Black actors have been making their mark in the TV and film industry for as long as movies have existed, but the up-and-coming Black actors of today are reaching new heights of excellence and artistry.
Get to know some of the best Black actors on the scene today with this essential list.
The rising stars in Hollywood who are making a mark in the industry
1. Ashton Sanders
If you’ve seen the acclaimed film “Moonlight” (2016), then you’re already familiar with Ashton Sanders (born 1995). The California-born actor starred as the teenage version of the main character, Chiron. Before that breakthrough role, Sanders starred in the slavery drama “The Retrieval” (2013). Since cementing his legacy with “Moonlight,” he’s expanded his repertoire with TV roles like RZA in Hulu’s “Wu-Tang: An American Saga.”
2. KiKi Layne
Like Ashton Sanders, KiKi Layne (born 1991) is another American actor and undeniable talent brought to the big screen by Barry Jenkins, director of “Moonlight.” Layne played the leading role in Jenkins’ next film, “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018). And the similarities don’t end there: Layne acted alongside Sanders in both “Native Son” (2019), an adaptation of the novel by Richard Wright, and “Captive State” (2019), a science fiction thriller.
3. Taylour Paige
You might recognize the name Taylor Paige (born 1990) if you’ve seen the crime film “Zola” (2020) or the Netflix drama “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (2020), where she acted alongside Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. Before those breakout roles, the California-born actor was a regular on the VH1 sports series “Hit the Floor” playing cheerleader Ahsha Hayes.
4. Jharrel Jerome
You can add Jharrel Jerome (born 1997) to the long list of up-and-coming Black male actors who had their careers boosted by the 2016 smash hit “Moonlight.” Jerome made his debut role as the teenage version of Kevin, Chiron’s one-time love interest. You can also catch Jerome in “When They See Us” (2019), the Netflix series created and directed by Ava DuVernay that explores the 1989 Central Park jogger case.
5. Shameik Moore
If you’ve seen Rick Famuyiwa’s “Dope” (2015), then you’re already familiar with Shameik Moore (born 1995). Starring as main character Malcolm, the Atlanta-born Black actor earned plenty of critical acclaim in his very first leading role. Since then, Moore went on to voice the new Spider-Man, Miles Morales, in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018) and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (2023).
6. John Boyega
As you may already know, London-born actor John Boyega (born 1992) stars as stormtrooper-turned-rebel Finn in the Star Wars trilogy “The Force Awakens” (2015), “The Last Jedi” (2017) and “The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). But he has many excellent but lesser-known roles in films like British horror-comedy “Attack the Block” (2011), the novel adaptation “Half of a Yellow Sun” (2013) and “Detroit” (2017), a crime drama based on the 1967 12th Street Riot.
7. Letitia Wright
You probably know Guyanese actor Letitia Wright (born 1993) for her supporting role in the superhero hits “Black Panther” (2018) and “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (2022). You might be less aware of her extensive experience with television roles on British shows like the crime drama “Top Boy,” the anthology series “Banana,” the LGBTQ drama “Cucumber” and the science fiction series “Humans.”
8. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Fans of comic books will likely recognize the name Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (born 1986). The New Orleans-born actor played Black Manta in “Aquaman” (2018) and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” (2023), Doctor Manhattan in the HBO series “Watchmen” (2019) and is even set to play Wonder Man in an upcoming Marvel series. If you’re more into serial killers than superheroes, check out Mateen’s work in “Us” (2019)—he’s the main character’s father in the opening flashback—and the 2021 remake of the horror classic “Candyman.”
9. Daniel Kaluuya
Another prominent name on the list of upcoming Black actors from London, Daniel Kaluuya (born 1989) achieved international fame as lead character Chris in the Jordan Peele-directed thriller “Get Out” (2017). Since then, Kaluuya has only cemented his reputation as one of the greatest new Black actors with roles in “Black Panther” (2018), “Queen & Slim” (2019) and another horror from Peele, “Nope” (2022). Before that, Kaluuya was known for appearing in the British teen drama “Skins.”
10. Tessa Thompson
Tessa Thompson (born 1983) may have gained mainstream recognition for her roles in the boxing series “Creed” (2015), “Creed II” (2018) and “Creed III” (2023) or her turn as warrior Valkyrie in the Marvel superhero films “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017) and “Thor: Love and Thunder” (2022), but her resume isn’t limited to blockbusters. The LA-born actor also graced screens in the satirical comedy “Dear White People” (2014) and independent films like “Mississippi Damned” (2009) and “Sorry to Bother You” (2018).
