Black Actresses, Classic Era 2. List 2 of 2 lists.

1. Ruby Dandridge

Actress | Beulah

Ruby Dandridge was born on March 3, 1900 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Beulah (1950), Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Gallant Lady (1942). She was married to Cyril Dandridge. She died on October 17, 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

47 acting credits, from 1933-1962.

Radio performer.

1900-1987, 87.

2. Daisy Bufford

Actress | Love on Toast

Daisy Bufford was born on April 20, 1913 in Franklin, Louisiana, USA. She was an actress, known for Love on Toast (1937), Forgotten Faces (1936) and Sophie Lang Goes West (1937). She died on December 18, 1987 in Contra Costa County, California, USA.

29 acting credits, from 1927-1944.

1913-1987, 74.

3. Lillian Randolph

Actress | It's a Wonderful Life

Lillian Randolph was born on December 14, 1898 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Gildersleeve's Ghost (1944) and Magic (1978). She was married to Garcia Delano "Gossie" McKee and James Lott . She died on September 12, 1980 in Los Angeles, ...

109 acting credits, 1934-1979.

1898-1980, 81.

4. Marietta Canty

Actress | Rebel Without a Cause

Marietta Canty was born on September 30, 1905 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. She was an actress, known for Rebel Without a Cause (1955), The Heavenly Body (1944) and The Lady Is Willing (1942). She died on July 9, 1986 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

40 acting credits, from 1940-1955.

Broadway from 1933. Political activist and humanitarian. Received numerous awards, including Humanitarian award.

1905-1986, 80.

5. Theresa Harris

Actress | I Walked with a Zombie

Theresa Harris appeared with more stars of the Golden Era of Hollywood than anyone else. She sang, she danced, she appeared in movies and TV. She graced the screen with her magnetic presence and most times stole scenes from the top stars of the day every chance she got and made a lot of dull films ...

95 acting credits, 1929-1958.

1911-1985, 73.

6. Josephine Baker

Soundtrack | Zouzou

Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, MO, in 1906 to Carrie McDonald, a laundress, and Eddie Carson, a musician. Her early life hinted at her future career. She first danced for the public on the streets of St. Louis for nickels and dimes. Later she became a chorus girl on...

Ikiru (1952). 1952. Performer.

12 acting credits, 1924-1973. 17 Soundtrack credits . 26 self credits, 1948-1974.

France -awarded Legion of Honor.

1906-1975. (68).

7. Louise Beavers

Actress | Imitation of Life

1930s and 1940s film actress Louise Beavers was merely one of a dominant gallery of plus-sized and plus-talented African-American character actresses forced to endure blatant, discouraging and demeaning stereotypes during Depression-era and WWII Hollywood.

It wasn't until Louise's triumphant role in ...

164 acting credits, 1927-1961.

#6. Credit, Good-bye, My Lady (1956). 1956.

1902-1962, 60.

8. Maidie Norman

Actress | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Maidie Norman was born Maidie Ruth Gamble on October 16, 1912, in Villa Rica, Georgia, to Louis and Lila Gamble. She received a B.A. from Bennett College in 1934 and a master's degree from Columbia University three years later. She also attended the Actors Lab in Hollywood from 1946 to 1949.

Norman ...

103 acting credits, 1947-1988.

#3 credit, The Well (1951). 1951.

B.A. Bennet College, 1934 M.A. Columbia University, 1937. Artist-in-Residence, Stanford University. Lecturer, Director, Acting Teacher, UCLA. founding member, American Negro Theater West. LA Woman of the Year award. N.A.A.C.P. Award for Contributions to Education.

1912-1998, 85.

9. Martina Arroyo

Actress | A Bread Factory: Part One

Martina Arroyo was born on February 2, 1937 in New York, USA. She is an actress, known for A Bread Factory, Part One (2018), The Odd Couple (1970) and Luna (1979).

1937 -. New York.

La luna (1979). 1979. Soundtrack credit.

1 acting credit 1- soundtrack credit 9 self credits, 1967-2013.

10. Pearl Bailey

Soundtrack | The Fox and the Hound

Her father Joseph was a minister and her mother was named Ella Mae. Her birth name was Pearly Mae but her parents anticipated she would be a boy and when a girl was born she was nicknamed "Dickie". Her brother was entertainer Bill Bailey (1912-1978). She spent her early life in Washington DC where ...

19 acting credits, 1947-1989. 18 soundtrack credits. 25 self credits, 1949-1989.

Composer, singer, songwriter. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom.

1918-1990, 72.

