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Chadwick Boseman
Actor, Director, Screenwriter / 1982 -
Chadwick Boseman is an American actor known for his roles on the TV show Lincoln Heights and as baseball great Jackie Robinson in the biopic 42.
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(1982-)
Actor, Director, Screenwriter
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Charles Burnett
Film Actor, Television Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1944 -
Charles Burnett is an African-American film director, writer, actor and cinematographer. His most well known works are Killer of Sheep and To Sleep with Anger.
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(1944-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter
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Dave Chappelle
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Producer / 1973 -
Dave Chappelle is a comedian whose Comedy Central show Chappelle's Show became a smash hit in the mid-2000s.
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(1973-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Producer
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Lee Daniels
Entrepreneur, Director, Producer / 1959 -
Film producer and director Lee Daniels is known for films that tackle thorny issues. Monster's Ball won and Oscar and was a $31 million success.
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(1959-)
Entrepreneur, Director, Producer
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Ossie Davis
Civil Rights Activist, Actor, Director, Writer / 1917 - 2005
Ossie Davis was an American actor, writer, social activist and humanitarian. He often performed with wife Ruby Dee in plays, in film and on television.
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(1917-2005)
Civil Rights Activist, Actor, Director, Writer
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Morgan Freeman
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Producer / 1937 -
Respected actor Morgan Freeman has appeared in such films as Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption, Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven and Batman Begins.
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(1937-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Producer
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Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Educator, Historian, Scholar, Literary Critic, Filmmaker, Academic Author, Editor / 1950 -
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. is an African-American educator and scholar, and the director of the W. E. B. DuBois Institute for African and African-American Research.
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(1950-)
Educator, Historian, Scholar, Literary Critic, Filmmaker, Academic Author, Editor
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Janet Jackson
Dancer, Producer, Singer / 1966 -
The younger sister of Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson is one of the best-selling artists in contemporary history. Her albums include Control and Rhythym Nation.
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(1966-)
Dancer, Producer, Singer
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Spike Lee
Film Actor, Director, Producer / 1957 -
Producer, director, writer and actor Spike Lee creates controversial films that explore race relations, political issues and urban crime and violence. His films include She's Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing.
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(1957-)
Film Actor, Director, Producer
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Oscar Micheaux
Filmmaker, Journalist, Screenwriter / 1884 - 1951
Oscar Micheaux was an African-American filmmaker whose films were a challenge to segregation in both Hollywood and society in general. He wrote, produced and directed more than 45 films from 1919 to 1948.
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(1884-1951)
Filmmaker, Journalist, Screenwriter
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Eddie Murphy
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director / 1961 -
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.
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(1961-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director
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Gordon Parks
Photographer, Director, Songwriter, Pianist, Writer / 1912 - 2006
Gordon Parks was an African-American photographer, filmmaker and author, best known for his work published in LIFE magazine and for directing the hit movie Shaft.
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(1912-2006)
Photographer, Director, Songwriter, Pianist, Writer
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Tyler Perry
Film Actor, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Playwright, Screenwriter / 1969 -
Writer, actor, producer, and director Tyler Perry has built an entertainment empire that consists of successful films, plays, and a best-selling book.
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(1969-)
Film Actor, Entrepreneur, Filmmaker, Playwright, Screenwriter
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Sidney Poitier
Film Actor, Filmmaker / 1927 -
Sidney Poitier became the first black Academy Award winner in 1964, receiving the honor for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963).
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(1927-)
Film Actor, Filmmaker
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Chris Rock
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer / 1965 -
Former Saturday Night Live castmember Chris Rock has appeared in such films as Bad Company and is the creator of the television show Everybody Hates Chris.
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(1965-)
Film Actor, Theater Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer
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John Singleton
Director, Producer, Screenwriter / 1968 -
Screenwriter and director John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood led to a Academy Award for Best Director, making him the first African-American ever nominated.
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(1968-)
Director, Producer, Screenwriter
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Melvin Van Peebles
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Playwright, Screenwriter / 1932 -
Melvin Van Peebles was a filmmaker and auteur who pioneered the "blaxsploitation" genre of African American action films in the 1970s.
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(1932-)
Film Actor, Director, Producer, Playwright, Screenwriter
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Damon Wayans
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer / 1960 -
Damon Wayans is an African-American comedian who appeared on the sketch comedy show In Living Color.
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(1960-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer
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Keenen Ivory Wayans
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer / 1958 -
Comedian and actor Keenen Ivory Wayans hosted his own late night show, The Keenen Ivory Wayans Show. His famous siblings are Damon, Shawn, Marlon and Kim.
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(1958-)
Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, Director, Producer
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Forest Whitaker
Film Actor, Filmmaker / 1961 -
Actor, producer and director Forest Whitaker won an Academy Award for his portrayal of dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland. He’s also known for films like Bird, Ghost Dog and The Butler.
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(1961-)
Film Actor, Filmmaker
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Oprah Winfrey
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Producer, Philanthropist, Talk Show Host, Television Producer / 1954 -
Billionaire Oprah Winfrey has hosted her own internationally popular talk show since 1986. She is also an actress, philanthropist, publisher, and producer.
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(1954-)
Film Actress, Entrepreneur, Producer, Philanthropist, Talk Show Host, Television Producer