30 Most Famous Black Actors From the 80s

30 Most Famous Black Actors From the 80s

Originally published by Gloria N on July 2023 and Updated by Beatrice J on May 2024

Sam Lucas was the first-ever black actor to be cast in a leading role in a mainstream film in 1914. Since then, black actors have taken over Hollywood and the entertainment industry at large as well as breaking the racial barriers in the film industry.

In this article, we have looked at the 30 most famous black actors from the 80s. Get ready to be driven into the entertainment industry and learn more about a few famous black actors and their amazing work. It is good to note the list of famous black actors from the 80s is big, only talked of a few here.

Here are the 30 most famous black actors from the 80s;

1. Denzel Washington

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Denzel Washington was born in Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. in 1954. He is one of the most famous and successful actors in America. Denzel has been active in the field of acting since 1975 to date.

He is among the famous black actors from the 80s and he starred in several successful films including Remember the Titans, Malcolm X, and Glory among others.

Read the 15 Black Actors Who Recently Died.

2. Danny Glover

When we talk of the black famous actors of the 80s, Danny Glover is one of them. He became popular worldwide after featuring in the Lethal Weapon film series as Roger Murtaugh.

 Danny has been active in his career from 1978 till to date. He was born to James Glover and Carrie. The interesting part about his family is that his parents worked as postal workers.

3. Wesley Snipes

Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Wesley Snipes is one of the black actors who gained fame in the 1980s. Wesley is the son of Wesley Rudolph Snipes and Marian born in Orlando, Florida, U.S.

Throughout his career, he received many nominations and awards for his amazing work in the entertainment industry, including CableACE Awards, and Gold Special Jury Award, among others.

4. Charles S. Dutton

In 1951, Charles S. Dutton came to this world in a place known as Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. After starring in ‘Roc’  a television series between 1991 to 1994, he became famous worldwide.

 He has been in the acting field from 1984 to 2015, then he retired due to old age. Since he retired from the acting field, Dutton has kept his life private and is hard to tell what he does for now.

Here are the 20 Most Famous Black Actors of the ’90s.

5. Eddy Murphy

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Eddy Murphy is one of the famous black actors who gain fame from the 1980s. He comes from New York City, U.S., and is an active actor to date. 

Eddy is one of the successful actors doing a great job in the industry.  ‘Saturday Night Live’ a comedy show made Eddy popular across the globe.

Due to his amazing acting skills, Eddy has secured himself several Awards such as the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor among others.

6. Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson is one of the black actors who were famous from the 1980s.  He is a worldwide recognized actor of his generation due to his amazing works in the acting field. Some of the films that Samuel has appeared in have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide.

Samuel was the only child of his parents, Henry Jackson and Elizabeth Harriett. His father never stayed together with them, hence Samuel was raised by his mother. Henry Jackson’s father was an alcoholic person which led to his death.

He has appeared in many films such as Goodfellas, and True Romance, among others. Samuel is as well-known for being a creative actor which has made him successful.

7. Martin Lawrence

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Martin is a comedian and actor from the United States of America. He gained fame back in the 1980s. Martin is known for his leading roles in the films such as Def Comedy Jam, Big Momma’s House, Bad Boys trilogy, and Open Season among others.

Apart from being an active and successful actor, Martin is as well a successful musician and has released an album.

Look at the 30 Young Black Actors you should follow in 2023.

8. Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby’s formal name is William Henry Cosby Jr.  Apart from being an actor, he is as well a comedian, and media personality. He is one of the most famous black actors who gained fame from the 1980s.

He has won several awards for acting in both film and television such as Two Daytime Emmy Awards, Two Golden Globe Awards, eight Grammy Awards, and five Primetime Emmy Awards among others.

9. Forest Whitaker

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 Forest Whitaker has been active in the field of acting since 1981 and is still active up to date. In the early 1980s, Forest gained fame and became popular across the world. The actor comes from Longview, Texas, U.S.

The American actor is one of the most creative people we have in the entertainment industry and has inspired a lot of humans outside the film or television industry.

10. Wesley Snipes

Wesley Snipes comes from Orlando, Florida, U.S. He is a successful actor and film producer. When we talk of a black actor who gained fame from the 1980s, Wesley can’t be left behind.

