Who can forget Angela Bassett as Tina Turner or Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles? Do you remember who played Billie Holiday? Or who Beyoncé performed as in the film Cadillac Records? More recent African-American biopics include the Lifetime original movie Betty & Coretta (2013), starring Angela Bassett as Coretta Scott King and Mary J. Blige as Betty Shabazz, and The Butler (2013), starring Forest Whitaker and based on the life of Eugene Allen.
View our photos of African-American biopics to compare these famous figures to the actors and actresses who have portrayed them.
Explore our collection of famous black entrepreneurs, including L.A. Reid, Tyler Perry, Tyra Banks, Magic Johnson, George Foreman, Madam C.J. Walker, Wally Amos, Russell Simmons, Kimora Lee Simmons, Will Smith, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Queen Latifah, Richard D. Parsons, Robert L. Johnson, Sheila Johnson, Don King, Berry Gordy Jr., Beyoncé Knowles, Jay-Z, Usher and Oprah Winfrey.
Spanning jazz to soul to funk, to more contemporary genres like R&B, rap and pop, African-American musicians are responsible for chart-topping hits like "I Feel Good," "Respect," "Georgia on My Mind," "Let The Good Times Roll," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Thriller." Explore our collection of famous black musicians, including Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, B.B. King, Duke Ellington, James Brown, Little Richard, Beyoncé Knowles, and more.
James Dean. Leonardo DiCaprio. Jay Leno. Get behind the wheel of these celebrity adrenaline-rush junkies.
The first Grammy Awards ceremony was held in 1959, after Walk of Fame recording executives compiled a list of industry leaders who they realized would never get a star on Hollywood Boulevard, but deserved recognition. The group helped found the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and named their award the "Grammy" as a nod to Edison's gramophone. Since then, hundreds of music industry members have received Grammys for their notable accomplishments in the field of music and recording. Here are the many winners of this now-prestigious award.
After the Civil War, many of the country's best and brightest black advocates, artists, entrepreneurs and intellectuals moved to the New York City neighborhood of Harlem. Thanks largely to the efforts of these residents, Harlem became both the cradle of a cultural revolution and the heart of the civil rights movement. Meet some of the many people who gave—and continue to give—this neighborhood a voice, simply by calling it home.
Browse notable music producers such as Jay-Z, Barry White, and Alison Krauss.
When musicians land big fame, there typically comes a moment of reinvention in which the "rock star" identity is born. This new persona often requires a new name, a way to differentiate between the private and public versions of themselves. Musical monikers take different forms, from the simple, last-name changes aimed at boosting celebrity appeal—like Steven Tyler—to the glamorized version of a childhood nickname—like Jay-Z. Musicians' nicknames and aliases tend to take on an identity all their own over time, often becoming as full of personality as the artists they represent.
Take a look at famous people named Sean, such as Sean Lennon, Sean MacBride, and Sean Young.
Browse through famous people who started with nothing and became successful.
Since its emergence in the 1980s, rap and hip-hop music has grown from an underexposed form of expression into a way for people of all backgrounds to shed light on their lives through rhythm and poetry. Pioneering rappers, such as Jay-Z, Queen Latifah and the Beastie Boys, helped spark the fire for rap to grow into the hot genre that it is today. Browse through a collection of famous rappers who influenced the hip-hop scene.
Explore our collection of some of the most famous performers of the highly anticipated Super Bowl from the 1970s through today, including Ella Fitzgerald, Chubby Checker, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, the Rolling Stones, the Black Eyed Peas, No Doubt, Madonna, Cee Lo Green, Nicki Minaj, Usher and Beyoncé.