Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman, better known as “Raven-Symoné,” is an American actress and recording artist. Her entertainment career began when she starred in advertisements for well-known brands such as Jell-O and Cool Whip and as a young model for the Ford Modeling Company. Pearman was born … Read MoreRaven-Symoné Christina Pearman (1985- )
Korla Pandit, the first African American to have his own television show, was a composer, organist, and pianist who starred in TV’s first all-music series. He was known as the godfather of “Exotica,” a musical genre that became popular in the 1950s. In order to … Read MoreKorla Pandit (1921-1998) (aka Redd, John Roland, aka Rolando, Juan)
Actor Samuel Leroy Jackson was born on December 21, 1948 in Washington, D.C. to factory worker Elizabeth Jackson. His father abandoned his mother shortly after Jackson’s birth and then died of alcoholism. Jackson and his mother moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they lived with her … Read MoreSamuel L. Jackson (1948- )
Perry Watkins was the first African American set designer on Broadway. He was also a stage painter, makeup and costume artist, producer, and film art director. Born in Providence, Rhode Island on April 13, 1907, Watkins attended Hope High School where he and a friend … Read MorePerry Robert Watkins (1907-1974)
Actor, singer, comedian, and musician, Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas on December 13, 1967. He was adopted by his maternal grandparents Mark and Estelle Tolley after his parents’ divorce when he was still an infant. His grandmother introduced him to … Read MoreJamie Foxx (1967- )
Deborah “Debbie” Allen, dancer, choreographer, actress, director, and producer was born January 16, 1950 in Houston, Texas to Arthur Allen, a dentist and Vivian Ayers, a poet. Allen comes from a creative family: Allen’s brother “Tex” Allen is a jazz musician, and older sister Phylicia … Read MoreDebbie Allen (1950- )
Wayne Brady, comedian, singer, actor, and television personality, was one of the first African Americans to host a daytime game show. Brady became host of Let’s Make a Deal in October 2009. Wayne Brady was born on June 2, 1972 in Orlando, Florida. As a … Read MoreWayne A. Brady (1972- )
Image Ownership: 5of7 (CC BY-SA 2.0) Danny Lebern Glover, actor, producer, and humanitarian was born in San Francisco, California on July 22, 1946 to Carrie (nee) Hunly and James Glover. His parents, United States postal workers, fought for equal rights as members of the National … Read MoreDanny Glover (1946- )
Forest Whitaker at the San Diego Comic-Con International, 2017 Image Ownership: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 3.0) Forest Steven Whitaker, actor, producer, and director, was born in Longview, Texas, July 15, 1961, but was raised in South Central Los Angeles, where his parents moved when he … Read MoreForest Whitaker (1961 — )
Leslie Uggams, actress, singer, entertainer, and recording artist, was born in New York City, May 25, 1943 and grew up in a four-room house in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Her father, Harold C. Uggams, worked as a train porter, elevator operator, and professional … Read MoreLeslie Uggams (1943- )
