Top Ten Black Actresses

Talented, beautiful and all too often overlooked, these are the very best black actresses. Hopefully some of the recent accolades directed towards these women will bring them even more prominent and important roles in films to come. Don't agree with the list? Place your vote or if you are a logged in, add a new item for others to vote on.

Vote for Halle Berry 1) Halle Berry

very good actress....thomasville, georgia..part of southwest

gorgeous and passionate

danajs24

Shes a good actress

Razor79


Vote for Raven-Symoné 2) Raven-Symoné

Raven-symone is quickly leaving a legacy behind as she continues to be A Force in the entertainment world. She is A Former Childstar that is showing no signs of stopping. She is Talented in Music, Producing, and Cooking as well as Acting.

Acelanta

Awsome voice and so funny and I love her show "that’s so raven".

Greenmas88

she’s very talented and beautiful


Vote for Thandie Newton 3) Thandie Newton

so beautiful and talented its amazing she doesnt own Hollywood!!

Should be listed among the top ten actresses, period.

definately one of the better actresses. She was superb in Beloved, Crash and MI but also some of her lesser known british films


Vote for Whoopi Goldberg 4) Whoopi Goldberg

Love her shes hilarios

She is the most succesful black actress according to box office and the oscars.

israel08

Why is she not in the top ten?

tarot_contralto


Vote for Angela Bassett 5) Angela Bassett

I love Angela Bassett. I think she’s beautiful and graceful. She sets a perfect example for actresses like myself. I had the pleasure of meeting her once and she told me to be persistent. I will always remember and forver be greatful for that encounter.
Tiara Williams

Angela is just so classy! She acts without over-acting.

vibes4life

Beautiful, classy and a damn good actress! She was robbed for What’s Love Got to Do With It. LOVE HER

steffie69


Vote for Gabriel Union 6) Gabriel Union

she is gorgeous and she can act.

She is one of the best actresses out there.

brettfan


Vote for Sanaa Lathan 7) Sanaa Lathan

she is an excellent actress and also beautiful !

She’s a man’s dream woman.

Very beautiful Great actress


Vote for Nia Long 8) Nia Long

From what I"ve seen from Nia, she’s been superb. I really love to see her do a dramatic role because I know she’d blow it away. They need to give Nia more than just romantic comedies, she’s so talented.

greeneyes1968

She has great potential. I love her.

Nia Long is a powerful, black actress.She brings so much force and intensity to a movie "The Best Man" she gave an outstanding performance and have a unique beauty I wish we seen her more often.


Vote for Pam Grier 9) Pam Grier

STUNNING! My choice since the ?70s. Graceful and elegant.

I LOVED PAM GRIER IN BONES AND IN FOXY BROWN.


Vote for Queen Latifah 10) Queen Latifah

lik the way she moves when she says her dialogues!

Shynash21

lmfao I love her shes so awesome

Marcopwnzatdrums

i just love her

gaki


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Choices Not In The Top Ten

Vote for Regina King 11) Regina King

Regina is not seen often enough, another very beautiful good actress

Regina is great actress. She needs more work. I remember growing up with her on "227". Who would thought, she had such an edge to herself

Vote for Vanessa Williams 12) Vanessa Williams

beautiful and good actress

beautiful,funny,and romantic

Vote for Kerry Washington 13) Kerry Washington

she is beautiful and great in every movie she is in

Kerry Washington should definitly be in the top list of 10 black actresses. She has done amazing work from save the last dance,to The Last King of Scotland. I aspire to have a career as diverse and interesting as hers.

Best black actress and one of the most beautiful women in the world. Put $ that she will become one of the best actresses of any ethnic background

Vote for Jada Pinkett Smith 14) Jada Pinkett Smith

loved her in set it off and scream2, even though she was only in the first scene.

tommy21

Jada Pinkett plays good in all her roles. She’s very beautiful and she knows how to act.

Vote for Meagan Good 15) Meagan Good

a fantastic actress and a real head turner. she has the presence to be a great leading lady.

Vote for Beyonce Knowles 16) Beyonce Knowles

Her acting is improving.

tank9088

She is known for her singing, but she hs acted in some films and done a good job.

She may not count as an actress, but she was great in Dream Girls.

Vote for Tamala Jones 17) Tamala Jones

this babe is HOT

She is a great Actress she, and is very attractive. She was Chris Rock love interest in the Head Of State.

Vote for Vivica A. Fox 18) Vivica A. Fox

How is that hack beyonce ahead of vivica fox?

Chris-1

she be in the top 10 if not #1 she has style, class, beauty, she just it going. i just love the woman to death.

Vote for Cicely Tyson 19) Cicely Tyson

a great actress, very dramatic and genius in all her roles

Cicely Tyson is by far the best actress of any race to have ever acted and also the most unrecognized and underrated ever.

Vote for Kimberly Elise 20) Kimberly Elise

Someone must have been napping, this fine actress belongs in the top 10. Let’s put it this way, she will be the next black actress to win an Oscar, wait and see.

Honey, she is a FIERCE actress. ...and a stunningly beautiful woman.

Vote for Hattie McDaniel 21) Hattie McDaniel

Had one of the great comebacks of all-time when black journalists criticized her for playing maids. "I’d rather play a maid than be one, " said Hattie.

One of the true "original black actresses". The FIRST African-American to win an Oscar.

