40 Actors And Actresses We Love
40 Actors and Actresses We Love
With the Academy Awards announced this morning, all eyes are fixed on Hollywood. Even though no Black actors and actresses were nominated this year, we take a moment to honor 40 actresses and actors we love. Their work has made us laugh, made us cry, allowed us to step away from the pressures of our day-to-day lives, and taught us more about ourselves and our culture. Check out who made our list. Who would you add?
Jennifer Hudson
Favorite role: Effie White in “Dreamgirls.” Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in 2007.
Halle Berry
Favorite role: Leticia Musgrove in “Monster’s Ball.” Won Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 2002.
Jamie Foxx
Favorite role: Ray Charles in “Ray.” Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in 2005.
Nia Long
Favorite role: Nina Mosley in “Love Jones.”
Mo’Nique
Favorite role: Mary in “Precious.” Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2009.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Favorite role: Tre Styles in “Boyz n the Hood.”
Denzel Washington
Favorite role: Alonzo in “Training Day.” Won Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 2002.
Samuel L. Jackson
Favorite role: Carl Lee Hailey in “A Time to Kill.”
Joy Bryant
Favorite role: Cheryl Smolley in “Antwone Fisher.”
Morgan Freeman
Favorite role: Eddie Scrap-Iron Dupris in “Million Dollar Baby.” Won Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in 2005.
Zoe Saldana
Favorite role: Neytiri in “Avatar.”
Kerry Washington
Favorite role: Kay Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.”
Don Cheadle
Favorite role: Paul Rusesabagina in “Hotel Rwanda.”
Lynn Whitfield
Favorite role: Brandi in “A Thin Line Between Love and Hate.”
Eddie Murphy
Favorite role: Prince Akeem in “Coming to America.”
Queen Latifah
Favorite role: Cleopatra ‘Cleo’ Sims in “Set It Off.”
Ruby Dee
Favorite role: Lucinda Purifyin “Jungle Fever.”
Michael Ealy
Favorite role: Beau Willie in ‘For Colored Girls’
Cicely Tyson
Favorite role: Binta in “Roots.”
Regina King
Favorite role: Margie Hendricks in “Ray.”
Jada Pinkett Smith
Favorite roles: “Jason’s Lyric,” “Set it Off,” and “HawthoRNe.”
Will Smith
Favorite role: Mike Lowery in “Bad Boys.”
Raven-Symone
Favorite role: Charisse Dolittle in “Dr. Dolittle 2.”
Paula Patton
Favorite role: Ms. Rain in “Precious.”
Angela Bassett
Favorite role: Anna Mae Bullock in “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”
Anika Noni Rose
Favorite role: Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog.”
Idris Elba
Favorite role: Monty in “Daddy’s Little Girls.”
Anthony Mackie
Favorite role: Tupac Shakur in “Notorious.”
Taraji P. Henson
Favorite role: Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”
Sidney Poitier
Favorite role: Walter Lee Younger in “A Raisin in the Sun.”
Sanna Lathan
Favorite role: Monica Wright in “Love & Basketball.”
Alfre Woodard
Favorite role: Alma Roberts in “American Violet.”
Forest Whitaker
Favorite role: Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland.”
Morris Chestnut
Favorite role: Keith Fenton in “Two Can Play That Game.”
Gabrielle Union
Favorite role: Evangeline ‘Eva’ Dandrige in “Deliver Us from Eva.”
Jenifer Lewis
Favorite role: Jackie Washington in “Jackie’s Back!.”
Omar Epps
Favorite role: Quincy McCall in “Love & Basketball.”
Laurence Fishburn
Favorite role: Furious Styles in “Boyz n the Hood.”
Tisha Campbell-Martin
Favorite role: Sydney in “House Party 3.”
Thandie Newton
Favorite role: Christine Thayer in “Crash.”