Griffin

1. RJ Cyler

RJ Cyler, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, was born Ronald Cyler II, the youngest of three boys. RJ has always been an entertainer in some way or form. At the age of 12, he started a dance team with his older brother. In January 2012, RJ heard a commercial for open auditions in the Jacksonville ...

2. Lynn Whitfield

Actress | Madea's Family Reunion

With roots leading back to Louisiana southern aristocracy, lovely leading lady Lynn Whitfield was born in 1953, the eldest of four children and a third-generation BFA graduate from Howard University. Her dentist father was instrumental in developing Lynn's initial interest in acting as he was a ...

3. Aretha Franklin

Actress | The Blues Brothers

Grammy-winning Queen of Soul and the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara Vernice (Siggers) and C. L. Franklin, a Baptist minister, who preached at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit for over thirty ...

4. Whoopi Goldberg

Actress | Ghost

Whoopi Goldberg was born Caryn Elaine Johnson in the Chelsea section of Manhattan on November 13, 1955. Her mother, Emma (Harris), was a teacher and a nurse, and her father, Robert James Johnson, Jr., was a clergyman. Whoopi's recent ancestors were from Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She worked in...

5. Allen Maldonado

Actor | Heels

Allen Maldonado is one of young Hollywood's busiest stars on the rise. The multi-talented actor, writer and entrepreneur, not only co-stars on the award-winning sitcom, Black-ish (ABC), he has also finished his second season as a full time writer on the hit Starz series, Survivors Remorse, has ...

6. Michelle Williams

Actress | Revival!

Tenitra Michelle Williams was born on July 23, 1979 in Rockford, Illinois. When she was a child, she never imagined being in one of the most successful female groups in the country. When she was 17, she had a friend who was playing the keyboard for famous R&B star: Monica so, of course, she told ...

7. Kristoff St. John

Actor | The Young and the Restless

Kristoff made his television debut at age 8 in the sit-com series "That's My Mama." Now, 39 years later, he is one of the stars on CBS's "Young and The Restless," the number one rated drama for the past 25 years on daytime television, playing the popular character of Neil Winters. Is it just a ...

8. LisaRaye McCoy

Actress | The Players Club

LisaRaye McCoy-Misick was born September 23, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. She is of African American and Native American descent and is proud of her heritage. She later attended Eastern Illinois University but she never really took the idea of a career in acting seriously until persuaded by an ...

9. Brandon Severs

Actor | Days of Our Lives

Brandon Severs was born on April 13, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. He is an actor, known for Days of Our Lives (1965), The Whispers (2015) and Life with Quincy 3 (2024).

10. Dawnn Lewis

Actress | A Different World

Dawnn Lewis was born August 13, 1961. She is remembered mostly from her role as Jaleesa Vinson on A Different World (1987). Dawnn composed the theme song with Bill Cosby and Stu Gardner that was used for the series. She left the show in 1992 to join the cast of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992) as ...

11. Rhyon Nicole Brown

Actress | Empire

As a bona fide star on the rise, Rhyon Nicole Brown is becoming well known in the entertainment industry as a triple threat; bringing complex, powerful characters to life on screen while also writing, recording, and performing her own original music. After a stellar performance as Maya throughout ...

12. Della Reese

Actress | Touched by an Angel

Della began singing in her hometown of Detroit when she was 6 years old. As a teenager, she toured with gospel great Mahalia Jackson and, at the age of 18, she formed the Meditation Singers and became the first performer to take gospel music to the casinos of Las Vegas. She was a vocalist with the ...

13. Alfre Woodard

Actress | Star Trek: First Contact

Alfre Woodard was born on November 8, 1952 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the youngest of three children of Constance, a homemaker, and Marion H. Woodard, an interior designer. She was named by her godmother, who claimed she saw a vision of Alfre's name written out in gold letters. A former high school ...

14. Lou Rawls

Soundtrack | Payback

Rawls was born on 1st December 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. His father abandoned his family and Lou was raised by his grandmother. His first meeting with music was when he was seven years old, in a Baptist church choir. He was mostly influenced by the Chicago Regal theatre where he had the ...

