Top black actors

Barack Obama’s inauguration represents how far African-Americans have traveled since the back-of-the-bus days. African-American actors also had a long and winding road to movie prominence.

Some examples:

Sidney Poitier got the transition off to a stunning start. He was the first African-American mega-star Oscar-winner, and virtually all of today’s black actors acknowledge the debt they owe him. In In the Heat of the Night, when he shouted, “They call me MISTER Tibbs!,” it was a voice heard ’round the world. At the time, he was criticized for playing too many saintly roles. In retrospect, that seems a necessary part of the transition.

Oprah Winfrey made her feature debut in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 version of The Color Purple — and who would’ve guessed that one day she’d be more powerful than he? In the Presidential campaign, some disapproved of her going public with her Obama endorsement. But silence on her part might have been misinterpreted as a lack of support.

Bill Cosby never enjoyed the same success on the big screen as he did on television. But his TV roles reflect the ascent of the African-American actor. In I Spy, he mostly served as sidekick to smug Robert Culp. He was to I Spy what Sammy Davis Jr. was to Sinatra’s Rat Pack. But in The Cosby Show, the Huxtables avoided racial stereotypes and won a warm place in America’s living rooms. Cosby was preceded by Diahann Carroll, whose TV sitcom Julia was similarly embraced for transcending racial cliches.

Will Smith still reigns as box-office king despite the disappointment of the recent Seven Pounds. He’s bigger with ticket-buyers than Cruise, Hanks, Pitt or Sandler. He knows how to play the game, and he plays it smoothly.

Richard Pryor gained wide acceptance as a major movie star and opened the gate for such later titans as Eddie Murphy. Pryor’s personal tragedy sometimes obscures the fact that his talent frequently elevated mediocre movie scripts.

Jennifer Hudson didn’t win the American Idol contest, but she won a more important trophy — the Oscar for Dreamgirls. She also won the public’s respect for her dignity during her recent family tragedy.

Denzel Washington is today’s Sidney Poitier, a handsome, talented actor at home in a variety of roles. He’s the only African-American to win Oscars in both supporting and lead actor categories, and his two Oscars reflect his range. He was a martyred soldier in Glory and a sneering, smirking and deadly corrupt cop in Training Day.

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