11. Dorothy Dandridge

Actress | Carmen Jones

Dorothy Jean Dandridge was born on November 9, 1922 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Ruby Dandridge (née Ruby Jean Butler), an entertainer, and Cyril H. Dandridge, a cabinet maker and minister. Under the prodding of her mother, Dorothy and her sister Vivian Dandridge began performing publicly, usually in ...

34 acting credits, 1935-1962. 12 Soundtrack credits. 21 self credits, 1941-1965.

1922-1965, 42.

12. Ruby Dee

Actress | American Gangster

Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist and civil rights activist. She is best known for originating the role of "Ruth Younger" in the stage and film versions of A Raisin in the Sun (1961).

She also starred in The Jackie Robinson Story (1950), Cat People (1982), ...

113 acting credits, 1946-2013. 90 self credits, 1962-2016.

Hunter College graduate, 1944.

1922-2014, 91.

13. Lena Horne

Soundtrack | Cabin in the Sky

Lena Calhoun Horne was born June 30, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York. In her biography she stated that, on the day she was born, her father was in the midst of a card game trying to get money to pay the hospital costs. Her parents divorced while she was still a toddler. Her mother left later in order ...

19 acting credits, 1935-1973. 53 Soundtrack credits.

1917-2010, 92.

14. Eartha Kitt

Actress | The Emperor's New Groove

An out-of-wedlock child, Eartha Kitt was born in the cotton fields of South Carolina. Kitt's mother was a sharecropper of African-American and Cherokee Native American descent. Her father's identity is unknown. Given away by her mother, she arrived in Harlem at age nine. At 15, she quit high school...

70 acting credits, 1948-1910. 44 soundtrack credits.

1927-1908, 81.

15. Rosetta LeNoire

Actress | Family Matters

Born Rosetta Olive Barton, Rosetta LeNoire was the goddaughter of famed tap dancer "Bojangles" Bill Robinson. She was in the landmark all-black version of "Macbeth," directed by Orson Welles in the 1930s. Former president Bill Clinton presented her with the National Medal of the Arts in 1999. ...

34 Acting credits. Acted in films from 1952 on.

Directed by Orson Welles. Awarded American National Medal of the Arts in 1999. Broadway producer.

1911-2002, 90

16. 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 ...

5 acting credits, 1933-1974.

1894-1975, 81.

The Emperor Jones

17. Hattie McDaniel

Actress | Gone with the Wind

After working as early as the 1910s as a band vocalist, Hattie McDaniel debuted as a maid in The Golden West (1932). Her maid-mammy characters became steadily more assertive, showing up first in Judge Priest (1934) and becoming pronounced in Alice Adams (1935). In this one, directed by George ...

95 acting credits, 1932-1952. 10 Soundtrack credits.

1895-1952, 57.

18. Nina Mae McKinney

Actress | Hallelujah

Nina Mae McKinney is known as the seductress "Chick" from Hallelujah (1929), the first all-black, all-sound musical. Even though she was acknowledged as a great actress, singer and dancer by audiences in the U.S. and Europe, today she is mostly forgotten. She certainly had the looks, enthusiasm, ...

24 acting credits, 1929-1950. 8 Soundtrack credits.

Singer, Band Leader. Film and Stage appearances in Europe. After the war, returned to New York and married jazz musician Jimmy Monroe, and formed a band. 1950s and 1960s lived in Greece.

1912-1967, 54.

19. 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 ...

20 acting credits, 1939-1989.

Studied dance with Katherine Dunham, Geoffrey Holder and Janet Collins. BA, New York City College, 1974 in Political Science.

1911-1995, 84

20. Juanita Moore

Actress | Imitation of Life

African American actress Juanita Moore entered films in the early 1950s, a time in which few black people were given an opportunity to act in major studio films. Fortunately Moore's roles began improving as Hollywood developed a social consciousness toward the end of the decade. In 1959 she ...

14 acting credits, 1964-2005.

1914 - 2014, 99

21. Beah Richards

Actress | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Beah Richards left her native Vicksburg, Mississippi, for New York City in 1950. She would not acquire a significant role on stage until 1955,when she appeared in the off-Broadway show "Take a Giant Step" convincingly portraying an 84-year-old grandmother without using theatrical makeup. In 1962 ...

74 acting credits, 1958-2000.

poet and playwright. 1948 graduate of Dillard University.

1920-2000, 80.

22. Esther Rolle

Actress | Driving Miss Daisy

Best known for the role of Florida Evans on the 1970s sitcoms Maude (1972) and Good Times (1974), African-American actress Esther Rolle proved to be as spirited and iron-willed off-camera as well. The gap-toothed actress with the gravelly voice was born in Pompano Beach, Florida, the 10th child of ...

43 acting credits, 1964-2000.

Asadata Dafora troup director. Negro Ensemble Company member. Spelman College graduate, 1942. Attended Yale. NAACP Chairman's Civil Rights Leadership Award.

