Underrated Black Male Actors
by jobei84 | created - 30 Dec 2013 | updated - 30 Dec 2013 | PublicThis is a random list of black actors who are able to give a great performance, but still get over shadow by bigger name stars.
1. 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 ...
2. 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 ...
3. Clarence Williams III
Actor | The General's Daughter
Born on August 21, 1939, the son of a displaced musician, Harlem-born actor Clarence Williams III was raised by his musical grandparents, the legendary jazz and boogie-woogie composer/pianist Clarence Williams, who wrote such classics as "T'Aint Nobody's Business If I Do" and "Baby, Won't You ...
4. Larenz Tate
Actor | Crash
Larenz Tate was born on the west side of Chicago to Larry and Peggy Tate, the youngest of three brothers. His brothers are actors Larron Tate and Lahmard J. Tate. In 1984, Larenz and his family moved to California. It was while living in California that Larenz's parents got him and his brothers ...
5. Keith David
Actor | The Princess and the Frog
Keith David is a classically trained actor, winning 3 Emmys out of 6 nominations as well as being nominated for a Tony award. He starred in the recently concluded TV series "Greenleaf" for Oprah Winfrey's OWN network. Upcoming films include "Horizon Line" with Allison Williams ("Get Out") and "...
6. Jade Scott Yorker
Actor | Gridiron Gang
Jade Scott Yorker (born June 16, 1985) is an American Film and Television SAG-AFTRA actor who grew up in Manalapan, New Jersey. He attended the Freehold Performing Arts Center for High School; which furthered his training as an actor. Jade has worked with some of the biggest starts in Hollywood ...
7. Lee Thompson Young
Actor | Friday Night Lights
Lee Thompson Young was born as the son of Velma Love and Tommy Scott Young. When he was in second grade his parents split up and he went to live with his mother. At age ten, he portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King in a play called "A Night of Stars and Dreams". That's when Lee decided he wanted to be ...
R.I.P
8. J.D. Williams
Actor | Pootie Tang
J.D. Williams was born on May 22, 1978 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is an actor, known for Pootie Tang (2001), The Kill Point (2007) and Oz (1997).
9. Michael Wright
Actor | The Principal
Michael Wright was born on April 30, 1956 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Principal (1987), V (1984) and Lionheart (1990). He was previously married to Mitzie Lau.
10. Leon
Actor | Cool Runnings
2022 is shaping up to be another breakout year for Leon! Leon is starring in the action movie "A Day to Die" opposite Bruce Willis and Frank Grillo in theaters March 2022. Leon can be seen in the Show:me Drama "City on A Hill". In 2020 Leon starred in Hallmark's #1 movie of the year, "Time for Us ...
11. Hawthorne James
Actor | Speed
Hawthorne James began life on the south side of Chicago to tremendously loving and supportive parents Robert and A.M. Alene. He attended Catholic school from kindergarten until the family moved to Michigan when he became an honor student in a public school; a bad mix.
Hawthorne's very extraordinary ...
12. 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 ...
13. Jeffrey Wright
Actor | The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
Born and raised in Washington DC, Jeffrey Wright graduated from Amherst College in 1987. Although he studied Political Science while at Amherst, Wright left the school with a love for acting. Shortly after graduating he won an acting scholarship to NYU, but dropped out after only two months to ...
14. Bokeem Woodbine
Actor | Spider-Man: Homecoming
Bokeem Woodbine grew up in Harlem, New York. At the age of 19, he secured the lead role in the HBO production of Forest Whitaker's directorial debut Strapped (1993). Bokeem moved to Los Angeles shortly after completing the film Jason's Lyric (1994), and has pursued his dream of becoming a ...
15. Clifton Powell
Actor | Ray
Clifton Powell a graduate of Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. He is an actor and producer, known for the films Ray, Selma Lord Selma, Dead Presidents, and Menace 2 Society, and the TV series The Family Business, Sacrifice, and Saints & Sinners. Clifton has two children, Maya and Clifton Jr...