15. Jenifer Lewis

Actress | The Princess and the Frog

Jenifer Lewis is one of Hollywood's most familiar faces, with more than 300 appearances in film and television. Dubbed a "national treasure" by TV Guide.com, Jenifer stars on the hit show Black-ish (ABC), where her hilarious portrayal of "Ruby Johnson" earned her a nomination for the 2016 Critics ...

16. Jackée Harry

Actress | 227

Jackée Harry was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and reared from the age of nine in Harlem, New York, by her mother, Flossie. At the tender age of fourteen, Jackée landed the lead role of the King in her school's production of The King and I. Upon graduation from New York City's High School ...

17. Marla Gibbs

Actress | The Jeffersons

Armed with an acid dry wit and a full arsenal of sarcasm and sass, African-American character comedienne Marla Gibbs showed up on 1970s television with a bang in middle age (44). Landing the feisty maid role on the popular ground-breaking CBS sitcom The Jeffersons (1975), eventually led to her very...

18. Debbie Allen

Producer | Fame

Deborah Kaye Allen was born in Houston, Texas, to African-American parents, Vivian Elizabeth (Ayers), a poet and art director, and Andrew Arthur Allen, an orthodontist. As a child, Debbie, her older brother, Andrew (called Tex), and her older sister, actress Phylicia Rashad, lived in Mexico to ...

19. China Anne McClain

Actress | Hubie Halloween

China Anne McClain comes from an artistic family. Her father, Michael McClain, is a music producer, vocalist, writer and sound engineer. His first production was on Beyonce's younger sister, Solange Knowles (Solo Star CD - track no.16 entitled Sky Away). China Anne's mother, Shontell, is also a ...

20. John Legend

Soundtrack | La La Land

John Roger Stephens, known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's "Everything Is Everything", and making uncredited guest appearances on Jay-Z's "Encore" ...

21. T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh

Actress | The Cool Crystal Show

A performer since childhood, performer, writer, producer and director T'Keyah Crystal Keymáh (Ta-Kee-ah Kristle Kee-Mah) studied theater, dance, voice, and pantomime in high school, then turned down a business scholarship to complete her studies at Florida A&M University with a degree in Theatre, ...

22. Kyle Massey

Actor | Cory in the House

Kyle Orlando Massey was born on August 28, 1991, in Atlanta, Georgia. His first acting job was in "The Wizard of Oz," but his big break came after he was cast in the popular Disney sitcom That's So Raven (2003), where he starred as Cory, the mischievous, money-obsessed brother of the main character...

23. Jonathan 'Lil J' McDaniel

Soundtrack | Clockstoppers

Jonathan 'Lil J' McDaniel was born on May 17, 1985 in Long Beach, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Clockstoppers (2002), Call Me King (2017) and Incision (2020).

24. Zackary Momoh

Actor | Seven Seconds

Zackary Momoh is known for Seven Seconds (2018), Harriet (2019) and Doctor Sleep (2019).

25. Anthony Anderson

Actor | The Departed

Anthony Anderson is an American actor, comedian and game show host who is known for playing Louis Booker from Kangaroo Jack, Glen Whitmann from Transformers, Ray Ray from The Proud Family and Antwon Mitchell from The Shield. He also acted in Blackish, Hoodwinked, The Departed, Agent Cody Banks 2 ...

26. Tristan Mack Wilds

Actor | The Secret Life of Bees

Tristan Wilds was born in Staten Island, New York. In 2005, at the age of 15, Tristan made his television debut as AJ in the mini-series Miracle Boys. After that, he took his talents to a different venue and tried his hand in theater. He worked with Phylicia Rashad and the Roundabout Theater ...

27. Denitra Isler

Actress | Instant Family

Denitra Isler is known for Instant Family (2018), Just Mercy (2019) and What Men Want (2019).

