Famous African American Actors And Actresses – The Hollywood entertainment scene has many male actors, their talent and acting ability cannot be disputed. All are extremely talented and some have been in the industry for decades. Take a look at some of Hollywood’s most popular black actors.
Black actors have persevered and shown that they have the qualities and skills needed to thrive in the industry. This list of black male actors includes actors from various countries who have achieved distinct milestones across multiple genres and decades of film and television appearances.
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These African-American lead actors are among the very best, with some of them also among the best actors alive today. In addition, some have received numerous honors over the years.
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Even though some of these celebrities are in their senior years, they continue to appear in movies and TV shows. Below is a list of famous black actors over the age of 60.
James Earl Jones receives the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in Theater during the 2017 Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Photo: Theo Wargo
Born January 17, 1933, James Earl Jones is recognized as one of the best actors in American history. He made his screen debut in 1952 when he appeared as Dr. Jim Frazier in the Guiding Light series.
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During his career, James has won 28 different awards. In 2019, he voiced Mufasa in the animated film The Lion King.
Morgan Freeman speaks onstage during the 51st Annual NAACP Image Awards, presented by BET, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. Photo: Aaron J. Thornton
Morgan Freeman is a famous Hollywood actor who has been in the industry for over five decades. He became famous in the 1970s for his role in the TV series The Electric Company.
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However, he is best known for his appearances in many well-received films, including Driving Miss Daisy, Lean on Me, and Glory. He has won 64 different awards and an Academy Award.
Bill Cosby arrives to be sentenced for his sexual assault trial at the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Photo: Gilberto Carrasquillo
Bill Cosby is a legendary American comedian who is also active as an actor and author. Bill is world famous for the NBC sitcom The Bill Cosby Show which ran for 8 seasons (1984-1992).
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The 84-year-old celebrity debuted in 1965’s Spy Espionage. He also ventured into singing, producing his own “Silver Throat”: Bill Cosby Sings. Bill Cosby is considered one of the oldest and most famous black actors in the industry.
Danny Glover attends Governor Newsom’s signing celebration of $50 million in financial relief for small performing arts organizations at the Fountain Theater in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth
Danny Glover is a 75-year-old film director and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series.
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He has also had leading roles in films such as Beyond the Lights (2014), Sorry to Bother You (2018), The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019), The Dead Don’t Die (2019) and Jumanji: The Next Level ( 2019).
Samuel L. Jackson attends the red carpet screening of The Last Full Measure Atlanta at the SCADshow in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Paras Griffin
Samuel Jackson is among the most famous black movie stars to have been in the industry for 50 decades. He has appeared in the most popular movies and series such as Coming to America (1988), S.W.A.T. (2003) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
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Denzel Washington attends the Los Angeles premiere of A24, The Tragedy Of Macbeth, at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez
Denzel has been recognized many times for his incredible talent. He has been on the acting scene for over four decades and has starred in over 60 films and television shows.
He has won a Tony Award, three Golden Globes, seventeen NAACP Image Awards and an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
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Dennis Haysbert poses in front of a message board in the first car during the pro-am before the Zozo Championship in Thousand Oaks, California. Photo: Kevork Djansezian
Dennis Haysbert is one of the most talented voice actors in Hollywood. Her excellence and deep, sonorous voice has been proven in many films, stage and television productions.
He played Secret Service agent Tim Collin on Absolute Power, Sergeant Major Jonas Blane on The Unit, and President David Palmer on 24 (first five seasons).
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Laurence John Fishburne has received critical acclaim for the strong, militant and authoritative characters in his films. He has appeared in films and series such as Black-ish, The Greatest Mysteries in History and Year Million, where he was the narrator.
Forest Whitaker attends the 2021 Gotham Awards presented by the Gotham Film and Media Institute on Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Photo: Dia Dipasupil
Forest Whitaker’s first acting role was in 1982 on the television series Making the Grade. Since his debut, he has appeared in over 100 films and television series. His recent roles include August Bolo in Extrapolations, Ellsworth ‘Bumpy’ Johnson in Godfather of Harlem and C. L. Franklin in Respect.
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Lifetime Achievement Award winner Eddie Murphy attends the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. Photo: Michael Kovac
Eddie rose to fame on the comedy show Saturday Night Live, on which he was a regular cast member from 1980 to 1984.
At age 21, Murphy co-starred with Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, and he has starred in Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Shrek.
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Wesley Snipes attends the premiere of Amazon’s The Tomorrow War at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Frazer Harrison
Wesley is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His notable film roles include New Jack City (1991), White Men Can’t Jump (1992) and The Expendables 3 (2014). He has acted in a total of 70 films and series.
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Andre Braugher is best known for his current role as the stoic Captain Raymond Holt on the television show Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
He made his acting debut in the 1989 film Glory. Andre starred alongside such stars as Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick.
Djimon Hounsou attends the King of New York Gala on December 13, 2021 in New York City. Photo: Arturo Holmes
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Djimon Gaston Hounsou is a Benin-American actor and model. He started his career by appearing in music videos. He made his film debut in I’m Nothing Without You (1990) and gained wide recognition for his role as Cinqué in Steven Spielberg’s Amistad (1997).
Don Cheadle attends the premiere of No Sudden Move during the 2021 Tribeca Festival at The Battery in New York City. Photo: Jim Spellman
In addition to acting, Don Cheadle is also a producer, director and writer best known for his performance in Crash, Hotel Rwanda and Iron Man 2. He made his big screen debut in the comedy film Moving Violations in 1985.
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Martin Lawrence attends the season two premiere of BET’s Boomerang at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, California. Photo: JC Oliveira
Martin Lawrence rose to fame during the 1990s, establishing a career in Hollywood as a leading actor. He started out playing Maurice Warfield in What’s Happening Now!! (1987-1988). After that, he starred in several movies and series like Big Momma’s House and A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.
Chris Rock attends the Inter Miami CF Season Opening Party hosted by David Grutman and Pharrell Williams at The Goodtime Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo: Johnny Louis
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Chris Rock started his career as a stand-up comedian and moved on to acting and producing. He has shared screen space with several famous Hollywood actors and actresses. He has appeared in at least 68 films and 43 television shows.
Cuba Gooding Jr. participates in the Ocean Drive Magazine Art Basel Cover Party at The Ritz Carlton, South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida. Photo: Thaddaeus McAdams
Cuba started acting in 1986 on the TV series Better Days as Bully. He went on to appear in several other series such as Hill Street Blues, The Bronx Zoo and Coming to America.
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Jamie Foxx attends the Los Angeles premiere of Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: No Way Home held at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Albert L. Ortega
Born as Eric Marlon Bishop, Jamie has been in the entertainment industry since 1990. He is also a popular comedian and singer with 84 acting credits to his name. His notable roles include Spider-Man: No Way Home, White Famous and Baby Driver.
Morris Chestnut attends the FOX Winter TCA All-Star Party at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena in Pasadena, California. Photo: Rodin Eckenroth
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Morris Chestnut, whose full name is Morris Lamont Chestnut, is an actor and producer born on January 1, 1969 in Cerritos, California, USA. He has starred in several TV series and movies such as Our Kind of People (2021), The Resident (2019-2021) and Being Mary Jane (2019).
Will Smith attends the ‘Aladdin’ European Gala at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London, England. Photo: Karwai Tang
Will Smith is one of the most famous characters in the world. He showed up
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