It's not practically possible to count the exact number of times we have marveled over Laurence Fishburne's slick and suave performance as Morpheus in The Matrix! Neither can we keep a precise track of the times we loved watching Morgan Freeman's character of God giving practical lessons on managing personal issues to Jim Carrey's character in Bruce Almighty! These are just two out of numerous instances when actors of African-American ancestry dazzled the global audience with their versatility and acting prowess. Let's celebrate their success story by enumerating some of the most famous African-American actors in the following list! List of Top African-American Actors The following list includes some of the most admired and respected actors who created a special niche for themselves in the harsh tinsel world of Hollywood! Anyone who has seen their on-screen performances would agree with me.

• Will Smith
• Denzel Washington
• Morgan Freeman
• Forest Whitaker
• Chris Tucker
• Laurence Fishburne
• Halle Berry
• Jamie Foxx
• Terrence Howard
• Don Cheadle
• Samuel L. Jackson
• Djimon Hounsou
• Eddie Murphy
• Chris Rock
• James Earl Jones
• Paul Winfield
• Sidney Poitier
• Dexter Gordon
• Dorothy Dandridge
• Cicely Tyson
• Diana Ross
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Angela Bassett
• Diahann Carol
• Gaboury Sidibe
• Howard Rollins
• Rupert Crosse
• Louis Gossett, Jr.
• Jaye Davidson
• Cuba Gooding, Jr.
• Michael Clarke Duncan
• Margaret Avery
• Oprah Winfrey
• Beah Richards
• Jennifer Hudson
• Viola Davis
• Queen Latifah
• Ethel Waters
• Hattie McDaniel
• Marianne Jean-Baptiste
• Ruby Dee
• Lena Horne
• Harry Belafonte
• Ossie Davis
• Bill Cosby
• Mike Epps
• Danny Glover
• Ving Rhames
• Isaiah Washington
• Kareem Abdul Jabbar
• Traci Bingham
• Eriq La Salle
• Olivia Cole
• Juanita Moore
• Fred Williamson
• Woody Strode
• Raven Symone

African-American Movie Personalities who have Bagged Academy Awards Most of these actors and actresses have won Academy Awards in various categories. Let's check out such a list of actors who have won Oscars!

• Sidney Poitier
• Denzel Washington
• Jamie Foxx
• Forest Whitaker
• Halle Berry
• Louis Gossett, Jr.
• Cuba Gooding, Jr.
• Morgan Freeman
• Hattie McDaniel
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Jennifer Hudson
• Mo'Nique

Popular African-American Acting Personalities Over 40 The following list includes some of the hottest and most popular actors of African-American heritage over the age of 40 who still rock and are capable of giving the young bloods of Hollywood a run for their money!

• Will Smith
• Denzel Washington
• Morgan Freeman
• Forest Whitaker
• Eddie Murphy
• Laurence Fishburne
• Halle Berry
• Jamie Foxx
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Oprah Winfrey
• Queen Latifah
• Bill Cosby
• Danny Glover
• Djimon Hounsou
• Sidney Poitier
• Cuba Gooding, Jr.
• Terrence Howard
• Samuel L. Jackson

List of Top Movies Starring African-Americans Enlisted below are the popular movies of six veteran actors of African-American descent, classified under their names. Check the ones out which you have missed till date! Will Smith Popular Filmography

• Made in America
• Six Degrees of Separation
• Bad Boys
• Bad Boys II
• Independence Day
• Men in Black
• Men in Black II
• Enemy of the State
• Wild Wild West
• Ali
• I, Robot
• Hitch
• the Pursuit of Happyness
• I Am Legend
• Hancock
• Seven Pounds

Morgan Freeman Popular Filmography

• Brubaker
• eyewitness
• Harry & Son
• That Was Then... This is Now
• Street Smart
• Clean and Sober
• Glory
• Lean on Me
• Johnny Handsome
• The Bonfire of the Vanities
• The Civil War
• Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
• Unforgiven
• The Power of One
• The Shawshank Redemption
• Outbreak
• Se7en
• Chain Reaction
• Kiss the Girls
• Cosmic Voyage
• Amistad
• Deep Impact
• Hard Rain
• Nurse Betty
• Along Came a Spider
• the Sum of All Fears
• High Crimes
• Bruce Almighty
• Dreamcatcher
• Million Dollar Baby
• the Hunting of the President
• An Unfinished Life
• Batman Begins
• The Contract
• The Bucket List
• Wanted
• The Dark Knight
• Thick As Thieves
• Invictus
• Red

Denzel Washington Popular Filmography

• A Soldier's Story
• Cry Freedom
• The mighty Quinn
• for Queen and Country
• Glory
• Heart Condition
• Ricochet
• Malcolm X
• Much Ado About Nothing
• Philadelphia
• Crimson Tide
• Virtuosity
• Devil in a Blue dress
• Courage Under Fire
• Fallen
• The Siege
• the Bone Collector
• The Hurricane
• Remember the Titans
• Training Day
• Out of Time
• Man on Fire
• Inside Man
• Deja Vu
• The Book of Eli
• The Manchurian Candidate
• Unstoppable

Halle Berry Popular Filmography

• The Flintstones
• Losing Isaiah
• Executive Decision
• race The Sun
• The Rich Man's Wife
• Introducing Dorothy Dandridge
• The Wedding
• X-Men
• Swordfish
• Monster's Ball
• Die Another Day
• X2
• Gothika
• Catwoman
• X-Men the Last Stand
• Robot
• Perfect Stranger
• The Things We Lost in Fire

Eddie Murphy Popular Filmography

• Beverly Hills Cop I & II
• Best Defense
• The Golden Child
• The Distinguished Gentleman
• Vampire in Brooklyn
• The Nutty Professor
• Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
• Doctor DoLittle 1 & 2
• Holy Man
• Bowfinger
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash
• I Spy
• The Haunted Mansion
• Shrek 1, 2 & 3
• Shrek Forever After
• Norbit
• Daddy Day Care

Laurence Fishburne Popular Filmography

• Apocalypse Now
• Death Wish II
• The Cotton Club
• The Color Purple
• Miami Vice
• Quicksilver
• A Nightmare on elm Street 3
• Cadence
• King of New York
• Class Action
• Deep Cover
• What's Love Got to Do With It
• Searching for Bobby Fischer
• Just Cause
• Bad Company
• Hoodlum
• Event Horizon
• The Matrix
• The Matrix Reloaded
• The Matrix Revolutions
• Osmosis Jones
• Mystic River
• Mission Impossible III
• Fantastic Four: Rise of The Silver Surfer
• 21
• Predators
• True Crime: New York City

That was a brief list of famous African-Americans in the field of acting and movie industry. These actors have given us some of the best movies ever and we expect more brilliant performances from them in the years to come! The fact that so many African-Americans have been successful in various fields and have achieved celebrity status in the film and entertainment industry is remarkable, considering the hardships that many of the previous generations had to face to fight for their rights for equality and nationality. If you go through the biographies of a list of famous African-Americans and read quotes by some legendary leaders and celebrities like Martin Luther King and Oprah Winfrey, you'll realize the hard work, strength and perseverance that are required to create an identity for yourself in the face of racial and social adversities!