1920-1998, 78 years.

23. Isabel Sanford

Actress | The Jeffersons

Isabel Sanford was a Broadway actress for over thirty years before moving to Hollywood. She made numerous guest appearances on TV, including a stint as a supporting cast member on The Carol Burnett Show (1967). Until her passing, Isabel continued to act frequently, most recently in a series of ...

55 acting credits, 1967-2002. 3 soundtrack credits. 57 self credits, 1968-2004. Started in films at the age of 50, in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.

30 years on Broadway. 5 Golden Globe nominations. Numerous Emmy nominations. Won 1 Emmy. Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1917-2004, 86

24. Estelle Evans

Actress | To Kill a Mockingbird

Estelle Evans was born on October 1, 1906 in Hartswell, British West Indies. She was an actress, known for To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Learning Tree (1969) and The Clairvoyant (1982). She was married to Walter Alexander Evans. She died on July 20, 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.

9 acting credits, 1962-1984.

1906-1985, 78.

25. Ethel Waters

Actress | Cabin in the Sky

The child of a teenage rape victim, Ethel Waters grew up in the slums of Philadelphia and neighboring cities, seldom living anywhere for more than a few weeks at a time. "No one raised me, " she recollected, "I just ran wild." She excelled not only at looking after herself, but also at singing and ...

28 acting credits, 1929-1972. 38 soundtrack credits, 1929-2009. 35 self credits, 1934-1976.

1896-1977, 80

26. Claudia McNeil

Actress | A Raisin in the Sun

Claudia McNeil was born on August 13, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. She was an actress, known for A Raisin in the Sun (1961), Black Girl (1972) and The DuPont Show of the Month (1957). She was married to Herman McCoy and Henry Smith. She died on November 25, 1993 in Englewood, New Jersey, USA.

24 acting credits, 1958-1983.

1917-1993, 76

27. Fredi Washington

Actress | Imitation of Life

Fredi Washington was a pioneering African-American actress whose fair skin and green eyes often were impediments to her showing her extraordinary acting skills. Her talent was often overlooked because of people's obsession with her race and color. In the few films in which she acted her enormous ...

10 acting credits, from 1922-1937. Broadway actress. 1 soundtrack credit for Black and Tan, 1929.

1903-1994, 90

28. Etta McDaniel

Actress | The Great Man's Lady

Etta McDaniel was born on December 1, 1890 in Wichita, Kansas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Great Man's Lady (1941), What a Man! (1944) and The Pittsburgh Kid (1941). She died on January 13, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

58 acting credits, 1933-1945.

1890-1946, 55.

29. Fanny Belle DeKnight

Actress | Hallelujah

An African-American veteran performer who struggled in vain to build a film career following a top role in an early all-black musical, Fannie Belle DeKnight found herself in a dead end situation trapped in an unflattering, stereotyped role and her film career went nowhere. Best known for her ...

2 acting credits, 1929 and 1932.

1869-1950, 80 years.

Music teacher.

30. Lillian Fitzgerald

Actress | Temptation

Lillian Fitzgerald was born in October 1875 in Brooklyn, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for Temptation (1935) and Let's Merge (1930). She died on July 9, 1947 in New York City, New York, USA.

3 acting credits, 1930-1939.

1875-1947, 71

31. Juanita Hall

Actress | Flower Drum Song

Juanita Hall was an American actress from New Jersey. She is primarily remembered for her roles in two Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musicals ("South Pacific" and "Flower Drum Song") and in their respective film adaptations. In 1950, Hall became the first African American actress to win a Tony ...

8 acting credits, 1939-1961. 8 soundtrack credits, 1937-2012.

Broadway lead actress. Trained at Julliard. Received 1950 Tony Award for best supporting actress in a musical.

1901-1968, 66.

32. Norma Miller

Actress | Malcolm X

Norma Miller and Frankie Manning were both consultants on the Lindy Hop dance scene at the Roseland Ballroom. However, only Frankie Manning has been given credit as a dance consultant. Otis Sallid/choreographer said "Just for the record. I studied for a month with Frankie Manning so that the work ...

28 credits, 37-16.

1919 --

33. Betty Allen

Actress | Appointment with Adventure

Betty Allen was born on March 17, 1927 in Campbell, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Appointment with Adventure (1955), Camera Three (1955) and Henry King and His Orchestra (1937). She was married to Ritten Edward Lee II. She died on June 22, 2009 in Valhalla, New York, USA.

1927-2009. (82). Ohio, USA.

11 credits, 1935-1962.

Wilberforce College student.

