A List of African American Celebrities

Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (pronounced "beau-yer") is most recognizable for his portrayal of ambitious producer Jay in the Peabody Award-winning and Emmy-nominated Lifetime series UNREAL, which will return for its third season February 26. That same day, Bowyer-Chapman will launch and host an episodic conversational podcast series entitled JBC PRESENTS: CONVERSATIONS WITH "OTHERS." In partnering with the producer of the hit podcast RUPAUL: WHAT'S THE TEE, he will explore the concept of "otherness" and finding the strength and beauty in our differences and connectivity.

In 2016, the Hollywood Reporter declared Bowyer-Chapman one of Canada's top rising stars. That year, he co-starred opposite Robert De Niro and Zac Efron in the comedy DIRTY GRANDPA and filmed the indie feature TAO OF SURFING, alongside Eric Balfour and Lou Diamond Phillips. In Spring 2017, he co-starred in the Lifetime original movie LOVE BY THE 10TH DATE, alongside Kelly Rowland and Meagan Good. To much fanfare, he also appeared as a guest judge on RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE, a role in which he reprised this current season in the series' 'ALL STAR' edition.

Bowyer-Chapman began his career as an international model before making his feature film debut in SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM, which premiered at the 2006 Outfest Film Festival. In 2012, he starred opposite Jussie Smollett in LOGO's romantic comedy-drama THE SKINNY. Additional credits include his critically-acclaimed breakthrough performance in HBO's DEAR MR. GACY, SyFy's STARGATE UNIVERSE and the Nickelodeon animated series IRON MAN: ARMORED ADVENTURES, in which he voiced the role of the iconic superhero Black Panther.

Bowyer-Chapman is passionately involved with the Human Rights Campaign, for which he serves as a guest speaker. In 2016, he created the Bramon Garcia Braun (BGB) scholarship in his name, awarded to LGTBQ actors of color with a fierce desire to explore and express what is unique about them through their acting and the leadership and generosity to use their talent to change the industry's often limited perception of humanity. Born and raised in Canada, Bowyer-Chapman currently splits his time between New York and Los Angeles.

Daphnee Duplaix was born on 18 August 1976 in New York City, New York, USA. She is an actress, known for One Life to Live (1968), CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000) and Lost & Found (1999). She has been married to Grady Heiberg since 28 June 2014. They have one child. She was previously married to Ron Samuel.

Maurice P. Kerry is the kind of person whose story reads like a testament to resilience and unwavering dedication. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, as the eldest of three children to Adrianne D. Pless and Donald S. Horton, his name fittingly means "handsome and dark"a poetic reflection of his depth and charisma.

A decorated United States Marine Corps Combat Veteran, Maurice served with distinction during Operation Iraqi Freedom II. Yet, his battles didn't end overseas. After leaving active duty, he faced one of his toughest challenges: over a year of homelessness in Southern California. During that time, he refused to let adversity define him, eventually pursuing an acting career. In 2006, he began landing background roles but chose to put his Hollywood dreams on pause to support his family. He continued to channel his creative energy as '7K,' a San Diego rapper performing with the Marine Corps rap group SouthuNoyZ.

Today, Maurice wears many hats: a full-time single father fiercely devoted to his daughter, a director, a gamer, a personal motivator, and an acting coach. As a disabled veteran living with PTSD, he is deeply passionate about advocating for mental and physical health, drawing strength from his experiences to inspire others.

His military career as a rifleman and welder led him to civilian roles as a Gwinnett County EMT/Firefighter and a security contractor in Kuwait. But at his core, Maurice is a protector self-proclaimed "bully deterrent" who prides himself on being strong enough to lift his loved ones, literally and figuratively, through any fire they might face. Whether it's shielding his daughter or mentoring aspiring actors, Maurice's journey is a testament to grit, growth, and the power of unconditional love.

Maurice Kerry lives his life by a series of mantras, including "Don't Quit, Grit!", "Hard ain't impossible", and "In Iraq, I was shot at and blown up. The enemy couldn't kill me, so what do you think your opinion can do to a man like me?"

