Famous Black Entertainers a to z

Alvin Ailey was an American choreographer and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York in 1958.

Louis Armstrong was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, soloist, film star and comedian. He is considered one of the most influential artists in jazz history.

Performer Josephine Baker dazzled her way through the 1920s and 30s, from the Cotton Club to the Folies Bergre

Tyra Banks is an American super model and the creator and host of the reality television show America's Next Top Model.

Considered one of the most influential jazz musicians of his time, Count Basie was known for his piano style and command of big bands.

Harry Belafonte has achieved lasting fame for such songs as "The Banana Boat Song (Day-O)," and for his humanitarian work.

Chuck Berry was one of the most popular and influential performers in rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll music in the 1950s, '60s, and '70s.

Halle Berry is an American actress, former fashion model, and beauty queen. She is one of the most highly paid actresses in Hollywood and a Revlon spokeswoman.

Mary J. Blige is the so-called Queen of Hip-Hop Soul and has influenced a generation of artists with hits like "Real Love" and "Be Without You".

Called the Godfather of Soul, James Brown was a singer, songwriter, and recording artist who was the originator of funk.

Solomon Burke was an American singer who was the founding father of American soul music in the 1960s, merging African American gospel and R&B.

Jazz singer and dancer Cab Calloway performed in Harlem’s Cotton Club in the 1930s. He also appeared on stage and in films, such as 1979’s The Blues Brothers.

Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country. A blind genius, he is ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time.

Don Cheadle is a critically acclaimed actor who has appeared in such films as Crash, Boogie Nights and Out of Sight.

Nat King Cole was a popular musician and one of the first black Americans to host a television variety show.

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer and is an iconic figure of 20th-century jazz.

Entrepreneur Sean Combs has produced big-name artists like Mariah Carey, created the Sean John clothing line, and recorded his own platinum albums.

Sam Cooke, commonly known as the King of Soul, was an African-American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer and songwriter. He had 29 top-40 hits from 1957-1964.

Dorothy Dandridge was an American actress and popular singer, and was the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Nine-time Grammy Award winner Miles Davis was a major force in the jazz world, as both a trumpet player and a bandleader.

Ruby Dee is an American actress, playwright, screenwriter, activist, poet and journalist, perhaps best known for starring in the 1961 film A Raisin in the Sun.

Taye Diggs is an American actor best known for his role as the opportunistic landlord Benny in the Jonathan Larson's groundbreaking musical Rent.

Snoop Dogg is a West Coast rapper who evolved under the tutelage of Dr. Dre and went on to fame with albums such as Doggystyle and Tha Doggfather.

Michael Clarke Duncan is an African-American actor best known for his role in The Green Mile.

An originator of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and bandleader who composed thousands of scores over his 50-year career.

Considered one of the most notable singers of the 20th century, Ella Lane Fitzgerald was known as the "Queen of Jazz."

Atalented singer, comedian, and actor, Academy Award winner Jamie Foxx has proved to be a triple threat in the entertainment industry.

Multiple Grammy winner and "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin is known for such hits as "Respect," "Freeway of Love," and "I Say a Little Prayer."

Respected actor Morgan Freeman has appeared in such films as Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and Batman Begins.

Marvin Gaye was a soul singer-songwriter with Motown in the 1960s and 1970s. He produced his own records and often addressed controversial themes.

A jazz trumpeter and composer, Dizzy Gillespie played with Charlie Parker and developed the music known as bebop.

Danny Glover is an actor who came into his own as Mel Gibson's co-star in the Lethal Weapon films in the 1980s and 1990s.

American dancer and choreographer Savion Glover is best known for his unique style of tapping dancing, called "hitting."

Cuba Gooding, Jr. is an African-American actor who is best known for his Oscar-winning role in Cameron Crowe's film Jerry Maguire.

Billie Holiday was one of the most influential jazz singers of all time. She had a thriving career for many years before she lost her battle with addiction.

Actress and singer Lena Horne became one of the most popular singers of her time, known for such films as The Wiz and her trademark song, "Stormy Weather."

Whitney Houston was an American singer and actress whose first four albums, released between 1985 and 1992, amassed global sales in excess of 86 million copies.

Soulful gospel singer Mahalia Jackson was known for her powerful voice. An active supporter of civil rights, she sang at the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Singer-songwriter Michael Jackson's award-winning career as the King of Pop transformed the face of pop music and popular culture. He died unexpectedly in 2009.

Samuel L. Jackson is known as one of the hardest working Hollywood actors. In 2011, he was named the highest-grossing actor of all time.

Judith Jamison, choreographer and dancer, has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Kennedy Center Honors and the National Medal of Arts.

Rapper and hip-hop entrepreneur Jay-Z has won Grammy Awards, helmed Def Jam Records, created a clothing line, and married Beyoncé Knowles.

Robert L. Johnson is the founder of Black Entertainment Television and the first African American majority owner of a major professional sports team in the US.

Musician Robert Johnson is best known as one of the greatest blues performers of all time, a recognition that came largely after his death at age 27.

James Earl Jones is an American Actor, known as the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. His film career has been vast.

Quincy Jones is best known as a composer and record producer for legendary musicians such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, Celene Dion and Aretha Franklin.

"King of the Blues" B. B. King began as a disc jockey in Memphis before finding fame as an R&B guitarist, with hits like "The Thrill Is Gone."

Singer and actress Eartha Kitt is best known for her holiday song "Santa Baby" and for playing Catwoman in the 1960's TV show Batman.

Singer Gladys Knight has given voice to multiple R&B hits (with and without her Pips), including "Midnight Train to Georgia."

Beyoncé, an American Pop/R&B singer, rose to fame in the 1990s as lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

Producer, director, writer, and actor Spike Lee creates controversial films that explore race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence.

Singer-songwriter John Legend's Grammy-Award winning debut album, 2004's Get Lifted, went platinum thanks in part to the hit single "Ordinary People."

A giant in the music world, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is a multi-Grammy award winner who has been lauded for his work both in jazz and classical music.

Curtis Mayfield was a singer-songwiter known for his racially conscious soul and funk who had a number one album with his score for the film Superfly.

Mo'Nique is an actress and stand-up comedian who won an Academy Award for her role in Precious.

Thelonious Monk is one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time and one of first creators of modern jazz.

Actor and comedian Eddie Murphy began doing stand-up as a teenager. He became a popular Saturday Night Live cast member and starred in several box office hits.

Queen Latifah is best known as a rapper, record producer, and actress and has been noted for her roles in Set it Off, Bone Collector, Last Holiday and Chicago.

Jazz great Charlie ("Bird") Parker caused a jazz revolution as a saxophonist, composer, and bandleader in the 1940s and 50s.