The best African American actresses in history

Stars of yesterday and today

This list includes pioneers and also current stars who are seeking their place or have already found a place of honor at the pinnacle of Hollywood.

Hattie McDaniel: The pioneer who made the academy uncomfortable

The first African American to win an Oscar, for “Gone with the Wind” (1939). She was not allowed to sit with the whites at the ceremony. Irony at the golden level of Hollywood.

Dorothy Dandridge: Lethal beauty in a blind system

She was nominated for an Oscar for “Carmen Jones” in 1954. She dazzled everyone, except the studios, who didn’t know what to do with an African American woman, talented and seductive.

Cicely Tyson: Dignity as an art form

She never accepted stereotypical roles. Her every appearance was a political statement. “Sounder” and “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman” were launched against racism.

Whoopi Goldberg: Humor, drama, and an Oscar

One of the few to win an Emmy, Grammy, and Oscar. From “The Color Purple” to “Ghost”, she made irreverence her banner. Hollywood still hasn't figured her out.

Angela Bassett: The goddess who never gets ruffled

In “What’s Love Got to Do with It”, she was Tina Turner, pure fire. She never won an Oscar, but each of her appearances causes tremors. And not a wrinkle out of place.

Halle Berry: The trap of being first

She was the first (and only) African American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress. Her speech was emotional. Her post-award career: a catalogue of others' mistakes. Hollywood failed her, not the other way around.

Viola Davis: The hurricane with a deep voice

The first African American to win the “triple crown”: Emmy, Oscar, and Tony. Impossible to watch her without being moved to the core. “Fences” and “How to Get Away with Murder” are masterclasses.

Octavia Spencer: Talent without flamboyance

She won an Oscar for “The Help”, and hasn't stopped working since. With a contained gaze and steel resolve, she has found power in silence.

Regina King: From actress to director without permission

She started on TV and conquered cinema. She won an Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk” and now directs movies with an ease that unsettles the status quo.

Taraji P. Henson: Glamour with rhythm

“Empire” catapulted her, but her work in “Hustle & Flow” and “Hidden Figures” confirmed what we already knew: fierce charisma, absolute dedication. Never underestimate her. Ever.

Alfre Woodard: The actress everyone respects, but few reward

She has more awards than screen time. She doesn’t seek fame, she seeks truth. Each of her roles is a lecture. The Oscar slips away from her as if it’s afraid of her.

Danai Gurira: Sword, politics, and Shakespeare

Yes, she was Okoye in “Black Panther”, but she is also a renowned playwright and Shakespearean stage beast. No one combines Wakanda and Broadway like she does.

Kerry Washington: The woman who challenged the president (in fiction)

With “Scandal”, she imposed another archetype: the powerful and vulnerable woman, without clichés. Producer, activist, unstoppable. And with a wardrobe worthy of its own series.

Jurnee Smollett: Talent of blood and sweat

From a child in “Eve's Bayou” to dazzling in “Lovecraft Country”, her career has been a silent marathon. She doesn’t make noise, but when she speaks, she is unforgettable.