Jamin G. Walker is an American born actor. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey on September 30, 1982 to Denise Jenkins and George Walker. Jamin spent his years growing up in Roselle, New Jersey where he was an outstanding High School football player. In 2017 Jamin relocated to Atlanta, Georgia where he currently resides today. Jamin fell in love with the film industry after doing background extra work and decided to purse acting as a career and take acting classes. These days Jamin has worked on several Major and Independent Productions as an actor. Jamin also loves to work behind the camera as Director and Producer of his own projects. Today Jamin is doing auditions daily while waiting on his next big role.

William Allen Young was born on 24 January 1954 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. He is an actor and director, known for District 9 (2009), Lock Up (1989) and Wisdom (1986). He has been married to Helen Patrice Moore since 8 November 1986. They have two children.

Tongayi Chirisa was born in Harare, Zimbabwe. He is an actor and producer, known for The Jim Gaffigan Show (2015), iZombie (2015) and Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014).

Anna Maria Horsford was born and raised in Harlem, New York. Her parents immigrated to the United States from the island nation Antigua & Barbuda, in the West Indies (then a British colony), during the 1940s. Anna grew up not really feeling American but not West Indian either, just somewhere in between. However, she vacationed in the Caribbean, and this stoked her desire to see the world. After high school she went to Stockholm, Sweden, to attend college.

Her mother always knew Anna would be something big because she was very talkative, and kept Anna enrolled in community centers, after-school programs, church events, etc. She auditioned for the New York High School of Performing Arts and was accepted. As she recollects, "My first big break came when I auditioned at the New York Shakespeare Festival."

Working in many different aspects of show business has allowed her to venture into areas other than acting, such as directing. She also has an Art Institute in upstate New York. Her father was a Garveyite (following the "back-to-Africa" teachings of Marcus Garvey), journeyed to Africa and lived in Liberia for five years. As Anna said, "He clearly taught us to love being black and not be ashamed of being black. We are all warriors and have to work to do."

Reginald VelJohnson was born on 16 August 1952 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for Die Hard (1988), Family Matters (1989) and Ghostbusters (1984).

Stanley Kirk Burrell (born March 30, 1962), better known by his stage name MC Hammer (or simply Hammer), is an American hip hop recording artist, dancer, record producer and entrepreneur. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s, until the early 1990s. Remembered for his rapid rise to fame, Hammer is known for hit records (such as "U Can't Touch This" and "2 Legit 2 Quit"), flashy dance movements, choreography and eponymous Hammer pants.

A multi-award winner, M.C. Hammer is considered a "forefather/pioneer" and innovator of pop rap (incorporating elements of freestyle music), and is the first hip hop artist to achieve diamond status for an album. BET ranked Hammer as the #7 "Best Dancer Of All Time". Vibe's "The Best Rapper Ever Tournament" declared him the 17th favorite of all-time during the first round.

Burrell became a preacher during the late 1990s with a Christian ministry program on TBN called M.C. Hammer and Friends. Additionally, he starred in a Saturday-morning cartoon called Hammerman in 1991 and was executive producer of his own reality show called Hammertime which aired on the A&E Network during the summer of 2009. Hammer was also a television show host and dance judge on Dance Fever in 2003, was co-creator of a dance website called DanceJam.com, and is a record label CEO while still performing concerts at music venues and assisting with other social media, ministry and outreach functions. Prior to becoming ordained, Hammer signed with Suge Knight's Death Row Records by 1995.

Throughout his career, Hammer has managed his own recording business. As a result, he has created and produced his own acts including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Special Generation, Analise, DRS, B Angie B, and Wee Wee. A part of additional record labels, he has associated, collaborated and recorded with VMF, Tupac Shakur, Teddy Riley, Felton Pilate, Tha Dogg Pound, The Whole 9, The Hines Brother (Andra Hines & Dunkin Hines), Deion Sanders, Big Daddy Kane, BeBe & CeCe Winans and Jon Gibson. In 1992, Doug E. Fresh was signed to M.C. Hammer's Bust It Records label.

