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The Greatest Black Actresses Of All Time

Updated March 25, 2021 97.0k votes 6.5k voters 196.9k views223 items

List RulesVote up the Black and African-American actresses, living or passed, with the most consistent top acting performances.

This list ranks the very best Black and African American actresses of all time. These great Black actresses have starred in every genre of film from musicals and dramas to comedies. Some of these Black actresses, like Viola Davis, have even won Academy Awards for their work.

Who are some of the greatest African American actresses? Halle Berry made our list. She has starred in memorable movies like Jungle Fever and Monster's Ball. Kerry Washington also appears on this list of the top Black actresses. Though she is best known for her work on TV's Scandal, Washington has starred in such movies as Django Unchained and Lakeview Terrace.

Whoopi Goldberg won an Oscar for best actress in a supporting role for her performance in Ghost. She was also nominated for her role in Steven Spielberg's The Color Purple. Jackie Brown actress Pam Grier also made this list, as did the striking Think Like a Man beauty, Meagan Good. Angela Bassett is another of the famous Black actresses.

Who do you think is the best African American actress in the history of film? Vote up your favorite Black female actors below. Then check back to see if your favorite popular Black actresses topped the list!

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Tessa Thompson
Los Angeles, California
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Diahann Carroll
New York City, USA
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Lynn Whitfield
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Won for Best Actress Emmy for The Josephine Baker Story (1991)
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Pam Grier
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
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Loretta Devine
Houston, Texas
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Zoë Kravitz
Venice, Los Angeles
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Phylicia Rashād
Houston, Texas
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Naomie Harris
London, United Kingdom
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Whoopi Goldberg
Manhattan, New York City
Won For Best Actress Oscar for Ghost (1991)

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Harvey, Illinois
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Kimberly Elise
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Gina Torres
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Zendaya
Oakland, California
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Della Reese
Black Bottom, Detroit
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Paula Patton
Los Angeles, California
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Nichelle Nichols
Robbins, Illinois
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Hattie McDaniel
Wichita, Kansas
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Maya Rudolph
Gainesville, Florida
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Jurnee Smollett
New York City, New York
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Tasha Smith
Camden, New Jersey
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Jennifer Hudson
Chicago, Illinois
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Rashida Jones
Los Angeles, California
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Oprah Winfrey
Kosciusko, Mississippi
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Bianca Lawson
Los Angeles, California
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Wendy Raquel Robinson
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