When Wesley was only 23 years old, an agent noticed him when he was performing in a competition, and that was how his acting journey began. Since then, Snipes has acted in many movies such as Passenger 57, Demolition Man, and Jungle Fever among others.

11. Laurence Fishburne

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Laurence Fishburne is one of the black actors who gained fame during the 1980s. He is an American black actor. He started acting back in 1972 and is active to date.

From 1999 to 2003, Laurence featured in a series known as ‘The Matrix Series’ and played as Morpheus. This series made Fishburne popular across the world. Other successful films he featured in include Apocalypse Now, and the John Wick film series.

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12. Emmanuel Lewis

Emmanuel was one of the famous black kid actors from the 80s. He was born on March 9, 1971, in Brooklyn, New York. He gained fame and became popular across the world after playing in the television sitcom Webster in the 1980s.

He was active in the field of acting from 1980 to 2013. During the time he was in the entertainment industry, Emmanuel was featured in many notable television series and movies.

13. Don Cheadle

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Don Cheadle began acting in 1984 and has remained active in this field of entertainment. He is a popular actor and has starred in many movies.

Don was the son of a teacher, Bettye Cheadle, and Donald Frank Cheadle, a clinical psychologist.  He was born in Kansas City in Missouri, however, his parents kept going from one city to another during his childhood.

He has been featured in films such as Brooklyn’s, Traffic, Captain Marvel, The Family Man, Rwanda, and Reign Over Me among others.

14. James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones is known as one of the most famous black actors in American history from the 1980s. Throughout his career, he has won two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and three Tony Awards.

The American actor is still active in the acting field. He has starred in many films and Tv series throughout his career as well as voiced for a lot of animations.

15. Mario Van Peebles

John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Mario Van Peebles became active in his career back in 1981 and is still active. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He is the son of actor Melvin Van Peebles and Maria Marx.

Van is a film director and actor in the United States of America. He is popularly known for directing and starring in USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage and New Jack City.

16. Keith David

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Keith is a well-known American actor who gained fame from the 80s. People know him for his deep voice and screen presence. He has appeared in over 300 roles on stage, television, film, and interactive media.

David has been in the entertainment industry since 1977 and is still active. Some of his notable films include Armageddon, Dead Presidents, They Live, and The Thing among others.

Read the 20 Most Talented Black Actors of All Time.

17. Richard Pryor Jr

Richard Pryor Jr. come from Peoria, Illinois, U.S. When he was only 65 of age, Richard died after a heart attack on December 10, 2005. He was a popular stand-up comedian not forgetting his acting career.

Throughout his career, he received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Primetime Emmy Award, the Writers Guild of America Award, and five Grammy Awards.

18. Paul Winfield

Paul Winfield’s career peaked in the 80s and is famously remembered for his roles in The Serpent, the Rainbow, and Death Before Dishonor. Paul was raised by a single mother, Lois Beatrice Edwards.

He began acting in 1967 and was featured in many notable films. Paul left a legacy in the entertainment industry and is remembered to date.

19. Gregory Hines

Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gregory is one of the famous black actors from the 1980s.  Apart from being an actor, Gregory was as well a dancer, singer, and choreographer in the United States of America.

As a dancer, people knew him as a Tap dancer, and he is one of the most celebrated Tap dancers in the world.

He is remembered for his roles in the films such as The Cotton Club White Nights, Wolfen, and Running Scared among others.

20. Delroy Lindo

Delroy Lindo is an English-American actor born in Lewisham, London, England. He received several accolades such as a Satellite Award, a NAACP Image Award, a Helen Hayes Award, and a Tony Award.

He entered the entertainment industry in 1975 and is actively acting to date. Some of the movies he has acted in include Mountains of the Moon and Blood In Blood Out among others.

Look at the Top 10 Most Popular Black Actors.

21. Morgan Freeman

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Morgan Freeman was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. He is a popular actor, narrator, and director. He started his acting career back in 1964 and is still in the industry to date.

Morgan is famously known for his deep voice which makes him outstanding in any film he stars in. He has been featured in famous movies including Driving Miss Daisy, among others.

22. Ice Cube

Since the 1990s, Ice Cube has been active in film career and has starred in many. His mother was a hospital clerk and custodian, Doris while his father was known as Hosea, a machinist.

Some of the films that made him popular include Boyz n the Hood, Friday, and The Players Club among others. Ice is still active in the entertainment industry to date.