Before Hammer's successful music career (with his mainstream popularity lasting approximately between 1988 and 1998) and his "rags-to-riches-to-rags-and-back saga", Burrell formed a Christian rap music group with CCM's Jon Gibson (or "J.G.") called Holy Ghost Boys. Some songs produced were called "Word" and "B-Boy Chill". "The Wall", featuring Burrell[citation needed] (it was originally within the lyrics of this song he first identified himself as K.B. and then eventually M.C. Hammer once it was produced), was later released on Gibson's album Change of Heart (1988). This was Contemporary Christian music's first rap hit ever. Burrell also produced "Son of the King" at that time, releasing it on his debut album. "Son of the King" showed up on Hammer's debut album Feel My Power (1987), as well as the re-released version Let's Get It Started (1988).

With exception to later remixes of early releases, Hammer produced and recorded many rap songs that were never made public, yet are now available on the Internet. Via his record labels such as Bust It Records, Oaktown Records and FullBlast, Hammer has introduced, signed and produced new talent including Oaktown's 3.5.7, Ho Frat Hoo!, the vocal quintet Special Generation, Analise, James Greer, One Cause One Effect, B Angie B, The Stooge Playaz, Dasit (as seen on ego trip's The (White) Rapper Show), Teabag, Common Unity, Geeman and Pleasure Ellis; both collaborating with him and producing music of their own during his career.

At about the age of 12, Oakland native Keyshia Cole recorded with Hammer and sought career advice from him. In the mid-1980s while rapping in small venues and after a record deal went sour, Hammer borrowed US$20,000 each from former Oakland A's players Mike Davis and Dwayne Murphy to start a record label business called Bust It Productions. He kept the company going by selling records from his basement and car. Bust It spawned Bustin' Records, the independent label of which Hammer was CEO. Together, the companies had more than 100 employees. Recording singles and selling them out of the trunk of his car, he marketed himself relentlessly. Coupled with his dance abilities, Hammer's style was unique at the time.

In addition to appearing in many television commercials, M.C. Hammer produced and starred in his own movie, Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em: The Movie (1990). The film is about a rapper returning to his hometown who defeats a drug lord using kids to traffic his product. For this project, Hammer earned a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video at the 33rd Grammy Awards (having been nominated for two). He later produced MC Hammer: 2 Legit (The Videos), which included many actors and athletes.

In 1991, Hammer hosted, sang/rapped and voiced a Saturday morning cartoon called Hammerman. That same year, he and Bust It Productions (including B Angie B, Special Generation and Ho Frat Hoo!) appeared in concert from New Orleans on BET.

Hammer has made cameos and/or performed on many television shows such as Saturday Night Live (as host and musical guest), Amen and Martin. He also made a cameo in the 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero. Hammer would also go on to appear as himself on The History of Rock 'N' Roll, Vol. 5 (1995). Additionally, he has been involved in movies as an actor such as, One Tough Bastard (1996), Reggie's Prayer (1996), the Showtime film The Right Connections (1997), Deadly Rhapsody (2001), Finishing the Game (2007) and 1040 (2010), as well as a television and movie producer.

Despite public attacks about his financial status, after meeting at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Las Vegas, Nevada in April 2001, it was Hammer (credited as a producer) who provided the much needed funding to filmmaker Justin Lin for Better Luck Tomorrow (2002). In its first ever film acquisition, MTV Films eventually acquired Better Luck Tomorrow after it debuted at The Sundance Film Festival. The director said, "Out of desperation, I called up MC Hammer because he had read the script and liked it. Two hours later, he wired the money we needed into a bank account and saved us."

