The Greatest Black Actresses Of All Time
This list ranks the very best 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 actresses, like Viola Davis, have rightfully 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 famous actress who most recently won a Golden Globe and an Oscar nom for her role in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The list of Black excellence goes on and on.
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!
- 31Grinnell, Iowa, United States of America
- Credits: The Walking Dead, Black Panther, All Eyez on Me
- 32Tarrytown, New York, USA
- Credits: Eraser, Ugly Betty, Dance With Me, Desperate Housewives
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Emmy for Ugly Betty (2007 - 2009)
- 33Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Credits: Girls Trip, The Nutty Professor, Gotham
- 34Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Credits: black-ish, The High Note, Girlfriends
Nominated for Best Actress Emmy for black-ish (2017, 2018, 2020)
- 35Los Angeles, Panorama City, USA
- Credits: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Deception, Venom
- 36New York City, New York, United States of America
- Credits: Julia, Claudine, Eve's Bayou
Nominated for Best Actress Oscar For Claudine (1975)
- 37Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Credits: American Gangster, Do the Right Thing, Guiding Light, Jungle Fever
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for American Gangster (2008)
- 38Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Credits: Dreamgirls, Sex and the City, Respect, Cats
Won for Best Actress Oscar for Dreamgirls (2007)
- 39Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
- Credits: Jackie Brown, Foxy Brown, The L Word
Nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical Golden Globe for Jackie Brown (1998)
- 40North, South Carolina, USA
- Credits: The Emperor's New Groove, Holes, Boomerang
Nominated for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama Emmy Award for I Spy (1966)
- 41Wichita, Kansas, USA
- Credits: Gone with the Wind, Song of the South, Since You Went Away, The Great Lie
Won for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Gone with the Wind (1940)
- 42South Bend, Indiana, United States of America
- Credits: Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Soul Train, Missing
- 43Atlanta, Georgia, USA
- Credits: A.N.T. Farm, Grown Ups 2, Grown Ups, House of Payne
- 44London, England, UK
- Credits: Skyfall, 28 Days Later..., Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Spectre
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Moonlight (2017)
- 45Dunn, North Carolina, USA
- Credits: Eve's Bayou, Merry Liddle Christmas, Asunder
Won Best Supporting Actress Emmy for All My Children (1989)
- 46Tucson, Arizona, USA
- Credits: Dreamgirls, Why Did I Get Married?, Addicted
- 47New York City, Manhattan, USA
- Credits: Pearson, Suits, Serenity
- 48Camden, New Jersey, USA
- Credits: ATL, Why Did I Get Married?, For Better or Worse, Jumping the Broom
- 49Robbins, Illinois, USA
- Credits: Star Trek: The Originals, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Nominated for Outstanding Special Guest Performer in a Drama Series Daytime Emmy Award for The Young and the Restless (2017)
- 50Kansas City, Kansas, USA
- Credits: Hidden Figures, Moonlight, Antebellum
- 51Georgetown, Guyana
- Credits: Black Panther, Small Axe, Mangrove
Nominated for Best Supporting Actress Emmy for Black Museum (2018)
- 52Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Credits: The Jeffersons, The Brothers, The Meteor Man, The Heart Specialist, 227
Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for The Jeffersons (1981-1985)
- 53Gainesville, Florida, USA
- Credits: Bridesmaids, Big Mouth, Grown Ups
Won for Best Guest Actress Emmy for Saturday Night Live (2020)
- 54McComb, Mississippi, United States of America
- Credits: Moesha, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, Cinderella, Osmosis Jones
- 55Los Angeles, Venice, USA
- Credits: Big Little Lies, High Fidelity, Mad Max: Fury Road
- 56Los Angeles, USA, California
- Credits: Bad Boys, Beverly Hills Cops III, Bad Boys For Life
- 57Bloomfield, Connecticut, United States of America
- Credits: The Princess and the Frog, Dreamgirls, Everything Everything
Won for Best Featured Actress in a Musical Tony Award for Caroline, or Change (2004)
- 58Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Credits: I Am Legend, Eureka, Gargoyles, Antwone Fisher
- 59Los Angeles, California, USA
- Credits: Parks and Recreation, The Social Network, On the Rocks
- 60New York City, USA, New York
- Credits: The Haves and the Have Nots, Ride Along, Salt, Ride Along 2
