Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Culture

Best black actors

 

 

 

 

 

In celebration of Black History Month, Ali Pantony highlights the talent of four African-American Actors.

 

DENZEL WASHINGTON

Acting in 43 feature films (and sadly dying in what seems to be nearly all of them), Washington has got to be one of the biggest African American names in cinema. Firstly, Washington defined what it means to be a black man in cinema and blew us away with his portrayal of Malcolm X in Spike Lee’s 1992 film (for which he was nominated for an Oscar). Then he made us cry, gasp, shout, cry some more, clap and cheer throughout his performance in The Hurricane (nominated for another Oscar). Then he made us weak at the knees as the sexy, corrupt, leather-clad Alonzo Harris in Training Day (you guessed it, he won an Oscar).

 

MORGAN FREEMAN

What better leading man to kick off the list than everyone’s favourite narrator, Red, Fox, God, Boss, lieutenant, president, captain, judge, principal and Mandela (except Nelson himself, of course), than the honey-voiced man himself, Morgan Freeman. Who can forget the loveable, endearing Hoke in Driving Miss Daisy, the witty yet tough Somerset in Se7en, the gritty ‘scrap-iron’ Eddie in Million Dollar Baby and, of course, the undeniably outstanding ‘Red’ in Shawshank Redemption? And with so many more unforgettable characters played by Freeman, this black actor is definitely one to be celebrated and remembered for years to come.



JAMES EARL JONES

IN the industry for almost 50 years, James Earl Jones is easily one of the world’s favourite African American actors, especially in the ‘voice’ department. I can still remember my two-year-old self-mesmerised by Mufasa telling me to “remember who you are.” Not to mention the iconic voice of good old Darth Vadar. Bringing these two characters to life alone earns him his place on this list, but there is far more to Jones than his voice acting. He is a must-see in the 1990 The Hunt for Red October, the 1970 The Great White Hope, as Reverend Stephen Kumalo in Cry, the Beloved Country and as the hilarious King Jaffe Joffer in Coming to America.



JAMIE FOXX

A solid contributor to one of my other top fives (we’ve all seen the photo), the characters Foxx creates always stand out from the crowd (excuse all the puns). Foxx as Ray Charles in the 2004 film Ray was pure genius. Not only did Foxx learn to play Charles’s piano pieces himself, he even insisted on playing the role blind. His dedication paid off, and his remarkable acting earned him an Oscar. And I have to mention the sexy, strong and fearless, effortlessly cool Django, brought to life by Foxx. It’s impossible to picture any other actor as Django, and Foxx executes the role perfectly.

/home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 17
" data-author-type="
Warning: Undefined array key "type" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 18
" data-author-archived="
Warning: Undefined array key "archived" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 19
">
/home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 39

Warning: Undefined array key "id" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 39
-"
Warning: Undefined array key "archive" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/html-layout.php on line 40
itemscope itemid="" itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" >

Warning: Undefined array key "img" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-avatar.php on line 4

Warning: Undefined array key "show_social_web" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-socialmedia.php on line 6

Warning: Undefined array key "show_social_mail" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-socialmedia.php on line 7

Warning: Undefined array key "show_social_phone" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-socialmedia.php on line 8

Warning: Undefined array key "type" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-name.php on line 17

Warning: Undefined array key "type" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-name.php on line 19

Warning: Undefined array key "type" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-name.php on line 21

Warning: Undefined array key "archive" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-name.php on line 37

Warning: Undefined array key "name" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-name.php on line 41

Warning: Undefined array key "job" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 10

Warning: Undefined array key "job" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 15

Warning: Undefined array key "company" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 17

Warning: Undefined array key "phone" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 26

Warning: Undefined array key "mail" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 36

Warning: Undefined array key "web" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-meta.php on line 46

Warning: Undefined array key "bio" in /home/roarnews/public_html/wp-content/plugins/molongui-authorship/views/author-box/parts/html-bio.php on line 8

Latest

KCLSU & Societies

During a channel crossing event in late February, six King’s College London (KCL) students formed the majority of a crew rescued by the French...

News

Chairman Lord Geidt was found to have broken lobbying rules following an investigation by the House of Lords Commissioners for Standards. The chairman of...

Culture

After the runaway success of their last production, staged inside the majestic baroque settings of the Strand Chapel, King’s College London Opera Society is...

Creative Corner

Creative Corner is a space to share your creative writing at Roar! We hope you enjoy this poem written by May Zaben Calloused fingers...

Comment

News Editor Daisy Eastlake looks into the British accent divide and what it means for social mobility within the UK. Like many university students,...

Culture

Staff Writer Karissa Sweetland-Laube highlights the groundbreaking and influential role that Katherine Johnson played in both the world of STEM and the civil rights...

Culture

Roar writer Kiren Graziano reviews “The Play’s the Thing”, put on by the King’s Players Society.  P. G. Wodehouse’s “The Play’s the Thing”, directed by...

Culture

Roar writer Ryan Lam shares his discoveries of black singers of Europe’s music scene.  As we approach the end of Black History Month, I’ve...

Comment

Comment Editor Samuel Pennifold on the UK Government’s decision to go ahead with the easing of all Covid-19 restrictions on July 19. The UK’s...