34. Myrtle Anderson

Actress | The Green Pastures

Myrtle Anderson was born on May 26, 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for The Green Pastures (1936), Lux Video Theatre (1950) and Oh, You Beautiful Doll (1949). She died on October 5, 1978 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

18 acting credits, 1936-1957.

1907-1978, 71

35. Edna Barr

Actress | Drums o' Voodoo

Edna Barr is known for Drums o' Voodoo (1934) and The Spider's Web (1927).

2 acting credits, 1927, 1934

36. Lucille Battle

Actress | Lucky Ghost

Lucille Battle was born on January 24, 1918 in Arkansas, USA. She was an actress, known for Lucky Ghost (1942). She died on February 24, 2005 in Palmdale, California, USA.

6 acting credits, 1934-1943

37. Eunice Brooks

Actress | The Exile

Attractive Eunice Brooks was an Oscar Micheaux actress. In his early films she was his leading actress...and a fine dramatic actress. She appeared in Oscar Micheaux's first talkie film "The Exile.", playing a Femme Fatale. She's a woman who has taken over a mansion and become a wealthy woman but ...

2 acting credits, '31-'32

38. Anita Brown

Actress | Song of the South

Anita Brown is known for Song of the South (1946) and Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935).

10 acting credits, 1934-1947.

39. Anne Brown

Actress | Swedish Auto

Anne Brown is known for Swedish Auto (2006).

1912, Maryland, USA -2009, Norway. (96).

2 acting credits 1 soundtrack credit. 4 self credits, 1935-2004.

Julliard trained.

40. Marie Bryant

Actress | They Live by Night

Marie Bryant was one of the most popular Black exotic dancer of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Her sexy dancing had lots of culture and class with wowing costumes to top it. Films such as The Duke Is Tops (1938) and Gang War (1940) are the films that featured her dancing a sexy African dance. When...

13 acting credits, '38-'56.

1917-1978, 60.

41. Grace Bumbry

Soundtrack | The Hudsucker Proxy

Grace Bumbry was born on January 4, 1937 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Carmen (1968) and Aïda (1977). She was married to Erwin Jaeckel. She died on May 7, 2023 in Vienna, Austria.

1937-. Missouri, USA.

7 acting credits, 1965-1988. 1 soundtrack credit 16 self credits.

42. Anita Bush

Actress | The Crimson Skull

Anita Bush born in Washington, District of Columbia in 1883. began in Vaudeville theatre as part of the comedy team Williams and Walker in the early 1900's, and later became well-known on the drama theatre's on Broadway. This beautiful black performer starred in only two movies, the first was a ...

2 acting credits, 1921, 1922.

Vaudeville, Broadway actress.

1883-1974, 90.

43. Celeste Cole

Actress | The Exile

Celeste Cole was born on July 26, 1908 in Dallas, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for The Exile (1931) and The Darktown Revue (1931). She died on October 5, 1984 in Southfield, Michigan, USA.

2 acting credits, '31.

1907-1984, 77.

44. Vivian Dandridge

Actress | The Big Broadcast of 1936

Vivian Dandridge was born on April 22, 1921 in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935), Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat (1941) and Brown Sugar (1986). She was married to Gustav Friedrich, Ralph Bledsoe, Jack Montgomery and Warren Bracken. She died on ...

19 acting credits, '33-'53.

1921-1991, 70

45. Cleo Desmond

Actress | Mokey

Cleo Desmond was born on April 25, 1880 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Mokey (1942), Mr. Washington Goes to Town (1941) and The Easiest Way (1917). She died on October 6, 1958 in San Diego, California, USA.

8 acting credits, from 1917-1942.

1880-1958, 78

46. Katherine Dunham

Actress | Star Spangled Rhythm

Dancer, choreographer, composer and songwriter, educated at the University of Chicago. She made world tours as a dancer, choreographer, and director of her own dance company. She directed the Katherine Dunham School of Dance in New York, and was artist-in-residence at Southern Illinois University. ...

8 acting credits, 1941-1958.

Dancer, choreographer, songwriter, composer. Director, Katherine Dunham School of Dance. Artist-in-Residence, Southern Illinois University. Awarded American National Medal of the Arts. Founded Ballet Negre at the age of 21.

1909-2006, 96.

47. Josephine Edwards

Actress | One Dark Night

Gorgeous Josephine Edwards was the singing and acting sensation in the entertaining race film/Black Cinema movie, "Mystery In Swing." She gave a great performance as one of the scorned lovers of a playboy trumpet player, she witnesses the murder of her lover, and before she condemn the murderer, ...

2 credits, '39,'40

48. Evelyn Ellis

Actress | The Lady from Shanghai

Evelyn Ellis was born on February 2, 1894 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She was an actress, known for The Lady from Shanghai (1947), The Joe Louis Story (1953) and A Son of Satan (1924). She died on June 5, 1958 in Saranac Lake, New York, USA.

