From breakout talents to legendary performers, these Black actors are redefining television with unforgettable roles and powerful storytelling.
If you’ve noticed an impressive rise of influential Black actors on your TV screen over the last few years, you’re not alone. Today’s Black actors are earning more praise and success than ever before on the small screen.
Get to know the actors who have defined Black representation on television and beyond with this essential list.
The contemporary Black actors we know so well could never have achieved their record-breaking accomplishments without the hard work and sacrifices of the legendary actors that preceded them. Here’s a quick overview of just a handful of the legions of Black performers who paved the way for so many modern success stories.
You can’t talk about Black actors on TV without mentioning this legendary Houston-born actor. Playing Clair Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984-1992, Phylicia Rashad defined nearly 200 episodes of the historic sitcom. Of course, Rashad’s acting credits go far beyond that iconic role. She’s also appeared in many impactful films, like “A Raisin in the Sun” (2008) and “For Colored Girls” (2010). If you want to catch her in a more modern movie, you can check out the sports dramas “Creed” (2015) and “Creed II” (2018) or the recent action thriller, “The Beekeeper” (2024).
One of the best-known Black actors on television, Idris Elba became a household name by playing Stringer Bell in the HBO series “The Wire” from 2002-2004. The London-born actor’s TV credits also include the leading role of John Luther in the BBC series “Luther” from 2010-2019. Elba’s extensive resume also includes plenty of major roles in films like “American Gangster” (2007), “Obsessed” (2009), “Prometheus” (2012) and “Beasts of No Nation” (2015). If you prefer popcorn films over intense dramas, you can also see Elba take up superheroic roles like Bloodsport in the DC comics movie “The Suicide Squad” (2021) and Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films “Thor” (2011), “Thor: The Dark World” (2013), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015) and more.
Certainly among the most influential African American television actors of all time, Angela Bassett has been a mainstay on the medical drama “9-1-1” since 2018 and appeared on its spin-off “9-1-1: Lone Star” in 2022. Before that, the New York-born actor played a variety of roles in nearly 50 episodes of the Netflix series “American Horror Story” from 2013-2018. As you probably already know, Bassett has also starred in numerous unforgettable films, such as “Boyz n the Hood” (1991), “Malcolm X” (1992), “What’s Love Got to Do with It” (1993), “Waiting to Exhale” (1995) and “Contact” (1997). More recently, Bassett joined the impressive cast of the record-breaking superhero movie “Black Panther” (2018).
This undeniable talent earned critical acclaim by playing Annalise Keating in the drama “How to Get Away with Murder” from 2014 to 2020. That role made Davis the first African American woman to receive an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. The South Carolina-born actor also portrayed Michelle Obama in the series “The First Lady” in 2022. Thanks to these roles and her appearances in well-received films like “The Help” (2011), “Fences” (2016) and “The Woman King” (2022), Davis has accumulated a ton of praise and awards. She’s one of only a handful of people in the world to receive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Awards (also known as EGOT).
While you may know Regina King for her various film roles, this accomplished Black actor has also enjoyed some iconic television roles. Notably, the LA-born actor lent her voice to main characters Huey and Riley Freeman in the adult animated series “The Boondocks” from 2005-2014. She also appeared in nearly 30 episodes of the “American Crime” TV series from 2015-2017 and the miniseries “Watchmen” in 2019. Of course, King’s resume also includes plenty of groundbreaking Black films, including “Boyz n the Hood” (1993), “Higher Learning” (1995), “Friday” (1995), “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” (1998) and “Ray” (2004). You can also catch her in more modern films like “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) and “The Harder They Fall” (2021).
You’ll probably recognize Billy Porter best from the Netflix series “Pose,” where he played Pray Tell in over 20 episodes from 2018-2021. The Pittsburgh-born performer has also graced the small screen in TV series like “Another World,” portraying Billy Rush in 1998, streaming hit “American Horror Story” since 2011, and a one-episode appearance on “The Get Down” in 2016. Porter’s credits in the film industry include playing the Fabulous Godmother in the 2021 “Cinderella” musical and a lead role in the 2023 drama “Our Son.”
This New York-born actor landed breakout roles while she was still a kid, playing Denise Frazer on the TV series “Full House” and “Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper” from 1992-1994. Smollett followed that up with a role on the “Cosby” TV series from 1998-1999, playing Jess Meriweather on 26 episodes of “Friday Night Lights” from 2009-2011 and portraying Nicole Wright in 19 episodes of “True Blood” from 2013-2014. You can also see Smollett in the acclaimed film “Eve’s Bayou” (1997), as well as movies like “Roll Bounce” (2005), “The Great Debaters” (2007), and “The Burial” (2023).