16. Brian White
Actor | Ambitions
Brian White was born on April 21, 1975 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Ambitions (2019), Stomp the Yard (2007) and The Family Stone (2005). He has been married to Paula Da Silva since August 28, 2010. They have one child.
17. 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.
18. Anthony Mackie
Actor | The Hurt Locker
Anthony Mackie is an American actor. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Martha (Gordon) and Willie Mackie, Sr., who owned a business, Mackie Roofing. Anthony has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, ...
19. Michael Ealy
Actor | Barbershop
Known for his charming looks and deep personality, Michael Ealy blessed the movie screen with his role in Barbershop (2002). When he left Silver Spring, Maryland, with a degree in English, he headed off to New York. From there he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway ...
20. Billy Dee Williams
Actor | Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
Billy Dee Williams was born William December Williams on April 6, 1937 in New York City. Billy Dee has notched up an impressive array of film and television appearances over the past 50+ years. He is easily best known to international film audiences as the roguish Lando Calrissian in the last two ...
21. Noel Clarke
Actor | Brotherhood
Noel Clarke was born in London, England, UK. He is an actor and producer, known for Brotherhood (2016), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and Mute (2018). He is married to Iris Da-Silva. They have two children.
22. James Earl Jones
Actor | Rogue One
Widely regarded as the one of greatest stage and screen actors both in his native USA and internationally, James Earl Jones was born on January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi. At an early age, he started to take dramatic lessons to calm himself down. It appeared to work as he has since starred ...
23. John Amos
Actor | Coming to America
A native of New Jersey and son of a mechanic, African-American John Amos has relied on his imposing build, eruptive nature and strong, forceful looks to obtain acting jobs, and a serious desire for better roles to earn a satisfying place in the annals of film and TV. He has found it a constant ...
24. Malcolm-Jamal Warner
Actor | The Cosby Show
Emmy-nominated actor and director Malcolm-Jamal Warner was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was named after Malcolm X and legendary jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal.
Warner first rose to national prominence by starring on the celebrated and long-running classic television series "The Cosby Show." His ...
25. Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Actor | Da 5 Bloods
Isiah Whitlock Jr. was born on September 13, 1954 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Da 5 Bloods (2020), Cedar Rapids (2011) and BlacKkKlansman (2018).
26. Anthony Chisholm
Actor | Premium Rush
Anthony Chisholm was born on April 9, 1943 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He was an actor, known for Premium Rush (2012), 13 (2010) and Going in Style (2017). He was married to Gloria Nixon and Valerie Moore. He died on October 16, 2020 in Montclair, New Jersey, USA.
27. Peter Mensah
Actor | Jason X
Peter Mensah has been doing martial arts since he was 6 years old, growing up in St. Albans, England, just north of London. A former engineer, Mensah came to Canada 11 years ago. He'd worked for British Gas developing gas fields at Morecambe Bay and had done theatre in school. He comes from an ...
28. Nate Parker
Actor | The Birth of a Nation
Nate Parker was born on November 18, 1979 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Birth of a Nation (2016), Arbitrage (2012) and Non-Stop (2014). He has been married to Sarah DiSanto since 2007. They have four children.
29. De'aundre Bonds
Actor | Tales from the Hood
De'aundre Bonds was born on March 19, 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Tales from the Hood (1995), Gangster Squad (2013) and Dope (2015).
30. Samuel Monroe Jr.
Actor | Tales from the Hood
Emerging from the streets of L.A., Samuel "Caffamilliano" Monroe, Jr., of Los Angeles, California, has embarked upon success. Starting out as a young actor Samuel Monroe Jr,"Caffamilliano", Landed his first roll as an actor in Patti LaBelle's Hit TV series "Out All Night" (Episode: Taking Care of ...
31. Omar Gooding
Actor | Baby Boy
Gooding is best known for appearing in hit television shows such as Deadwood, Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G., Family Time, Barbershop, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Playmakers, Smart Guy, and Wild & Crazy Kids. On the big screen, he received critical acclaim for his role as ...
32. Sean Nelson
Actor | Fresh
Sean Nelson was born on May 9, 1980 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Fresh (1994), The Wood (1999) and The Corner (2000).
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