6 acting credits, 1924-1956.

1894-1958, 64 years.

Stage and TV actress. Originated the role of Crown's Bess in the play "Porgy".

49. Ruby Elzy

Actress | The Emperor Jones

Ruby Elzy was a pioneer black opera singer who appeared on stage, radio and film. A native of Mississippi, Elzy created the role of Serena in George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" on Broadway in 1935. She made her film debut opposite Paul Robeson in 1933's "The Emperor Jones" while still a student at ...

5 acting credits, 1933-1941.

Opera singer. Trained at Juilliard.

1908-1943, 35. - Emperor Jones

50. Francine Everett

Actress | Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A.

Francine Everett, who was called the most beautiful woman in Harlem and one of the most beautiful actresses to appear on screen. She became a familiar face with black audiences through the race films, now known as Black Cinema. She was one of the few who became a movie star through Black Cinema and...

10 acting credits, 1939-1950.

Model, singer, dancer.

1920-1999, 79.

No Way Out.

51. Florence Field

Actress | Lucky Ghost

Florence Field is known for Lucky Ghost (1942).

3 acting credits, '36-'42.

52. Ida Forsyne

Actress | The Green Pastures

Ida Forsyne was born on January 1, 1883 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for The Green Pastures (1936), A Daughter of the Congo (1930) and Birthright (1938). She was married to Arthur Belton Hubbard, ? Forsyne, Usher Henry Watts and James Frank Dougherty. She died on August 19, ...

2 credits, '30,'36.

1883-1983, 100

53. Louise Franklin

Actress | Strange Journey

Louise Franklin was a gorgeous, winsome lady full of sex appeal and charm who graced the movie screen and stages from the 1930s to the 1950s. She was a popular California chorus girl, dancer, and actress who appeared in popular nightclubs, soundies, race films, and black musical numbers featured in...

41 acting credits, 1936-1958.

1917-1992, 74.

54. Mabel Garrett

Actress | Veiled Aristocrats

Mabel Garrett has only had a few appearances in Oscar Micheaux's films like "Ten Minutes To Live" and "Veiled Aristocrats," but in her few scenes she was able to leave a lasting impression on all who've seen her. Mabel's vibrant, magnetic, charming personality and lively dancing surely must tell ...

2 acting credits, 1932

55. Minnie Gentry

Actress | Bad Lieutenant

Minnie Gentry was born on December 2, 1915 in Norfolk, Virginia, USA. She was an actress, known for Bad Lieutenant (1992), Black Caesar (1973) and Apprentice to Murder (1988). She was married to Lloyd Gentry. She died on May 6, 1993 in New York, USA.

18 acting credits, from 1970-1992. Born in 1915. Didn't start with films until 1970. Great Grandmother of actor Terrence Howard. Some Movies: The Brother from Another Planet, Bad Lieutenant (1992) Broadway actress from 1946-1975. Karamu Theater for over 60 years, intermittently.

1915-1993, 77

56. Mildred Gover

Actress | Telephone Operator

Mildred Gover was born on September 16, 1905 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She was an actress, known for Telephone Operator (1937), Day-Time Wife (1939) and The Great American Broadcast (1941). She died on September 11, 1947 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Actress, 52 credits. In films from 1931-1946, many uncredited. Actress in Stella Dallas.

1905-1947, 41.

57. Jessica Grayson

Actress | The Little Foxes

Jessica Grayson was born on March 7, 1886 in Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for The Little Foxes (1941), Syncopation (1942) and Homecoming (1948). She died on February 27, 1953 in Los Angeles County, California, USA.

14 acting credits, 1939-1950.

1886-1953, 66 years.

58. Cora Green

Actress | Swing!

Cora Green began performing at the age of 14. She never had any formal training, but her natural contralto voice made her an immediate success. She teamed with blackface comedian William Pugh for several successful engagements, and while appearing at the notorious Panama Club in Chicago, joined ...

3 acting credits, '29,'38, '39.

59. Reri Grist

Actress | Der Barbier von Sevilla

Reri Grist was born on February 29, 1932 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for Der Barbier von Sevilla (1968), Die Entführung aus dem Serail (1980) and Tatort (1970). She has been married to Dr. Ulf Thomson since 1966.

1932 -. New York.

11 acting credits, 1956-1996. 3 soundtrack credits. 2 self credits.

60. Beulah Hall Jones

Actress | Drums Along the Mohawk

Beulah Hall Jones was born on July 28, 1899 in San Antonio, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Cameo Kirby (1930) and The Realization of a Negro's Ambition (1916). She was married to Emitt Emanuel Wyndon and Dr. E.E. Wyndon. She died on October 8, 1952 in Los ...