28. Roshon Fegan

Actor | Greenleaf

Introducing Roshon Fegan: A Musical Prodigy, Captivating Actor, and Dance Dynamo! Prepare to be awestruck by the iconic boundless talents of Roshon Fegan. Born on October 6th, 1991, in the vibrant community of Leimert Park, California, Roshon's journey into the world of music and performing began ...

29. Tyra Banks

Actress | Coyote Ugly

Tyra Banks was born on December 4, 1973 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Coyote Ugly (2000), Tropic Thunder (2008) and America's Next Top Model (2003).

30. Philip Bolden

Actor | Are We There Yet?

Philip Bolden was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor, known for Are We There Yet? (2005), Mystery Men (1999) and Little Nicky (2000).

31. Steve Harvey

Producer | The Steve Harvey Show

Broderick Stephen Harvey, Sr. is an American television host, actor, writer, producer, and comedian. He hosts The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Celebrity Family Feud, the Miss Universe competition, Family Feud Africa, and the arbitration-based court comedy Judge Steve Harvey.

Harvey began ...

32. Marcus Scribner

Actor | Black·ish

Marcus Scribner landed his first series regular role at the age of 13 on ABC's hit comedy "Black-ish" starring as Andre Jr opposite Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross. Since its premiere in September 2014, the series has gone on to receive both critical acclaim and awards recognition year after...

33. Tichina Arnold

Actress | Little Shop of Horrors

Tichina Arnold was born on June 28, 1969 in Queens, New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Everybody Hates Chris (2005) and Martin (1992). She was previously married to Rico Hines and Lamon Brewster.

34. Jason Woods

Actor | NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Jason Woods is known for NCIS (2003), 9-1-1 (2018) and Switched at Birth (2011).

35. Wanda Sykes

Actress | Monster-in-Law

Wanda Sykes has been called one of the funniest stand-up comics by her peers and ranks among Entertainment Weekly's 25 Funniest People in America. Her smart-witted stand-up has sent her career in many different areas.

She was previously seen in Comedy Central's Wanda Does It (2004), where she tried ...

36. Keith Powers

Actor | The Tomorrow War

Keith Powers was born on August 22, 1992 in Sacramento, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for The Tomorrow War (2021), Before I Fall (2017) and Straight Outta Compton (2015).

37. Jharrel Jerome

Actor | Moonlight

Jharrel Jerome was born on October 9, 1997 in Bronx, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Moonlight (2016), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) and When They See Us (2019).

38. Steve Harris

Actor | The Practice

Steve Harris is the son of John, a bus driver, and Mattie, a housewife, who stressed his and younger brother, Sherwin's education over his love for football. Steve attended St. Joseph High in Westchester, Illinois, a private school known for developing star athletes such as basketball star Isiah ...

39. Caleel Harris

Actor | Think Like a Man

Caleel Harris is an American actor and voice actor.

He joined Nickelodeon in 2015, and voiced AJ from Blaze and the Monster Machines, then later in 2016, he provided the voice of Clyde McBride on The Loud House until season 3, where Andre Robinson succeeded him in the role due to Harris's puberty. ...

40. W.A.R.

Actor | War-Angel: The Awakening

W.A.R. is known for War-Angel: The Awakening (2020), War-Angel: Inner Demons (Secrets Revealed) and Furious 7 (2015).

41. Dionne Warwick

Soundtrack | Alive

Dionne Warwick was born on December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Alive (1993), The Happytime Murders (2018) and Bird Box (2018). She was previously married to William Elliott.

42. Khalil Everage

Actor | Cobra Kai

Khalil Everage will make his feature film debut as the co-lead opposite Anthony Anderson in the Netflix Original BEATS which is set to release June 2019. Everage plays "August Monroe," musical prodigy with borderline agoraphobia whose path collides with a former music manager (Anderson) who has ...

43. Joachim Powell

Actor | The Upshaws

Joachim Powell is known for The Upshaws (2021), Black Monday (2019) and Dave (2020).

44. Juvan Elisma

Actor | About Fate

Juvan Elisma is known for About Fate (2022), Godmothered (2020) and Hocus Pocus 2 (2022).