23. Redd Foxx

Coast Artists Inc. (management); photographer: John E. Reed, Hollywood., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

He was popularly known as Redd Foxx, his stage name. The actor’s real name is John Elroy Sanford. He was active in the entertainment industry from 1935 to 1991, when he died.

He was among the famous black actors who gained fame from the 1980s. He appeared in many films and Tv shows such as Harlem Nights, Surely, You Jest, Sanford, and The Redd Foxx Comedy Hour among others.

24. Lynn Whitfield

Lynne Whitfield started her career as a theatre actress and later became a famous Hollywood actress. Lynn has been doing amazing work in the acting field hence winning several awards such as  Golden Globe Award.

Lynn is one of the most famous black actresses from the 80s and has appeared in several notable films of all time.

Find the 20 Most Famous Black Male Comedian Actors.

25. Oprah Winfrey

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Oprah Winfrey is an actor,  as well as a television producer, author, talk show host, and philanthropist. She is among the famous black actors in the 80s. She had a talk show known as ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ which was broadcasted from 1986 to 2011 from Chicago and was said to be the highest-rated television programme in history for 25 years.

 During the 20^th century, Oprah was the richest African American and was once said to be the world’s only black billionaire.

26.Angela Bassett

In the 1980s, Angela Bassett became a major motion picture star by displaying her range and strong on-screen persona. She captured audiences’ attention with her unadulterated power and emotion in her breakthrough role as Reva Styles in “Boyz n the Hood” (1991), winning praise from critics for her portrayal of a strong mother overcoming the difficulties of living in an inner city.

With her powerful performance as Betty Shabazz in “Malcolm X” (1992), Bassett kept making waves alongside Denzel Washington. She is regarded as one of the most renowned actresses of her generation because of her ability to give her characters nuance and sincerity. In the 1980s and beyond, Bassett’s steadfast devotion to her work and her drive to showcasing powerful, nuanced female characters have cemented her position as an icon in Hollywood.

27.Yaphet Kotto

Yaphet Kotto was a well-known actor whose on-screen persona drew notice. He made a lasting impression in the 1980s with his standout roles in a variety of motion pictures. In the science fiction classic “Alien” (1979), Kotto portrayed Parker, demonstrating his ability to evoke fear and vulnerability in the face of unidentified danger.

In the action-comedy “Midnight Run” (1988), he played FBI agent Alonzo Mosely, showcasing his flexibility as an actor by skillfully fusing humour with aggression. Because of his captivating appearance and subtle performances, Kotto stood out in 1980s cinema and won the hearts of viewers all over the world.

28.Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg‘s unmatched talent and contagious charisma propelled her to stardom in the 1980s. Her breakthrough performance in “The Colour Purple” (1985) as Celie demonstrated her ability to portray the resiliency and inner fortitude of her character and garnered her a nomination for an Academy Award.

In films like ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’ (1986), Goldberg’s comedic brilliance was evident as she skillfully blended heart and humor. She was a cherished character in Hollywood thanks to her distinct combination of warmth and wit, and her influence can still be seen in the entertainment business today.

29.Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy‘s unparalleled comedic ability and captivating on-screen persona helped make him a household figure in the 1980s. His breakthrough performances in films such as “48 Hours” (1982) and “Beverly Hills Cop” (1984) made him a household name in Hollywood.

Murphy’s flexibility as an actor was demonstrated by his ability to play a variety of roles, including the fast-talking Axel Foley and the endearing Prince Akeem in “Coming to America” (1988). His captivating personality and contagious energy made him a beloved figure to audiences everywhere, solidifying his place in popular culture.

30.Robert Guillaume

In the 1980s, Robert Guillaume broke down boundaries and opened doors for upcoming generations of African American actors. He became the first African American actor to win the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series when he played the renowned character of Benson DuBois in the comedy “Benson” (1979–1986).

Guillaume became a well-liked character on television thanks to his charisma, wit, and perfect comedic timing. He kept pushing limits with his iconic performances throughout the 1980s, making a lasting impression on the business and motivating a great deal of young actors with his skill and drive.

In conclusion, black people have joined the entertainment industry most especially acting, and are taking over lowly. In this article, we have only mentioned a few black famous actors from the 80s, you can research others.