4 acting credits, 1916-1934.

1899-1952, 53 years.

61. Consuelo Harris

Actress | Swing!

Attractive with plenty of personality and versatility, dancer Consuela Harris was the sensational and considered best of the shake, hot, swinging dancers in the 1930s. Consuela was a New York headliner and the darling of the night club patrons and crowds in the East and West who raved over her ...

3 acting credits, '37,'38

62. Georgette Harvey

Actress | Chloe, Love Is Calling You

Georgette Harvey was born on December 31, 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. She was an actress, known for Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934), The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair (1939) and Back Door to Heaven (1939). She died on February 17, 1952 in New York City, New York, USA.

4 acting credits, '34-'39.

1884-1952, 67.

63. Maggie Hathaway

Actress | Gang Smashers

Maggie Mae Hathaway was quite a lady, who had many talents, and in her every conquest she left a memorable mark. Maggie isn't as well-known as Lena Horne or Dorothy Dandridge, and she's been overlooked by movie historians and history books, but she definitely did her part by contributing her talent...

12 acting credits, 1938-1962.

Civil and equal rights activist. Wrote and recorded blues and jazz.

1908-1999, 91.

64. Cleo Herndon

Actress | Dark Manhattan

Cleo Herndon was born on June 29, 1908 in Falls County, Texas, USA. She was an actress, known for Dark Manhattan (1937). She was married to Fred Pleasant. She died on June 2, 1994 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

7 acting credits, '34-'45.

1908-?

65. Gertrude Howard

Actress | I'm No Angel

Gertrude Howard was born on October 13, 1892 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA. She was an actress, known for I'm No Angel (1933), The Wet Parade (1932) and His Captive Woman (1929). She died on September 30, 1934 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

24 Acting credits, 1925-1934.

1892-1934. (41).

66. Olga James

Actress | Carmen Jones

Olga James was born on February 16, 1929 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She is an actress, known for Carmen Jones (1954), Sealab 2020 (1972) and The Bill Cosby Show (1969). She was previously married to Cannonball Adderley and Len Chandler.

Carmen Jones 4 acting credits, 1954-1972.

67. Eva Jessye

Actress | Slaves

Conductor and arranger, educated at Wilberforce University (MA), and Allen University (Mus. D.) She conducted the Eva Jessye Choir, with appearances in universities and colleges with symphony orchestras and in festivals throughout the United States and Europe. On Broadway, she appeared in the ...

4 acting credits, 1929-1969.

Has Mus.D. Conductor, arranger, television writer and director. Head of music department at Morgan State College. Hallelujah musical director, 1929.

1895-1992, 97

68. Mae E. Johnson

Actress | Keep Punching

Mae Johnson became well-known within the black entertainment world in the 1930's and 1940's. Mae Johnson started her career performing in Harlem nightclubs. She was a sensational personality who had a lot of sex appeal but with class. She was a great singer and all around wonderful entertainer. She...

3 acting credits, 1937-1943.

Top performer in New York. 3 consecutive years as Most Outstanding Artist.

1916-1999, 82.

69. Mable Lee

Actress | O'Voutie O'Rooney

Mable Lee started dancing at the age of three and was still dancing past the age of eighty. She was performing in public at the age of four; by twelve she was dancing in night clubs in her native Atlanta. At nineteen, she went north to New York City where she got her first job dancing in the chorus...

10 acting credits, 1940-1948

70. Jeni Le Gon

Actress | Arabian Nights

Born in 1916 in Chicago, Jeni Le Gon trained at Mary Bruce's School of Dancing and performed as a chorus girl, later in vaudeville, from age 16. In Hollywood she appeared in her debut film, Hooray for Love (1935), as dancing partner of the great Bill Robinson. Though primarily a dancer, Jeni sang ...

25 acting credits, 1936-2007.

Dance partner, Bill Robinson Opened a dance school in the 60s. Managed Dance and Drama Playhouse. Inducted into the International Tap Dance Hall of Fame in 2002.

1916-2012, 96.

71. Babe Matthews

Actress | Paradise in Harlem

Unsung great Babe Matthews was a fabulous singer of songs. She was quite capable of singing anything from blues, jazz, swing, gospel, rhythm and blues. She was a singer before her time, Aretha Franklin has nothing on her. Whatever Babe sang she put over with style, excellence, and much energy. She ...

3 acting credits, '34-'39.

72. Pearl McCormack

Actress | The Scar of Shame

Pearl McCormack was born on April 29, 1908 in Kingston, Jamaica. She was an actress, known for The Scar of Shame (1929), Harlem After Midnight (1934) and Phantom of Kenwood (1933). She was married to Paul Laguerre. She died on December 14, 2003 in Miami, Florida, USA.