11. Lashana Lynch
British actor Lashana Lynch (born 1987) is probably best known for portraying the Air Force pilot and superhero Maria Rambeau in “Captain Marvel” (2019), “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” (2022) and “The Marvels” (2023). If you’re not a big fan of superhero flicks, you can also catch the London-born actor in “The Woman King” (2022) alongside Viola Davis.
12. Zazie Beetz
Another Black actor whose career received a boost by an appearance in the Marvel cinematic universe, Zazie Beetz (born 1991) appeared as Domino in “Deadpool 2” (2018). You may also recognize the German-born actor as Vanessa from the Donald Glover series “Atlanta,” Noelle from the Netflix anthology “Easy” or The Hornet from “Bullet Train” (2022).
13. Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. (born 1994) got his start playing small roles in big films like the sci-fi flick “Ender’s Game” (2013) and Academy Award winner “12 Years a Slave” (2013). Since then, the New Orleans-born actor has steadily gained larger roles in movies like the psychological horror “It Comes at Night” (2017) and the biopic “Elvis” (2022).
14. Jodie Turner-Smith
You may recognize British actor Jodie Turner-Smith (born 1986) from her co-starring role in “Queen & Slim” (2019) alongside Daniel Kaluuya. You can also catch her in her debut film “The Neon Demon” (2016), sci-fi drama “After Yang” (2022) or the Noah Baumbach-directed comedy “White Noise” (2022). On top of that, Turner-Smith has also landed a series of TV roles: She even plays God in the Netflix series “Sex Education.”
15. Caleb McLaughlin
If you’ve ever watched the Netflix horror series “Stranger Things,” then you’re already familiar with Caleb McLaughlin (born 2001), who’s part of the main cast as Lucas Sinclair. Before getting that big break, McLaughlin appeared in the Broadway musical “The Lion King” and even the opera “Lost in the Stars.” Since transitioning from stage to screen, the New York-born actor has appeared in the films “High Flying Bird” (2019) and “Concrete Cowboy” (2020).
16. Tyrel Jackson Williams
Parents and children-at-heart will recognize Tyrel Jackson WIlliams (born 1997) for his starring roles in the Disney productions “Lab Rats,” a TV series, and “Pants on Fire” (2014), a straight-to-TV movie. Boosted by his Disney credits, the New York-born actor has since starred in the first two seasons of the IFC series “Brockmire,” as well as films like “Thunder Force” (2021) and “Hollywood Stargirl” (2022).
17. Amandla Stenberg
LA-born actor Amandla Stenberg (born 1989) had her breakthrough role playing Rue in the dystopian action movie “The Hunger Games” (2012). Since then, Stenberg has starred in such films as teen drama “The Hate U Give” (2018) and dark comedy “Bodies Bodies Bodies” (2022). As for TV, you can catch Stenberg in the short-lived supernatural drama “Sleepy Hollow” and the Disney miniseries “The Acolyte.”
18. Chosen Jacobs
Massachusetts-born actor Chosen Jacobs (born 2001) kicked off his career by playing Will Grover on the CBS series “Hawaii Five-O.” Since then, he’s played the central character Mike Hanlon in the horror remakes “It” (2017) and “It Chapter Two” (2019). The future’s looking bright for this 23-year-old actor, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
19. Trevor Jackson
Like many other actors on this list, Trevor Jackson (born 1996) is a Disney Channel alum, having starred as Kris McDuffy in the TV movie musical “Let It Shine.” The Indianapolis-born actor has since expanded his repertoire with roles like Aaron Jackson on the Freeform series “Grown-ish” and Kevin Blake from the Syfy anthology “Eureka.” Jackson has also maintained his musical aspirations, releasing three studio albums from 2018 to 2021.
20. JD McCrary
Like Jackson, JD McCrary (born 2007) is a multi-talented star in the making. The up-and-coming African-American actor voiced young Simba in the live-action “The Lion King” (2019) and even lent his voice to a track on co-star Childish Gambino’s album “Awaken, My Love!” (2016). Since then, California-born McCrary has appeared in the comedy “Little” (2019) alongside Issa Rae and Regina Hall and even released his own EP titled “Shine” that same year.