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5 African American Actors with Impressive Careers

1. Will Smith

Headshot picture of Will Smith smiling at the camera.
Will Smith. Headshot. the1a.org. https://go.iu.edu/4MK6

Will smith, born September 25, 1968 is an amazing actor and performer. He was born in Philadelphia and used rap to get himself involved in the show business. His parents separated when he was only thirteen and got a divorce in 2000. His most known performance is for his star role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, with his most recent performance being in Emancipation. Smith has had a very successful career winning awards such as an Academy award, four Grammy awards, and a Golden Globe award. Smith has had a very impressive career and is a face of comedy in the film industry, while he was recently banned from the Academy for the next ten years, I hope he uses that experience to grow and become even better.

2. Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L Jackson is sitting on a couch staring at the camera while holding his hand on his chin.
Samuel L. Jackson. Headshot. mercurynews.com. https://go.iu.edu/4MK7

Samuel L. Jackson is an American actor and producer who was born December 21, 1948. He might be one of the most recognized actors of his generation and has appeared in countless amazing films. He is also the second highest grossing actor of all time. He was an only child born in Washington D.C., and met his father only twice before the man eventually died from alcoholism. He also developed a stutter at a young age and still to this day sometimes stutters. His initial degree was for marine biology and it wasn’t until he took a public speaking class that he decided to switch it, setting him up for his amazing career. His most breakout role was in Pulp Fiction, and he has also been featured in eleven Marvel films, and the Star-Wars prequel series. He has won countless awards including an Academy Honorary Award and multiple Golden Globe Awards.

3. Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman stands smiling at the camera.
Morgan Freeman. Headshot. bu.edu. https://go.iu.edu/4MK9

Morgan Freeman is an American actor, director, and narrator who was born June 1, 1937. Freeman was born in Memphis, Tennessee where he began acting at a young age and had a chance to get into drama school but rejected it to enlist in the US Air Force. After serving for four years he moved to LA and gained interest in the film industry once again. Freeman had his breakthrough beginning in 1989 where he starred in four big films and became an established actor in 1997. He is known for his amazing narrating ability and his distinctive voice, and some main movies he starred in include Now You See Me, The Dark Night Trilogy, and The Shawshank Redemption. He has won five major accolades including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

4. Viola Davis

Viola Davis stands smiling at the camera.
Viola Davis. Headshot. shandonphotography.com. https://go.iu.edu/4MKb

Viola Davis is an American actress and producer who was born August 11, 1965. She was born in South Carolina and had a rough childhood but got to experience acting in high school. After attending many colleges and furthering her education she graduated from Juilliard School in 1993 and soon after landed minor roles in different films. It wasn’t until the movie Doubt that she had her breakthrough. Since then she has starred in multiple award winning films. She was won multiple awards such as being one of the few performers to receive an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. On top of that she is also the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting and will hopefully not be the last.

5. Angela Bassett

Angela Basset stands smiling at the camera.
Angela Basset. Headshot. tomarywithlove.com. https://go.iu.edu/4MKc

Angela Bassett is an American actress who was born August 16, 1958. She was born in New York City but was sent to live with her aunt in North Carolina at only ten months old. She then moved again to Florida at the age of four, where she completed her schooling and excelled from the start. She was the first African-American from Boca Ciega to be admitted into National Honor Society and was an A and B student. She got a degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1983 but didn’t get any work until around 1985 when she appeared in a second-stage theatre. Since then she has appeared in multiple amazing films such as, Black Panther and Olympus Has Fallen. She has also won multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award and Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Sam Bull is a freshmen studying biology. This is his second semester working at media services and he loves it!


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