By Thomas Sellers Jr.
It’s officially Black History Month 2022.
Normally I don’t venture into subjects with a racial narrative but with the passing of acting icon Sidney Poitier, I wanted to take the next couple of weeks to shine a spotlight on my favorite black actors and actresses.
Poitier passed away Jan. 6 at the age of 94. His death maybe got loss between America’s Sweetheart Betty White and 90s-kid’s dad Bob Saget. Poitier doesn’t crack my person top 10 because most of his best films were made decades before my birth.
But his impact on the acting industry and inspiring dozens of Negro men to follow in his footsteps is clear.
Some of Poitier’s classics are “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Duel at Diablo” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
Poitier was a Bahamian-American actor and became the first black male and Bahamian actor to be honored with the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964. Poitier was the black face of the “Golden Age” in Hollywood.
I have a few honorable mentions with James Earl Jones, Ving Rhames, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charles S. Dutton, Omar Gooding and Don Cheadle. Just that trio illustrates the range and diversity I expect out of a good actor. And when you’re responsible for portraying images that reflect me or will inspire me, my spotlight has some heat to it. These next 10 men shine as the best in black acting.
10. Michael B. Jordan
Famous Movies: Creed, Creed II, Black Panther, and Just Mercy
Michael Bakari Jordan maybe is the youngest actor on this list. He has some room to grow and can improve on his emotional range. But for pure box office draw, Michael B. Jordan scores like his namesake did in the NBA.
And his sculpted body and handsome features will help get him casted in many more films. Jordan will also stay in the public spotlight because of his good looks ranked in 2020 in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world and was also listed on People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
9. Wesley Snipes
Famous Movies: Blade, Passenger 57, White Men Can’t Jump and Demolition Man
Wesley Snipes cut his teeth early on in acting through comedy films. Then he emerged into an action hero by the 1990s. But he stayed true to his roots adding an element of comedy and quick wit often in enjoyable movies like “Demolition Man” and “Passenger 57.”
Snipes is the face of the Blade franchise and his martial arts training came in handy. He has been known to work behind the camera as a producer.
Snipes received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the 1992 film “The Waterdance.” He also received the Volpi Cup for Best Actor for his role in “One Night Stand.”
8. Forest Whitaker
Famous Movies: The Butler, Black Panther, The Last King of Scotland and Taken 3,
Staying busy in Hollywood since the late 1980s, Forest Whitaker is an actor, director, producer and also activist. A lot of his film roles have been chosen to bring the spotlight to issues on his heart. That’s why he has been able to give passionate portrayals in those movies.
Whitaker has been honored with numerous awards including the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.\His activism has been recognized too with Whitaker humanitarian’s work making him the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2011 and was later promoted to Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation.
7. Morgan Freeman
Famous Movies: Shawshank Redemption, Glory, Million Dollar Baby, Driving Miss Daisy and Lean on Me
Late bloomer is one way to describe Morgan Freeman’s career. Or we could use the phrase late discovery. Now Freeman is a go-to actor for Oscar-worthy films and he is known to have the voice of God.
In his 50 years long career Freeman has played a pimp, bank robber, principal and even God. He has been honored with numerous awards like Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award, AFI Life Achievement Award, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Freeman was born in the year 1937 in Memphis and now is known all over the world. He’s one we can be very proud to claim.
6. Jamie Foxx
Famous Movies: Django Unchained, Ray, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Project Power, and Robin Hood
Like comic acting legend Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx got his start by his roles in comedies. Some low budget and a couple of big productions, those movies provided Foxx with a platform to be seen for later films.
Foxx is the professional name of Eric Marlon Bishop. He gained recognition for playing the role of Ray Charles in the film “Ray” in 2004. Now he is an A-list actor you call on for dramatic movies. Foxx has been recognized with awards like Best Actor for “Ray.” Other honors for Foxx are BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild Award, Critics’ Choice Movie Award, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
5. Samuel L. Jackson
Famous Movies: Pulp Fiction, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Incredibles
Memorable is one obvious description for the action of Samuel L. Jackson. In 1988 his small role as a robber in “Coming to America” is quoted today. Now in his 70s, Jackson is still going strong and making more quotes for the public. Just tune into “Pulp Fiction.”
The gross worldwide collection of the films for Jackson is more than $27 billion which makes him the highest-grossing actor of all time (excluding the cameo appearances). Some of those heavyweight films are “Jurassic Park,” “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” “Pulp Fiction,” and the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy among others.
But give me Jackson as the lead and doing his trademark delivery, it’s always worth a stop of the remote.
4. Laurence Fishburne
Famous Movies: The Matrix, Man of Steel, Mystic River, Mission: Impossible 3, and Boyz in the Hood
My introduction to Laurence Fishburne was the urban classic “Boyz in the Hood.” But his big break came in the Saturday morning children’s production “PeeWee’s Playhouse.”
Through hard work and determination, Fishburne is now a playwright, producer, screenwriter as well as a film director. His work has made him the recipient of numerous awards. His most iconic portrayal was Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy.
3. Denzel Washington
Famous Movies: Antwone Fisher, The Book of Eli, Glory, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, Flight and The Equalizer
Maybe the most beloved black actor since Poitier, Denzel Washington’s resume’ speaks for itself. He’s the only multi-Academy Award winner eligible for this list. Let’s run down some of the other honors like the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award is a famous American actor who is also a director and a producer. He is also a recipient of a Tony Awards, Golden Globe Awards among others.
Washington’s most notable awards are his Academy awards for Best Actor & Best Supporting Actor for “Training Day” and “Glory” respectively. In the 1990s he was the signature dramatic actor. These days he plays the action hero. As long as Washington is delivering the lines, the role is in the hands of the best.
2. Will Smith
Famous Movies: The Pursuit of Happyness, Aladdin, Gemini Man, Men in Black, and I Am Legend
Starting off as a rapper, Smith was well on his way to a great music career. But a little television show called “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” inspired Will Smith to give the Big Screen a chance.
Now millions of people know Smith as one of the best actors in the world. Smith’s numerous accolades include five Golden Globe Awards and two Academy Award nominations and is also the recipient of four Grammy Awards.
What makes Smith so awesome is he brings joy to his music and film roles. I hope he has many more years ahead of him in movies.
1. Danny Glover
Famous Movies: Lethal Weapon, Predator 2, Jumanji: The Next Level, and The Color Purple
Daniel Lebern Glover is simply my favorite black actor of all time because he is the first person to suspend my beliefs. Back in 1988, I sat down to watch “The Color Purple.” I hated Glover’s role of Mister. He was vindictive and pure evil.
Mister ruined the lives of most people he came in contact with. I wanted him to just go away and die.
Fast forward to the winter of that year, I’m watching “Lethal Weapon” around the holiday season with my parents. There was his face. Danny Glover was playing Lt. Roger Murtaugh. I was mad at him because that was Mister.
But after 30 minutes I was rooting for Murtaugh. I was laughing at Murtaugh. And I wanted the veteran police officer to survive his mission and his new partner. Glover was a great straight man to Mel Gibson’s Riggs. Just a year earlier he was the worst husband in the world. Now he was an ideal family man.
Glover was the first actor in my lifetime that made me realize a performance can transform.
THOMAS SELLERS JR. is the editor of The Millington Star and both the sports editor and a weekly personal columnist for West 10 Media/Magic Valley Publishing. Contact him by phone at (901) 433-9138, by fax to (901) 529-7687 and by email to [email protected].