Hammer appeared in two cable television movies. At the age of 39, he was one of the producers for the VH1 movie Too Legit: The M.C. Hammer Story, starring Romany Malco and Tangi Miller as his wife, which aired on December 19, 2001. The film is a biopic which chronicles the rise and fall of the artist. "2 Legit To Quit: The Life Story of M.C. Hammer" became the second highest-rated original movie in the history of VH1 and broadcast simultaneously on BET. "The whole script came from me," says Hammer, "I sat down with a writer and gave him all the information."

Loni Love was born on July 14, 1971 in Detroit, Michigan. After graduating from Cass Technical High School on 1989, she went to Prairie View A&M University in Houston, Texas for about 4 years & got her engineering degree. Though Loni Love is a stand-up comedian, Loni worked as an engineer for IBM and other companies for about 10 years. Then, she got into stand up comedy, and became an actress as well. When she was doing stand up comedy, she would be performing at many different comedy clubs all around the country. While she wasn't doing stand-up comedy, of course, she was acting, and played many roles in the "I Love the 90's" series and also played Rose the Lunch Lady on "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide".

Brandon Claybon was born in Memphis, TN on October 10th. He began his career as a print model and quickly transitioned into appearing in television commercials for numerous top brands. Brandon made his television debut as a party-goer in the CBS hit show Two and Half Men (2011). In 2012, Brandon was cast as Lemuel McVie in an episode of CBS's crime-drama The Mentalist.

Tamara Tunie was born on 14 March 1959 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, USA. She is an actress and director, known for Flight (2012), The Devil's Advocate (1997) and Snake Eyes (1998). She was previously married to Gregory Generet and Greg Bouquett.

Cress Williams is an American actor, known for his roles in Prison Break and Close to Home. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series Hart of Dixie and the title character on The CW's Black Lightning. Williams is also best known for his recurring role as Terrence "Scooter" Williams on Fox's Living Single and as Inspector Atwon Babcock on Nash Bridges.

Niles Austin was born January 8th, 1994 in Hialeah, FL as Niles Austin Mitchell. Niles spent his entire childhood growing up in different parts of South Florida, but being the son of a Danish Step Father and American Mother meant that Niles was introduced to many different Languages, Cultures, and Foreign Lands at an early age. At the age of 18, Niles began his military service by attending the United States Military Academy at West Point for his undergraduate education, where he earned a B.S. in German Language and a minor in Systems Engineering and Portuguese. Upon graduating, Niles was commissioned as a Field Artillery Officer in U.S. Army, serving in different duty stations and in different capacities. Niles was discharged from the military at the age of 25. It was here that his acting career began in Seattle, WA. Niles now resides in Atlanta, GA where his acting career continues to blossom.

Jean Pope is known for Eyes from Eden (2017), No Vacancy (2022) and Shadows in the Mind (2021).

Aduba began earning recognition for her work in 2003, with a performance in "Translations of Xhosa" at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts that won her a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Play. Her Broadway debut was in 2007 as Toby in "Coram Boy". She was a member of the Original Revival Cast of "Godspell" at the Circle in the Square Theatre from 2011 through 2012. She also played the mother of the title character of "Venice" at The Public Theater in New York.

Her first television appearance was on the TV Series "Blue Bloods" in 2012. In 2013 she began to receive wider recognition and acclaim for her portrayal of Suzanne Warren, also known as "Crazy Eyes", in the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black (2013).

Tracie Thoms has had wide-ranging success in film, television and theatre throughout her busy career.

Tracie's currently a series regular opposite Oscar winner Octavia Spencer on the Apple series, Truth Be Told, while at the same time recurring on Fox's 9-1-1 and ABC's Station 19.

Tracie realized a long-held dream when she starred as 'Joanne' in the final weeks of the historic Broadway run of the iconic musical, Rent. She played the same key role in Sony's film of Rent opposite Rosario Dawson and Idina Menzel. She was seen opposite Bruce Willis and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Rian Johnson's Looper, and with Denzel Washington in Safe House. She starred with Kurt Russell in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse: Death Proof and opposite Anne Hathaway in David Frankel's The Devil Wears Prada. She was featured in Columbia's remake of Annie with Jamie Foxx and Quvenzhané Wallis. She's also been featured in dozens of indie films throughout her career.