3 acting credits, 1927-1934

73. Frances McHugh

Actress | Juke Joint

Frances McHugh is known for Juke Joint (1947), Artistic Temper (1932) and The Toreador (1932).

2 acting credits, '32,'47.

74. Ethel Moses

Actress | Birthright

In the 1920s and 1930s Ethel Moses was one of the most popular Harlem performer. Then she became the most popular, most recognizable, most beloved actress of Black cinema in the late 1930s and even to this day. Ethel Moses was what you might call a Harlem star. She was apart of the Golden Era of ...

8 acting credits, 1924-1939.

1904-1982, 78.

75. Lucia Lynn Moses

Actress | The Scar of Shame

Lucia Lynn Moses was born on December 23, 1908 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She was an actress, known for The Scar of Shame (1929). She died in October 1984 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA.

1908-1984, 75.

The Star of Shame, 1927

76. Florence O'Brien

Actress | Double Deal

Sexy comedienne Florence O'Brien stole many a scenes with her sassy, brassy comedy, much in the same way as Una Merkel, Patsy Kelly and Clara Bow. Her comedic talent was seen on screen in such independent black films as Double Deal (1939), Lucky Ghost (1942), While Thousands Cheer (1940), Mr. ...

19 acting credits, 1939-1947.

1912-2006, 93.

77. Hilda Offley

Actress | Miracle in Harlem

Hilda Offley was born on June 27, 1894 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Miracle in Harlem (1948), Sepia Cinderella (1947) and Keep Punching (1939). She was married to Creighton Thompson. She died in May 1968 in New York City, New York, USA.

3 credits, '39,'47, '48

1894-1968, 73

78. Bernice Pilot

Actress | On Such a Night

Bernice Pilot was born on June 28, 1897 in Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA. She was an actress, known for On Such a Night (1937), My Bill (1938) and Hearts in Dixie (1929). She died on September 22, 1981 in San Bernardino, California, USA.

34 acting credits, from 1929-1947.

Born 1895-?

79. Amanda Randolph

Actress | The Amos 'n Andy Show

Amanda Randolph was born on September 2, 1896 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for The Amos 'n Andy Show (1951), The Danny Thomas Hour (1967) and The Danny Thomas Show (1953). She was married to Harry Hansberry. She died on August 24, 1967 in Duarte, California, USA.

46 acting credits, 1933-1967.

Recorded singer, played piano and sang blues.

1896-1967, 70

80. Alice B. Russell

Actress | Easy Street

Alice B. Russell is better known as Oscar Micheaux's wife, but she played important parts in almost all of her husband's films. Alice usually played the sympathetic mother figure, a mature role model, a guardian angel to young naive ladies, etc. She was a wonderful emotional actress, never ...

11 acting credits, from 1927-1948. Also credited in costume and wardrobe, producer, casting department, miscellaneous crew.

1892-1984, 92

81. Emily Santos

Actress | Murder on Lenox Avenue

Emily Santos was one of the most beautiful showgirls, chorus girls, and models in the late 1930s and 1940s during the Golden Era of Harlem. She was a tall beauty who had poise, class, and allure that was so noticeable even in extra parts in the Black Cinema films she appeared in. Her beauty always ...

3 acting credits, '39.'40,'41

82. Gertrude Saunders

Actress | Sepia Cinderella

Gertrude Saunders was born on August 25, 1903 in North Carolina, USA. She was an actress, known for Sepia Cinderella (1947) and Big Timers (1945). She died in April 1991 in Beverly, Massachusetts, USA.

3 credits, '38,'45,'47.

1903-1991, 87.

83. Hazel Scott

Actress | I Dood It

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, classical and jazz musician Hazel Scott became one of America's premier pianists of her time. Born on June 11, 1920, this child prodigy first started tickling the ivories at age 3 under the guidance of her mother. She moved with her family to the U.S. in 1924 ...

9 acting credits, 1943-1970.

1920-1981, 61

Something to Shout About. Child prodigy. Had her own TV show.

84. Hilda Sims

Actress | A Debt of Honour

Hilda Sims was born in 1881 in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, UK. She was an actress, known for A Debt of Honour (1922), The Experiment (1922) and A Will of Her Own (1915). She died on December 25, 1934 in Westminster, London, England, UK.

8 acting credits, 1915-1961.

85. Ethel Smith

Actress | When Men Betray

Ethel Smith is known for When Men Betray (1928), The Prince of His Race (1926) and The Broken Violin (1927). She was previously married to Roy Atwell.

7 acting credits, from 1914 to 1929.

