TOP 5 BLACK ACTRESSES........Who is on your starting 5?

[KAPE KRUSADER]

My brother and I were having this conversation last night after watching the "Ma Rainey" movie trailer.

Who is your starting five on black actresses based on talent?

Here is my starting 5:

1. Viola Davis
2. Cicely Tyson
3. Angela Bassett
4. Octavia Spencer
5. Lupito Nyong'o

The top 3 were easy, the bottom 2 were difficult.

My 4 Bench players:

1. Halle Berry
2. Kimberly Elise
3. Regina King
4. Gugu Mbatha-Raw

 

[shaddyvillethug]

How u pronounce that last bitch name

 

[TimRock]

Regina should be in the starting 5. Move Octavia to the bench

 

[TimRock]

Alfred Woodard
Ruby Dee

 

[KAPE KRUSADER]

Regina should be in the starting 5. Move Octavia to the bench

That would be a fair switch.

 

[KAPE KRUSADER]

Alfred Woodard
Ruby Dee

Damn, I forgot about Alfre Woodard. Yes, Ruby had skills.

 

[playahaitian]

nicole beharie

 

[CGN_Spec]

Viola Davis
Angela Bassett
Regina King
Loretta Devine
Nia Long

Bench 5:

Monica Calhoun
Kimberly Elise
Regina Hall
Halle Berry
Traci Ellis Ross

 

[silentking]

Jazmine Cashmere
Beauty Dior
Kitten
Sinnamon Love
Carmen Hayes

 

[MistaPhantastic]

You're asking about the most skilled, right?

Are we talking THE top five black actresses or MY top five?
There are actresses that I don't necessarily think are the best in the business that I will watch a movie based just on them being in it. Also, some actresses that I think are great aren't my favorites.
Just trying to get some clarity on what you are asking.

 

[a1rimrocka]

Kerry Washington gets no love?

 

[Kaffeine]

 

[knightmelodic]

Of all time?

 

[g0nbad real bad]

Viola Davis
Angela Bassett
Regina King
Loretta Devine
Nia Long

Bench 5:

Monica Calhoun
Kimberly Elise
Regina Hall
Halle Berry
Traci Ellis Ross

These women are no where near the best actresses IMO. What movies can you point to where they embodied a character where you saw the character not the them??
Loretta Devine
Nia Long
Halle Berry
Traci Ellis Ross

To be on this list you should have more than 2 movies where you say wow I believe she was this person.

Kerry Washington
Vanessa Bell Calloway

 

[kidmegaii]

Whomever plays the character of Madea

 

[Flawless]

Bitch got shoulders like a line backer.

 

[Maxxam]

How u pronounce that last bitch name

Raw. That's all you need to know

 

[xxxbishopxxx]

How u pronounce that last bitch name

raw is all you need to know

 

[MistaPhantastic]

These women are no where near the best actresses IMO. What movies can you point to where they embodied a character where you saw the character not the them??
Loretta Devine
Nia Long
Halle Berry
Traci Ellis Ross

To be on this list you should have more than 2 movies where you say wow I believe she was this person.

Kerry Washington
Vanessa Bell Calloway

Halle's not on my list but she has range.

For instance - If you take her role in Bulworth, or B.A.P.S. and contrast it to something like Losing Isaiah or Gothika, you have vastly different ground covered. She was good in Queen, too. The problem with Halle is that she has a lot of mediocre performances.

 

[Aww Skeet Skeet!]

I came in here to say Alfre Woodard. Regina King.

 

[Lou_Kayge]

Raw. That's all you need to know

Great degenerates think alike. That's exactly what I was gonna say. LOL

 

[KAPE KRUSADER]

Of all time?

Of all time....