Tracie starred on Broadway most recently in the acclaimed production of James Lapine's Falsettos. She also starred opposite Dulé Hill and Mekhi Phifer in Stick Fly, and opposite Alfre Woodard in Drowning Crow. She starred Off-Broadway in Working at Encores! Off-Center, with Oscar nominee John Hawkes in the world premiere of David Auburn's Lost Lake at Manhattan Theatre Club, and she was a lead in the acclaimed The Exonerated at The Culture Project. She's been featured in The 24 Hour Plays, The 24 Hour Musicals, and 10 Things To Do Before I Die at New York's Second Stage.

Tracie was a series regular for six years on CBS' Cold Case. She starred for Fox in Wonderfalls and recurred on Hulu's The First, WGN's Gone, Lifetime's UnREAL, Netflix's Love and NBC's Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. She's guest starred on Veep, Person of Interest, Suits, The Shield, The Good Wife, The Mindy Project, Criminal Minds, The Affair, The Good Doctor, Grey's Anatomy, Mad About You, Run, Curb Your Enthusiasm and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Tracie began studying acting in her hometown of Baltimore at age 9. She attended high school at the prestigious Baltimore School for the Arts. Later, she received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Howard University and a graduate degree in acting from New York City's renowned Juilliard School.

Among her studies, Tawny Cypress has done stints at Boston University; Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey; and Mason Gross at Rutgers University. She is also a former student of Barbara Marchant and The William Esper Studio in New York City.

Jasmin Savoy Brown stars as a lead in the new Shonda Rhimes ABC drama series, 'For The People' with Britt Robertson, Wesam Keesh, and Ben Rappaport. Jasmin also recurred on the Judd Apatow Netflix series 'Love.' She is best known as "Evie Murphy" in the critically acclaimed HBO's drama series 'The Leftovers' opposite Justin Theroux and Regina King. Jasmin also recently played series regular character, "Emilia Bassano", on the TNT drama series 'WILL', which told the story of a young William Shakespeare.

Jasmin's additional credits include: Freeform's 'Stitchers', ABC's 'Grey's Anatomy', FOX's 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine', and NBC's 'Grimm'. She recently appeared in the film 'Lane 1974' and played a supporting role in the Sundance hit film 'Laggies'.

Raised in Springfield, Oregon, Jasmin is a multi-talented performer. Jasmin is a proud alum of New York's CAP21 Conservatory for their prestigious summer musical theatre intensive as well as the Los Angeles ABC Diversity Showcase. Beyond performing, Jasmin is extremely passionate about supporting woman's rights and the LGBTQ community.

Mike was born to Mr. & Mrs. Eddie Lee Colter Sr. He attended Benedict College where he was mentored and groomed by his drama professor Scott Blanks. After transferring to the University of South Carolina where he attained a B.A. degree in theater, Mike went on to study at Mason Gross School of the Arts under renowned acting teachers William Esper and Maggie Flanigan. Upon receiving his MFA degree, Mike moved to L.A. where parts did not come easy, but after a few months he was able to grab a co-star on Spin City with Charlie Sheen followed by guest stars on E.R. and The Parkers with Mo'Nique. Mike then moved back to NYC to allow for the possibility of working in the theater as well, but as luck would have it Hollywood came calling again. He landed a role in 2005 Best Picture winner Million Dollar Baby opposite Clint Eastwood, Hillary Swank and Morgan Freeman. He got the role without ever meeting Clint in person prior to the first day of shooting. The following year he received exceptional reviews for his turn as CJ Memphis, a guitar-playing blues singer in The 2005 revival of the Pulitzer prize winning "A Soldier's Play". The play had been a big off-Broadway success and was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and many of Hollywood's up-and-coming African-American actors in 1984. Mike kept his nose to the grindstone with a role in Adam Bock's new play "Drunken City" that world premiered at Playwrights Horizon in 2008. Mike splits his time between New York and L.A. working in film and television.

