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11.2k voters

The Greatest Black Actors In Film History

Updated April 15, 2021 90.5k votes 11.2k voters 543.6k views178 items

List RulesBlack male actors only. Vote based on their entire body of work in film.

From any era and genre, these are the greatest Black actors in film history, ranked by the community to determine who is the best of all time. These Black actors are the top in the business, and many are also among the best living actors today. From those who have portrayed classic Black characters in film, to award-winning actors, only the most deserving actors are on this list.

Who are the greatest Black actors in film? How about the most famous Black actors? From Oscar winners like Denzel Washington, classic African American actors like Sidney Poitier, and newer names such as English actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, each of the Black actors on this list has earned his place with an excellent body of work and memorable performances. Some Black comedians and rappers are also on this list, having found success in the world of film as well.

The actors that are featured on this list include some of the best actors of all time, including Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover, and Eddie Murphy.

Scroll the list below, and vote up the Black actors that you think are best!

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Morgan Freeman
Memphis, Tennessee
Credits (Film): Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy, Million Dollar Baby
Won for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Million Dollar Baby (2005)
Won for Best Actor Golden Globe for Driving Miss Daisy (1990)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2012)

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Denzel Washington
Mount Vernon, New York
Credits (Film): Antwone Fisher, Book of Eli, American Gangster
Won for Best Actor Oscar for Glory (1990) and Training Day (2002)
Won for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Glory (1990) and Best Actor Golden Globe for The Hurricane (2000)
Winner of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (2016)

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Samuel L. Jackson
Washington, D.C.
Credits (Film): Pulp Fiction, The Avengers, Django Unchained
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Pulp Fiction (1995)
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Pulp Fiction (1995) and A Time to Kill (1997), and Best Actor Golden Globe for Jackie Brown (1998)

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Will Smith
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Credits (Film): Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend, Independence Day
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for Ali (2002) and The Pursuit of Happyness (2007)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for Ali (2002), The Pursuit of Happyness (2007), and Concussion (2016)

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James Earl Jones
Arkabutla, Mississippi
Credits (Film): The Lion King, Return of the Jedi, Field of Dreams
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for The Great White Hope (1971)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for The Great White Hope (1971) and Claudine (1975)
Winner of Most Promising Newcomer for The Great White Hope (1971)

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Idris Elba
Hackney, England
Credits (Film): Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Prometheus, Pacific Rim, American Gangster
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Beasts of No Nation (2016) and Best Actor Golden Globe for Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2014)

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Laurence Fishburne
Augusta, Georgia
Credits (Film): The Matrix, Man of Steel, Boyz in the Hood
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for What’s Love Got to Do with It (1994)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for The Tuskegee Airmen (1996)

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Eddie Murphy
New York City, New York
Credits (Film): Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Dolemite Is My Name
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dreamgirls (2007)
Won for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Dreamgirls (2007)

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Forest Whitaker
Longview, Texas
Credits (Film): The Butler, The Last King of Scotland, The Last Stand
Won for Best Actor Oscar for The Last King of Scotland (2007)
Won for Best Actor Golden Globe for The Last King of Scotland (2007)

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Sidney Poitier
Miami, Florida
Credits (Film): Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night, Fast Forward
Won for Best Actor Oscar for Lilies of the Field (1964)
Won for Best Actor Golden Globe for Lilies of the Field (1964)
Winner of the Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite (1969) and the Cecil B. DeMille Award (1982)

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Jamie Foxx
Terrell, Texas
Credits (Film): Django Unchained, Collateral, Ray
Won for Best Actor Oscar for Ray (2005)
Won for Best Actor Golden Globe for Ray (2005)

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Don Cheadle
Kansas City, Missouri
Credits (Film): Crash, Hotel Rwanda, Iron Man 3
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for Hotel Rwanda (2005)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for Hotel Rwanda (2005)

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Chadwick Boseman
Anderson, South Carolina
Credits (Film): 42, Black Panther, Da 5 Bloods
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2021)
Won for Best Actor Golden Globe for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2021)

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Danny Glover
California, United States of America
Credits (Film): Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple, Shooter
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Michael Clarke Duncan
Chicago, Illinois
Credits (Film): Planet of the Apes, Daredevil, The Green Mile
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for The Green Mile (2000)
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for The Green Mile (2000)

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Chiwetel Ejiofor
Forest Gate, England
Credits (Film): Twelve Years a Slave, American Gangster, Children of Men
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for 12 Years a Slave (2014)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for Kinky Boots (2007) and 12 Years a Slave (2014)

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Michael B. Jordan
Santa Ana, California
Credits (Film): Creed, Fruitvale Station, Black Panther, Red Tails, Chronicle
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Cuba Gooding, Jr.
New York City, New York
Credits (Film): What Dreams May Come, Jerry Maguire, Boyz in the Hood
Won for Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Jerry Maguire (1997)
Nominated for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe for Jerry Maguire (1997)

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Dwayne Johnson
Hayward, California
Credits (Film): Fast & Furious 6, Fast Five, The Other Guys, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Pain & Gain
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Bernie Mac
Chicago, Illinois
Credits (Film): Transformers, Friday, Ocean's Eleven, Bad Santa, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
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Martin Lawrence
Frankfurt-am-Main, Hessen
Credits (Film): Do the Right Thing, Bad Boys, Bad Boys II, Life, House Party
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Terry Crews
Flint, Michigan
Credits (Film): Training Day, Sorry to Bother You, The Expendables, The Expendables 2, The Longest Yard
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Ving Rhames
New York City, USA
Credits (Film): Pulp Fiction, Dawn of the Dead, Mission: Impossible
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Terrence Howard
Chicago, Illinois
Credits (Film): Iron Man, The Best Man, Hustle and Flow
Nominated for Best Actor Oscar for Hustle & Flow (2006)
Nominated for Best Actor Golden Globe for Hustle & Flow (2006)

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Ice Cube
South Los Angeles, California
Credits (Film): Friday, 21 Jump Street, Boyz n the Hood, Three Kings, Next Friday
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Chadwick Boseman