 

[BlackGoku]

Angela Bassett
Cicely Tyson
Alfre Woodard
Kerry Washington
Regina King

6th Man goes to Jada Pinkett - Smith (Everything she's been in, she brings it - Proof - Jason's Lyric, Bamboozled, Hawthorne) I dont think she's really done much after Hawthorne, but yeah..she's pretty good...she's sort of like Tupac (ironically) in which she doesn't have the a huge filmography compared to other greats, but what she does have is stellar...I'm not sure why she did "Woo", but whatever..lol

Came back to add Taraji to this as well...i just wish she had more dramatic roles like Benjamin Button and Hidden Figures

 

[Kwame Coltrane]

Strictly on talent NOT looks

Viola Davis
Phylicia Rashad
Alfre Woodard
Angela Bassett
Cicely Tyson

 

[TooTrilla]

this bitch cant act for shit

 

[MistaPhantastic]

Of all time....

Not doing that. Requires too much.

Top 5 alive:
Angela Bassett
Thandie Newton
Viola Davis
Alfre Woodard
Phylicia Rashād


My fave 5:
(means I'll check out the movie off their name)
Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Naomie Harris
Regina Hall
Ruth Negga
Rosario Dawson (blatina counts, yes?)

bonus:
Carmen Ejogo

 

[Charlemagne]

Regina King is the best Black actor working. Period. Full stop. End of story. Find me someone else who can do:

this

this (If Beale Street...)

and this:

I'll wait.

edit: by the way, i love all the actors mentioned. they are all talented and keep me entertained. y'all just caint be out here disrespecting my wife with #5 rankings and shit.

Carry on.

 

[BlackGoku]

Regina King is the best Black actor working. Period. Full stop. End of story. Find me someone else who can do:

this

this (If Beale Street...)

and this:

I'll wait.

edit: by the way, i love all the actors mentioned. they are all talented and keep me entertained. y'all just caint be out here disrespecting my wife wuth #5 rankings and shit.

Carry on.

I will take Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson's entire filmography against the field...

I'm sitting here trying to think of the most disrespected performance than Angela Bassett as Tina Turner...who won the Oscar that year?

Answer - Holly Hunter for The Piano...

 

[Charlemagne]

I will take Angela Bassett and Cicely Tyson's entire filmography against the field...

I'm sitting here trying to think of the most disrespected performance than Angela Bassett as Tina Turner...who won the Oscar that year?

No smoke. But, i said "working". Angela picks her spots now, as she is entitled to do and there are fewer starring roles for older Black actors that are not named Denzel. I rock with Regina as my #1 because she has the comedy piece/voice acting ability. Cicely, grand she may be, hasnt worked consistently in decades - unsurprising considering she was born in the 1800s it seems like - god bless her.

 

[TimRock]

i'm about 20 minutes into Ma Rainey's Black Bottom....Viola is killing it.

 

[shaddyvillethug]

No smoke. But, i said "working". Angela picks her spots now, as she is entitled to do and there are fewer starring roles for older Black actors that are not named Denzel. I rock with Regina as my #1 because she has the comedy piece/voice acting ability. Cicely, grand she may be, hasnt worked consistently in decades - unsurprising considering she was born in the 1800s it seems like - god bless her.

And she gave us Friday.

I know Nia Long as Regina Hall friend from Friday.

 

[HeathCliff]

Angela Bassett
Carmen Ejogbo
Regina King
Kimberly Elise
Lynn Whitfield

 

[creepin]

Angela B. Viola D. Regina K. Kimberly E. Thandie N.
Octavia S. Dana O. Jada P. Lupita N. Nicole B.
Alfre W. Naomie H. Carmen E. Ruth N. Kerry W.

Dana O. is Queen La

 

[Blkops]

Kerry Washington gets no love?

Naw OP said black and Kerry keep too much white in her.

 

[smoothly1]

Alfred Woodard
Viola Davis
Regina King
Angela Bassett
Taraji P. Henson

All of these women have range. Alfred has to be on the list. She is perhaps the most underrated actress ever. She has never given a bad or mediocre performance.