Actress Tessa Lynne Thompson was born on October 3, 1983 in Los Angeles, California to Marc Anthony Thompson, Afro-Panamanian, and an unnamed mother, who was half-Caucasian and half-Mexican. She also has a half sister, Zsela Sterlin-Thompson, and a half brother, Jody Rome Thompson. Thompson attended … Read MoreTessa Lynne Thompson (1983- )
Actor Michael Bakari Jordan was born on February 9, 1987 in Santa Ana, California to Donna Jordan and Michael A. Jordan. He also has an order sister, Jamila, and a younger brother, Khalid. When Michael was two years old, his family moved to Newark, New … Read MoreMichael Bakari Jordan (1987- )
Erykah Badu is an award-winning singer and songwriter who has been hailed as one of the most gifted rhythm and blues singers of the current era and has earned her title as the Queen of neo-soul; a mix of modern soul and R&B with influences from hip-hop, jazz, pop, African music, … Read MoreErykah Badu (1971- )
Della Reese, born Delloresse Patricia Early on July 6, 1931 in the Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan, is best known for her work as a blues and gospel singer, minister, and later as an actress. Reese was born to Richard Thaddeus Early, an African American steelworker, and Nellie Mitchelle Early, a Cherokee cook. … Read MoreDella Reese (1931-2017)
Film director and actor (William) Bill Duke was born on February 26, 1943 in Poughkeepsie, New York to Ethel Douglas Duke and William Duke Sr. After earning his A.A. degree from Dutchess Community College, Duke became interested in the performing arts while attending Boston University in Massachusetts, although he initially enrolled … Read MoreBill Duke (1943- )
Judy Pace was born on June 15, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. Her father was an airplane mechanic and her mother was a dress maker. Her parents raised her and older sisters in the back of their retail shop, Kitty’s Place, said to be the largest … Read MoreJudy Lenteen Pace (1942- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” American actor Sherman Alexander Hemsley was an Air Force veteran and postal worker before becoming a television actor. He is best known for his role as George Jefferson on the CBS television series All in the Family, The Jeffersons, and as … Read MoreSherman Alexander Hemsley (1938-2012)
Image Ownership: Public Domain Actress Phylicia Rashad was born June 19, 1948 in Houston, Texas to Andrew Allen, a dentist, and Vivian Ayers, a Pulitzer Prize nominated poet and playwright. Rashad’s siblings are also entertainers; her brother “Tex” Arthur Allen Jr. is a jazz musician … Read MorePhylicia Rashad (1948- )
Stage performer Richard B. Harrison found his passion for acting as a child. He devoted his life to pursuing this passion in the face of Jim Crow, finally becoming nationally acclaimed in the last years of that life. Harrison was born on September 28, 1864 in … Read MoreRichard B. Harrison (1864-1935)
Actress Pam Grier is best known for her portrayal of tough and sexy crimefighters in the 1970s genre of “blaxploitation” films. Her later work in the 1998 film Jackie Brown earned her a Golden Globe nomination. Pamela Suzette Grier was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina … Read MorePam Grier (1949- )