86. Mamie Smith

Soundtrack | Beginners

Mamie Smith was born on May 26, 1883 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Beginners (2010), Paradise in Harlem (1939) and Murder on Lenox Avenue (1941). She was married to Jack Goldberg. She died on October 30, 1946 in New York City, New York, USA.

6 acting credits, 1929-1942.

Early blues singer.

1883-1946, 63

87. Trixie Smith

Soundtrack | Fried Green Tomatoes

Trixie Smith was born on January 16, 1900 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She was an actress, known for Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), Blue Jasmine (2013) and Swing! (1938). She died on September 21, 1943 in New York City, New York, USA.

5 acting credits, from 1932 to 1939. 1 soundtrack credit for Blue Jasmine, 2013.

1895-1943, 48

88. Valaida Snow

Self | Take It from Me

Valaida Snow was the product of a musical family; her mother, a music teacher, taught Valaida and her sisters to play a wide variety of instruments, among them cello, bass, mandolin, violin, clarinet, saxophone and accordion. The girls also sang and danced, but when Valaida turned professional at ...

2 acting credits, 1937, 1938.

Trumpeter, arranger. Played many instruments. Toured Europe. Captured by German Forces and interred in concentration camp.

1902-1956, 53

89. Madame Sul-Te-Wan

Actress | Maid of Salem

Madame Sul-Te-Wan was born on March 7, 1873 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She was an actress, known for Maid of Salem (1937), In Old Chicago (1938) and Safari (1940). She was married to Robert Reed Conley. She died on February 1, 1959 in Hollywood, California, USA.

56 acting credits, 1915-1958.

1873-1959, 85

90. Libby Taylor

Actress | Another Part of the Forest

Libby Taylor was born on April 20, 1902 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for Another Part of the Forest (1948), Stage Struck (1936) and Hollywood Hotel (1937). She died on August 23, 1961 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

63 acting credits, 1932-1953.

1902-1990, 87

The Great McGinty

91. Anita Thompson

Actress | A Man's Duty

Anita Thompson was born on March 28, 1901 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. She was an actress, known for A Man's Duty (1919) and By Right of Birth (1921). She was married to Guy Reynolds, Dwight Lloyd Dickinson and Charles Henri Ford. She died in December 1980 in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin ...

2 acting credits, 1919,1921

92. Mae Turner

Actress | Life Goes On

Attractive Mae Turner was one of the top femme fatales, vamps, and hussies of Black Cinema in the 1930s. She usually played the woman who was the ruin of a man. She was a fine actress who perfected the "woman you love to hate" role and do you wrong and smile a devilish, crooked smile. She was like ...

4 acting credits, 1938-1940.

University of California graduate.

1908-1999, 91.

93. Dorothy Van Engle

Actress | Swing!

Dorothy Van Engle was Oscar Micheaux's most beautiful and talented actress, and he used her in most of his important films: Harlem After Midnight (1934), Murder in Harlem (1935), God's Step Children (1938) and Swing! (1938). She was a favorite of black audiences and her beauty and natural, ...

4 acting credits, 1934-1938.

Excellent seamstress, made her own costumes.

1910-2004, 93

94. Mildred Washington

Actress | Torch Singer

The name Mildred Washington isn't remembered but she appeared in under 15 films in small parts but her presence, finesse, beauty and vivacious personality wasn't small. Mildred was a beautiful, curvaceous, popular Black actress and dancer in the 1920s and 1930s. She started on the stage appearing ...

12 acting credits, from 1927-1933.

1905-1933, 28

95. Marguerite Whitten

Actress | King of the Zombies

Gorgeous, versatile Marguerite Whitten (aka Margaret Whitten) was a wonderful, natural actress of "the golden era" of Hollywood and of black cinema. She had a sweet, likable presence on screen and her performances were always enjoyable. Margaret was a fine actress, never having to overact to ...

14 acting credits, '38-'43.

1913-1990, 77

96. Frances E. Williams

Actress | The Jerk

Frances E. Williams was born on September 7, 1905 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for The Jerk (1979), Frank's Place (1987) and Week-End with Father (1951). She was married to William Anthony Hall. She died on January 2, 1995 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

38 acting credits, 1939-1994.

1905-1995, 89

97. Gladys Williams

Actress | The Notorious Elinor Lee

Gladys Williams is known for The Notorious Elinor Lee (1940) and Lying Lips (1939).

2 credits, '39,'40

98. Eunice Wilson

Actress | No Time for Romance

Eunice Wilson was one of the top entertainers of the 1930s of Black Entertainment. She was called the best. An exceptional song and dance girl she was, her dancing reminds you of Michael Jackson. She was an example of what hot/swing dancing was all about added with class. She was the definition of ...

3 credits, '35-'48

1911-1984, 72