. Roger Cross
Actor | Coroner
Roger Cross is known for Coroner (2019), Continuum (2012) and Dark Matter (2015).
Favorites: X2, 24, and Chuck.
22. D.B. Woodside
Actor | Lucifer
David Bryan Woodside (born July 25, 1969) is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as the bass singer Melvin Franklin in The Temptations, Robin Wood in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Malcolm Franks in Single Ladies, Dr. Joseph Prestridge in Parenthood, the angel Amenadiel in ...
Favorite: 24.
23. Rainbow Sun Francks
Actor | AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem
Rainbow Sun Francks was born on December 3, 1979 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is an actor and producer, known for Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Stargate: Atlantis (2004) and The Listener (2009).
Favorite: Stargate Atlantis.
24. 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 ...
Favorites: Stargate, Gladiator, and Alias.
25. Jamil Walker Smith
Actor | Make a Movie Like Spike
Jamil Walker Smith was born on August 20, 1982 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The American Dream (2011), Stargate Universe (2009) and The Son (2007).
Favorite: Stargate Universe.
Favorites: Courageous and Fireproof.
27. 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 ...
Favorite: Shrek.
28. 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.
...
Favorites: Madagascar and Grown-Ups.
29. 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 ...
Favorite: LOST.
30. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson
Actor | The A-Team
Quinton Ramone "Rampage" Jackson is an American mixed martial artist, actor and former professional wrestler, who most recently fought in the Bellator MMA. He is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and unified the Pride Middleweight Championship belt. Due to his eccentric personality and ...
Favorite: The A-Team.
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