This Kansas City-born American actor has an impressive resume of TV roles. Cheadle played Roland Wilson in 24 episodes of the series “The Golden Palace” from 1992-1993, District Attorney John Littleton in nearly 40 episodes of the “Picket Fences” TV series from 1993-1995, Marty Kaan in “House of Lies” from 2012-2016 and Mo Monroe in “Black Monday” from 2019-2021. You can also catch the acclaimed actor in seminal films like “Boogie Nights” (1997), “Ocean’s Eleven” (2001), “Hotel Rwanda” (2004) and “Crash” (2004). More recently, Cheadle has appeared as Rhodey in big-budget films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021).
While you might remember Samuel L. Jackson best for his unforgettable appearances in various films, he’s also one of the most prominent Black actors on TV shows. The DC-born actor is the star and producer of the animated series “Afro Samurai.” He also portrays his Marvel character Nick Fury in a flurry of shows, including “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “What If…?” and “Secret Invasion.” Add to that his iconic appearances as Mace Windu in the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, Shaft in “Shaft” (2000) and “Shaft” (2020), and a variety of characters in seminal films such as “Do the Right Thing” (1989), “Juice” (1992), “Pulp Fiction” (1994), and “Snakes on a Plane” (2006). These and other credits have made Jackson the highest-grossing live-action actor as of 2021.
Over the last decade or so, Issa Rae has steadily risen to a place of undeniable prominence among Black actors in TV series. From her 2013 webseries “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” to her HBO hit “Insecure,” the LA-born actor has proved her skills as not just a performer but also a producer, writer, and creative. Since then, she’s also appeared on six episodes of the hilarious “A Black Lady Sketch Show” from 2019-2023. Recently, she’s started bringing her talents to the big screen with roles in films like “The Hate U Give” (2018), “Little” (2019), “Barbie” (2023) and “American Fiction” (2023).
Yvonne Orji is best known for starring alongside Rae as Issa’s best friend, Molly, on “Insecure” from 2016 to 2021. But the similarities don’t end there: Like her co-star, Orji has also appeared in “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” Beyond her affiliation with Rae, Orji has expanded her credits to include the animated show “My Dad the Bounty Hunter,” where she voices Tess, as well as films like “Night School” (2018) and “The Blackening” (2022).
You may know Anthony Anderson from his role as Dre Johnson on the ABC sitcom “Black-ish” and its spin-offs “Mixed-ish” and “Grown-ish.” What you might not know is that this Compton-born actor’s TV credits go back as far as 1996, when he portrayed Teddy Brolis on nearly 40 episodes of the series “Hang Time.” Anderson also starred as himself on the series “All About the Andersons” from 2003 to 2004 and appeared in 15 episodes of the cop drama “The Shield” from 2005 to 2007. Moving to the world of film, Anderson’s appearances include comedies like “Romeo Must Die” (2000), “Barbershop” (2002), “Scary Movie 3” (2003) and “Hustle & Flow” (2005), as well as the drama “The Departed” (2006).
Like Anderson, Tracee Ellis Ross can be seen on both “Black-ish” and “Mixed-ish,” where she collectively plays Rainbow Johnson in nearly 200 episodes. Ross, daughter of Motown legend Diana Ross, also played Joan Clayton in 172 episodes of the Black sitcom “Girlfriends” and portrayed Carla Reed in the 2011 series “Reed Between the Lines.” When it comes to film, you can catch the LA-born actor in “The High Note” (2020) and the satirical movie “American Fiction” (2023).
Texas-born actor Marsai Martin is only 19 years old but is already one of the most successful Black TV actors. Her breakthrough role was Diane Johnson on “Black-ish” from 2014-2022. She reprised the role in two episodes of “Mixed-ish” from 2019-2020. Martin is also an experienced voice actor, having lent her voice to Aggro on both “Dragons: Rescue Riders” and “Dragons: Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky” from 2019-2022, as well as Grey on the “Good Times” remake since 2024. But the young actor’s accomplishments don’t end there. In 2019, she became the youngest person ever to produce a studio film with “Little,” in which she also starred.
Rounding out our list of Black TV actors who were lifted to prominence by “Black-ish” is Miles Brown, who played Jack Johnson on the notable series as well as its spin-off “Mixed-ish” and “Grown-ish” from 2014-2023. The 18-year-old actor has also had appearances on shows like “The Thundermans,” “Shameless,” and even “Drunk History.” As for films, you can catch Brown, who hails from Oxnard, CA, in “Boy Genius” (2019) and the TV movie “Push Play” (2016).