Equally at home on stage and on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television.

Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original "Dreamgirls" in Michael Bennett's classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse's critically acclaimed stage production "Big Deal." Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe's "Colored Museum" and "Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill," cemented Devine's status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.

Film roles soon followed including a poignant turn as a single mother opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines in Waiting to Exhale (1995) which earned Devine her first NAACP Image Award for 'Best Supporting Actress.' Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshall's The Preacher's Wife (1996). Devine received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in "Women Thou Art Loosed." Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film "Crash" and the hit movie of "Dreamgirls." Some of her additional film credits include appearances in the successful "Urban Legend" franchise, "I Am Sam" opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Penn, "Kingdom Come," "What Women Want," "Punks," "Hoodlums," "Down in the Delta" and "Stanley and Iris."

Devine's more recent film credits include co-starring roles in "This Christmas" and "First Sunday" both of which opened Number 1 at the box office. Devine voiced the character of "Delta" in Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua." She appeared with Chris Rock in Sony Screen Gems remake of "Death at a Funeral" and "Lottery Ticket" for Alcon/Warner Brothers. Devine portrayed "The Woman in Green" in Tyler Perry's adaptation of Ntozake Shange's "For Colored Girls." In 2011, Devine starred in two leading roles in the film "Jumping the Broom" with Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett and in the Tyler Perry directed film "Madea's Big Happy Family," both films earned top spots at the box office, respectively. Devine followed up her box office hits with a strong lineup of independent films including Robert Townsend's "In The Hive" which earned Devine a NAACP Image Award nomination for "Best Actress in a Motion Picture", "You're Not You" alongside Hilary Swank, James Franco's "The Sound and the Fury" and the Kristen Wiig dramedy, "Welcome to Me."

On television, Devine became a critical darling in her Emmy award-winning role as "Adele" on ABC's hit medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." Devine's credits include numerous series roles on shows such as "The Cosby Show" spin-off "A Different World," Eddie Murphy's stop-motion animated series "The PJs," David E Kelly's "Boston Public," ABC's "Eli Stone" and alongside Jennifer Love-Hewitt on Lifetime's "The Client List." She most recently starred on NBC's critically acclaimed sitcom "The Carmichael Show" and co-starred in the 3rd season of BET's "Being Mary Jane" as the titular character's main antagonist, "Cece." Devine continues to voice "Hallie the Hippo" on Disney Channel's Peabody Award-Winning animated series, "Doc McStuffins," and will next star in the Netflix family series, "FAMILY REUNION" which will feature an all-black cast and crew.

With a career spanning three decades, Devine has earned much praise and accolades for her work on both the big and small screen. For her work as "Adele" on "Grey's Anatomy," Devine earned both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, a Gracie Allen Award for "Outstanding Female Actor in a Featured Role," a nomination for "Best Guest Performer in a Drama Series" from the Critics' Choice Television Awards and a NAACP Image Award and a NAACP Image Award nomination. In total, Devine has won nine NAACP Image Awards and has received a record twenty-four nominations. Devine has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Pan African Film Festival and the NAACP Theatre Awards and the Thespian Award from the LA Femme International Film Festival.

Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts from Brandeis University. She also received a Doctorate of Humane Letters as well as a Distinguished Alumni Award from The University of Houston.

She currently resides in Los Angeles.

Thandiwe Newton was born in London. She is the daughter of Zimbabwean mother Nyasha, a health-care worker from the Shona tribe, and British father Nick Newton, who worked as a lab technician. She lived in Zambia until political unrest caused her family to move back to the UK, where she lived in Cornwall (in southwest Britain) until she was 11 and enrolled in London's Art Educational School to study modern dance until a back injury forced her to quit dancing. This led to her auditioning for films. Her first role was in John Duigan's Flirting (1991). She then moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue acting. When her British accent limited the amount of work she was getting, she returned to Britain, studied at Cambridge University, and earned a degree in anthropology. Between semesters she continued acting and became noticed in in- demand for future film roles.

Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose recently finished filming the lead role of the pilot episode Beast Mode (TBS / Macro), which is based on life of legendary boxing trainer Ann Wolfe. Anika is also serving as Co-Executive Producer.

In 2018, Anika starred in the title role of 'Carmen Jones' in John Doyle's production at the Classic Stage Company in NYC. She was also seen in the film Assassination Nation (dir. Sam Levinson) alongside Bill Skarsgard, Bella Thorne, Suki Waterhouse, Maud Apatow and Joel McHale, and the film Everything, Everything, based on the popular young adult novel by Nicola Yoon, opposite Amandla Stenberg.

Anika starred as the lead of the television series The Quad, which ran for two seasons on BET (2017-2018). Anika also starred in The History Channel's adaption of Roots as Kizzy (NAACP Image Award nom for Outstanding Actress).

Other television credits include the Starz series Power, CBS's The Good Wife, ABC's Private Practice, CBS's Elementary and FOX's The Simpsons; the A&E mini-series Stephen King's Bag of Bones opposite Pierce Brosnan; and starring in The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency for HBO opposite Jill Scott and directed by Anthony Minghella.

Anika's many film credits include: Dreamgirls, The Princess and The Frog (voice of Princess Tiana), A Day Late and a Dollar Short, Half of a Yellow Sun, Imperial Dreams, and For Colored Girls.

Anika has won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in Caroline, or Change and has also starred in Broadway productions such as A Raisin in the Sun (Tony Award nomination and Outer Critics Circle nomination), and Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.

Additionally, Anika has received The Theater World Award, The Clarence Derwent Award, a Drama Desk nomination, the Los Angeles Critics' Circle Award, an Ovation Award, an Obie Award and four NAACP Image nominations, including the NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award for Theater.

Anika was the youngest performer to be honored as a Disney Legend when she received the honor in 2011.

March, 2019

The actress Tessa Lynn Thompson was born on October 3, 1983 in Los Angeles, California. She is the daughter of singer-songwriter Marc Anthony Thompson and the granddaughter of actor-musician Bobby Ramos. She was raised in Los Angeles before moving to Brooklyn, New York. Her father is of Afro-Panamanian ancestry and her mother is of Mexican and British Isles ancestry. Thompson attended Santa Monica High School, where she was featured in numerous theatre productions. After graduation, she enrolled at Santa Monica College, where she obtained a degree in cultural anthropology.

She starred as Juliet in William Shakespeare's drama "Romeo and Juliet" in a production held at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena, California. Her performance from earned her the NAACP Theatre nomination the same year. Away from the theatre stage, In 2005, Tessa made her first television appearance when she starred in the CBS series Cold Case (2003). Talented like her father Marc, Tessa's versatility extends to music, as a member of Electro Band, through which she has produced many songs, including one used in her film Dear White People (2017).

Since her acting career began in 2002, Tessa has played remarkable roles in popular television series and movies including Murder on the 13th Floor (2012), Make It Happen (2008), Red & Blue Marbles (2011), Selma (2014), Creed (2015), Creed II (2018), War on Everyone (2016), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Sorry to Bother You (2018), Annihilation (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Men in Black: International (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019) and Sylvie's Love (2020).

Known for his charming looks and deep personality, Michael Ealy blessed the movie screen with his role in Barbershop (2002). When he left Silver Spring, Maryland, with a degree in English, he headed off to New York. From there he performed in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway hits "Joe Fearless" and "Whoa-Jack". He's appeared in Showtime's Soul Food (2000), on NBC's Law & Order (1990) and the ABC sitcom Madigan Men (2000).

When he moved to Los Angeles, he landed a lead role in "Barbershop" after a friend informed him about it. In addition, he appeared in Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Jerry Bruckheimer's Bad Company (2002), directed by Joel Schumacher. The natural, blue-eyed actor can be seen in HBO's Baseball Wives (2002).