Black actors have been the backbone of Broadway and other theater communities worldwide for generations.
The strips of New York and stages in London that make up some of the world’s most beloved entertainment venues have been home to novice performers who gradually became the familiar faces on our movie theater and television screens. Under the harsh glare of house lights they each learned how to translate the human condition with their characters and connect with the audience to tell joyful, morose, culturally significant and delightfully soapy stories.
Before they were visiting our homes on a weekly basis, helping to make our date nights more exciting, and climbing into the winner’s circle at award shows, these theater actors were ambitious understudies, charismatic members of the chorus, and hopeful production assistants. After laying in wait they each got their shot to bring truth to the words of greats like Richard Welsey, August Wilson, and Lynn Nottage. One performance and review at a time their stage presence and star power grew.
An iconic diva was first a school-girl-turned-competent-singer, a former beauty queen seized the spotlight by introducing the world to her talents, and a thespian learned how to jerk our tear ducts performing the work of the man whose words would help her secure a deserved golden statue.
Their career trajectories each bore separate twists and turns but the result was the same. These performers were unforgettable.
See some of the major Black actors who jumpstarted their careers in the theater below.
01
Vanessa L. Williams
Williams starred in ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ in 1993.
02
Vanessa L. Williams
Later she was nominated for a Tony for her appearance in 2002’s Into The Woods and became a huge television star as well as an ESSENCE covergirl.
03
Billy Porter
Before he was introducing the world to the ins and out of Ballroom culture Billy Porter was an understudy in Five Guys Named Moe.
04
Billy Porter
Today the ESSENCE cover star and red carpet assassin is one of the biggest names in Hollywood.
05
Audra MacDonald
McDonald first appeared on stage as a replacement in ‘The Secret Garden.’
06
Audra McDonald
Multiple Tony Awards later she was stealing our hearts as Aretha Franklin’s ill fated mommy in ‘Respect.’
07
Viola Davis
Viola Davis appeared in the August Wilson play Seven Guitars in the mid-nineties.
08
Viola Davis
Twenty-one years later she was taking home the Oscar for the film adaptation of the playwright’s Fences. Come on full circle!
09
Phylicia Rashad
Rashad appeared in Jelly’s Last Jam in 1992.
10
Phylicia Rashad
Today she has a mile long resume and she will be resuming her role as Mary Anne in Creed III in 2022.
11
Denzel Washington
Shortly before Whitley was wailing his name into a pillow on A Different World Washington was starring in Checkmates.
12
Denzel Washington
Today the Oscar winner is starring in the highly anticipated Macbeth retelling from Apple+.
13
Denzel Washington
He is also directing and mentoring young talents like Chante Adams and Michael B. Jordan in projects like A Journal for Jordan.
14
Cicely Tyson
Cicely Tyson made her Broadway debut in Jolly’s Progress in the late 1950s.
15
Cicely Tyson
She went on to rack up nearly 100 separate film and tv credits and inspire generations of Black performers.
16
Cicely Tyson
Her work left such a mark on the entertainment industry that Tyler Perry named a soundstage after her at his namesake studio facilities in Georgia.
17
Anika Noni Rose
Noni Rose appeared in a production of Footloose in 1998 before she took center stage in Caroline, Or Change.
18
Anika Noni Rose
Today she is a Tony Award winner, the voice of the first Black Disney princess and a new podcast host who is telling the stories of other talented women on the Being Seen podcast with the help of ViiV Healthcare.
19
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Lee Ralph appeared in 1980’s Reggae before inventing the mold as the original Deena Jones in Dreamgirls in 1981.
20
Sheryl Lee Ralph
Today she is starring in the upcoming Abbott Elementary, charming holiday films that center Black families and sitting atop the list of our all time TV bonus moms.
21
Loretta Devine
Devine was also one of the original Dreamgirls. She brought the role of Lorrell Robinson to life.
22
Loretta Devine
Today she has over 150 film and television credits and has played a diverse range of roles including mild mannered vegetable picklers and slick hucksters looking to shake down semi-celebrities.
23
Diahann Carroll
The songbird and glamour puss appeared in the 1954 musical House of Flowers.
24
Diahann Carroll
Her iconic roles including Julia, Dominique Deveraux and our personal favorite Preston Bailey’s no-nonsense mother on Grey’s Anatomy earned her a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
25
Diahann Carroll
It also got her well deserved recognition at our Fierce and Fabulous Awards and Black Women in Hollywood luncheon.
26
Patina Miller
After a brief stint in Hair, Miller stunned as Deloris Van Cartier in Sister Act before playing a sharp press professional on Madam Secretary.
27
Patina Miller
Today the Tony Award winner is using those stage chops to pull off a surprisingly convincing accent and enviable wardrobe as a maternal Black widow in the Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
28
Condola Rashad
Before the literal Broadway baby was making a smart play for POTUS on Billions she was starring in Stick Fly.
29
Condola Rashad
Today she is shanking her on screen daddy on the hit Showtime Series, releasing fun futuristic singles, and inspiring controversial sitcom characters.
30
James Earl Jones
Earl Jones played the original Edward in 1958’s Sunrise At Campobello.
31
James Earl Jones
Today he and his thunderous voice have cemented countless characters in our brain including the King savvy enough to throw his own funeral in Coming 2 America.
32
Heather Headley
The Tony winner was the original Nala in the 1997 premiere of The Lion King.
33
Heather Headley
Today she is a Grammy Award-winning Gospel singer who stands tall on series like Chicago Fire.
34
Harry Belafonte
The actor and activist made his Broadway debut in 1953’s Almanac.
35
Harry Belafonte
Today he has become an icon as known for his spirited performances as he is for fighting for what is right.
36
Jeffrey Wright
Wright starred in two of the original roles in Tony Kushner’s acclaimed Angels In America.
37
Jeffrey Wright
Today the Emmy winner continues to bring complex characters to life on series like Westworld and projects like the upcoming The Batman.
38
Daveed Diggs
Diggs was the original Marquis de Lafayette in the play turned cultural phenomenon
Hamilton.
39
Daveed Digs
Today he is a huge part of the Black-ish universe and starring in series like Snowpiercer and Central Park.
40
Emmy Raver-Lampman
Raver-Lampman was an understudy who also appeared in the ensemble in Hamilton.
41
Emmy Raver-Lampman
She went on to star in Jane The Virgin, and The Umbrella Academy and will appear in the upcoming films Gatlopp and Sam.
42
Cynthia Erivo
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art alum began her theater work at home in the U.K.
43
Cynthia Erivo
Today she is preparing to star in a major film adaptation of Wicked alongside Ariana Grande.