Vote for CCH Pounder 22) CCH Pounder

one of the most overlooked actresses of all

top ten people

Vote for Yaourou Konaté 23) Yaourou Konaté

Vote for Zoe Saldana 24) Zoe Saldana

I discovered zoe in Centerstage. she is multitalented, a terrific dancer and a fabulous actress. its a shame she’s not in more films. in crossroads her role was to overact, but in centerstage, she’s easygoing and relaxed

yes

She’s played in Crossroads, and although maybe over-acted a little, she seems funny. And she was great in the small part of Anamarie in Pirates 1.

Vote for Dorothy Dandridge 25) Dorothy Dandridge

she was wonderful and very beautiful.

Dorothy Dandridge has to be the MOST GREATEST actress ever... she was the first African-American woman to appear at the Las Vegas Frontier and to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress!.. She broke color lines back then... she is the person that gives confidence and inspiration to African-American actresses and inspiring actresses, like myself, to go out for those big roles!

I CAN’T believe you people have Dorothy at no. 17! It’s obvious that you don’t know great actresses when you see them. This list is bias! How can you rate actresses that are alive with actresses that are NOT ALIVE! Sorry! I hate this listing!

Vote for Rosario Dawson 26) Rosario Dawson

Vote for Stacey Dash 27) Stacey Dash

What more can you say about Stacey Dash? Extremely beautiful, very talented, and if it weren’t enough, her smile lights up any movie as well as my heart.

Vote for Taraji P. Henson 28) Taraji P. Henson

I thank she is wonderful, I have enjoyed every movie she has appeared in. She has been great as a supportive actress. I know she would be great in a lead role. So please give her the recognition she deserves.

Vote for Lonette McKee 29) Lonette McKee

I really wished she had gotten more significant parts in movies. She really has acting chops. She should have been pushed long before someone like Halle Berry :-/

Vote for Oprah Winfrey 30) Oprah Winfrey

This women should be way up that list people need to realize the influential roles that she has chosen to do and do well.

yea

Vote for Sheila Frazier 31) Sheila Frazier

Vote for Elise Neal 32) Elise Neal

I like Elise Neal she playsed Tia on All of Us

Elise Neal is the finest. Malinda Williams is fine too.

Vote for Heather Headley 33) Heather Headley

drop dead gorgeous, fierce yet with a dose of simplicity and great charm on the stage, an immense strength shining from somewhere within... but when her mouth opens and her voice takes flight, oh man, nobody can sing and act Aida like she does. Beyonce doesn’t stand a chance.

Vote for Naomi Harris 34) Naomi Harris

When it comes to acting Naomi Harris is the best black actress by miles. White Teeth, 28 Days and Pirates of the Caribbean.

Vote for Ruby Dee 35) Ruby Dee

Great on screen presence and longevity

Greenmean

Vote for Marianne Jean-Baptiste 36) Marianne Jean-Baptiste

Vote for Paula Patton 37) Paula Patton

I like to see her do more work. I think there is something to her. I enjoyed her performance in Idlewild. She really resonates with the camera. I hope one day she can give Halle Berry a run for her money. She’s just as pretty and more importantly...she can Act, unlike Ms. Berry

Vote for Vonetta McGee 38) Vonetta McGee

Vote for Paula Kelly 39) Paula Kelly

Vote for Angelle Brooks 40) Angelle Brooks

Beautiful and acts so refined. Her films include Ritual (2000), The TV series V. I. P.

Vote for Gloria Hendry 41) Gloria Hendry

Vote for Tania Benjamin 42) Tania Benjamin

Vote for Lynn Whitfield 43) Lynn Whitfield

Lynn is very underrated. Shes beautiful, very talented and full of class

kimigans

She portrayed Josephine Baker in an HBO movie "The Josephine Baker Story" almost 20 years ago and its still burned into my brain.

Vote for Margaret Avery 44) Margaret Avery

Vote for Diana Sands 45) Diana Sands

Vote for Tamara Dobson 46) Tamara Dobson

Vote for Jennifer Hudson 47) Jennifer Hudson

Vote for Rosalind Cash 48) Rosalind Cash

Vote for Porter McKenna Posey 49) Porter McKenna Posey

Kady, My wife and kids, Sure she’s only a child actress but she’s an extremely natural talent and will no doubt go on to be a very good adult actress.

Vote for Josephine Baker 50) Josephine Baker

"Baker was the first African American female to star in a major motion picture, to integrate an American concert hall, and to become a world-famous entertainer. (wikipedia)" she broke the glass ceiling for all these other women. she was a visionary and revolutionary and knew how to sell the goods. she rocks on forEVER.

Vote for Jasmine Guy 51) Jasmine Guy

I wish she were more active today. Whether she was Whitley Gilbert on a Different World, or her brief role on Melrose Place as Caitlin rose Place, Dead Like Me, Queen, etc. Jasmine was a standout. She has a lot of subtlelty in her performances and is extremely beautiful and charismatic. She’s equally great in drama and comedy and a great dancer. Jasmine and Debra Messing are my two favorite actresses and I’d love to see them work together someday.â€

Vote for Ildi Silva 52) Ildi Silva

Brazilian television actress. She was discovered on the streets of Salvador and became a model.

Vote for Aissa Maiga 53) Aissa Maiga

French Actress who is one of the highest paid black women in Europe.

Vote for Taís Araújo 54) Taís Araújo

Brazilian actress who became the first black actress to appear as a main character in a telenovela (soap) on Brazilian television.

Vote for Whitney Houston 55) Whitney Houston

Vote for Alicia Keys 56) Alicia Keys

Was in the movie The Secret Life of Bees. Just starting to act.