You’ll likely recognize this American actor from his role as sidekick Darius in 35 episodes of Hulu hit “Atlanta” from 2016-2022. Stanfield, who hails from San Bernardino, CA, also has an impressive array of voice acting credits, including the eponymous character from the 2021 Netflix series “Yasuke” and the supporting character Guy on the animated sitcom “BoJack Horseman” from 2019-2020. You can also catch this rightfully celebrated actor in several excellent films, such as “Selma” (2014), “Dope” (2015), “Straight Outta Compton” (2015), “Get Out” (2017) and “Uncut Gems” (2019). He also stars in the subversive comedy “Sorry to Bother You” from 2018.
Like Stanfield, Bryan Tyree Henry stars alongside Donald Glover on “Atlanta” from 2016-2022 as Paper Boi, a rapper on the rise. Before that big break, the North Carolina-born actor had small roles on shows like “The Good Wife,” “Boardwalk Empire” and “How to Get Away with Murder.” Since the end of the critically acclaimed series, Henry has expanded into film, appearing in movies like “The Woman in the Window” (2021), “Causeway” (2022) and “Bullet Train” (2022).
This New York-born actor is a bonafide TV legend thanks to his time on the sketch TV series “In Living Color” from 1992-1994, as well as his starring roles on “The Wayans Bros.” from 1995-1999 and “Marlon” from 2017-2018. Wayans‘ film resume is just as impressive, chock full of cult classic comedies like “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood” (1996), “Scary Movie” (2000), “Scary Movie 2” (2001) and “White Chicks” (2004). But that’s not all Wayans can do: He shows off his dramatic chops as one of the main characters, Tyrone C. Love, “Requiem for a Dream” (2000).
Hailing from Staten Island, NY, Skai Jackson is an actor best known for playing Zuri Ross in the Disney Channel comedy “Jessie” and its sequel “Bunk’d” from 2015-2018. Like Marsai Martin, Jackson has also lent her voice to the series “Dragons: Rescue Riders” and “Dragons: Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky” from 2019–2022. You can also catch the 22-year-old actress in films like “Sheroes” (2023) and “The Man in the White Van” (2023).
You’re likely familiar with this St. Louis-born actor thanks to his role as Randall Pearson in over 100 episodes of “This is Us” from 2016-2022. He played a similarly significant role on “Army Wives” from 2007-2013 as Roland Burton. Brown has filled smaller parts on countless TV shows over the years, including “Third Watch,” “Supernatural,” “American Crime Story,” “Insecure” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” On film, you can see Brown in movies like “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot” (2016) and “American Fiction” (2023).
You’re bound to recognize this actor’s name if you’ve ever seen “Scandal,” the ABC series where she played the main character Olivia Pope from 2012 to 2018. Before that star-making role, Washington appeared in police procedurals like “NYPD Blue,” “Law & Order” and “Boston Legal.” The Bronx-born actor has also graced plenty of films, including “Save the Last Dance” (2001), “She Hate Me” (2004), “Ray” (2004) and “Django Unchained” (2021).
Probably best known for starring as Rue Bennett on the HBO series “Euphoria” from 2019-2022, Zendaya has quickly made her mark on the TV landscape. Hailing from Oakland, CA, the actor hasn’t shot to fame overnight: She cut her teeth playing roles like Rocky Blue on “Shake It Up” from 2010-2013 and K.C. Cooper on “K.C. Undercover” from 2015-2018. Zendaya has also acted in a variety of films, including “The Greatest Showman” (2017), “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019) and “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021), “Dune: Part One” (2021) and “Dune: Part Two” (2024), and “Challengers” (2024).
Another “Euphoria” alum, Storm Reid is an Atlanta-born actor most known for playing Gia Bennett on the HBO smash hit from 2019 to 2022. For her role as Riley Abel in the episode “Left Behind” of the 2023 drama series “The Last of Us,” Reid won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She has also appeared in the films “12 Years a Slave” (2013), “Sleight” (2016) and “A Wrinkle in Time” (2018).
You probably know this NY-born actor from his role as Lucas Sinclair in the Netflix series “Stranger Things” since 2016. Before that role earned him international recognition, McLaughlin was better known for his singing: He appeared in the Broadway musical “The Lion King” and even the opera “Lost in the Stars” On film, you can catch this young actor in “High Flying Bird” (2019) and “Concrete Cowboy” (2020).
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