Post by Cher on Feb 1, 2023 20:03:58 GMT -6
Happy February!
Happy Black History Month!
I’ve spent a lot of this afternoon reading about monumental Black people in show business and the trails they blazed. So, in no particular order, a non-exhaustive list of incredible Black people in Hollywood.
Zendaya is the Queen of Euphoria and the youngest person to win an Emmy for best lead actress in a drama.
Jordan Peele was the first Black screenwriter to win an Oscar for best original screenplay.
Quvenzhané Wallis was the youngest actress to ever be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
Vanessa Williams was the first Black Miss America.
Phylicia Rashad was not just America’s mom. She’s also the first Black woman to win a Tony for Best Actress.
Harry Belafonte is credited with introducing Caribbean music to the masses. (Beetlejuice would be nothing without him!) He also was the first Black person to win an Emmy and the first Black man to win a Tony.
Kevin Hart is the first comedian to headline and sell out a NFL stadium. He’s also from Philly.
Dorothy Dandridge broke barriers while being surrounded by them. She was the first Black person to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress. She regularly sang in clubs, but she was not allowed to eat or hang out in them.
Arsenio Hall was the first Black late night talk show host. And if you ever fist pumped and woo’d along with him, you need eye cream.
Pearl Bailey was a singer, actress and performer. She was the first Black recipient of the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
Will Smith was the first actor to have 8 consecutive movies gross $100M. (Also from Philly!)
Lena Horne was a singer and actress in the 50’s. She regularly refused roles that portrayed Black people in stereotypical roles. This is amazing because at the time, the vast majority of Roles for Black actors were negative stereotypes.
I mean, she’s the Queen. Oprah is also the first Black woman to own a production company, the highest paid person on tv and one of the biggest tv hosts ever.
Laverne Cox is the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy, among many other “firsts”.
This is Roxie Roker, Lenny Kravitz’s mom. More importantly, she also appeared on “The Jeffersons” as part of the first inter-racial couple on prime time tv.
Halle Berry was the first and only Black woman to win an Oscar for best actress.
Whoopi Goldberg was the first Black winner of an EGOT (followed by John Legend and Jennifer Hudson).
Sidney Poitier is affectionately called the Godfather of Black Hollywood. He is the first Black actor to win an Oscar for best actor.
Spike Lee is known for his exceptional storytelling in his movies. He is also the first Black president of the Cannes Film Festival.
Angela Bassett is known for so many roles, along with a recent one: highest paid Black actress in TV history.
Hattie McDaniel is the first Black person to win an Oscar. When she won, Hattie had to sit in the back room because the venue was segregated.
There are so many more important people on this list, present and past. But, there could be more. Black roles only make up about 11% of movie roles in Hollywood. Behind the scenes, only about 6% of directors, writers and producers are Black. A recent study says Hollywood leaves about $10B annually on the table due to lack of Black representation and the projects that are picked up are underfunded, even though they see higher returns than other projects.
I’m here to reveal some blinds but I would love to hear what Black-led, produced, written shows and movies you’re into. Definitely going to make a point to stream some, this month and going forward.
Now to hit “create” and hope this novel posts.
Happy Black History Month!
I’ve spent a lot of this afternoon reading about monumental Black people in show business and the trails they blazed. So, in no particular order, a non-exhaustive list of incredible Black people in Hollywood.
Zendaya is the Queen of Euphoria and the youngest person to win an Emmy for best lead actress in a drama.
Jordan Peele was the first Black screenwriter to win an Oscar for best original screenplay.
Quvenzhané Wallis was the youngest actress to ever be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
Vanessa Williams was the first Black Miss America.
Phylicia Rashad was not just America’s mom. She’s also the first Black woman to win a Tony for Best Actress.
Harry Belafonte is credited with introducing Caribbean music to the masses. (Beetlejuice would be nothing without him!) He also was the first Black person to win an Emmy and the first Black man to win a Tony.
Kevin Hart is the first comedian to headline and sell out a NFL stadium. He’s also from Philly.
Dorothy Dandridge broke barriers while being surrounded by them. She was the first Black person to be nominated for an Oscar for best actress. She regularly sang in clubs, but she was not allowed to eat or hang out in them.
Arsenio Hall was the first Black late night talk show host. And if you ever fist pumped and woo’d along with him, you need eye cream.
Pearl Bailey was a singer, actress and performer. She was the first Black recipient of the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
Will Smith was the first actor to have 8 consecutive movies gross $100M. (Also from Philly!)
Lena Horne was a singer and actress in the 50’s. She regularly refused roles that portrayed Black people in stereotypical roles. This is amazing because at the time, the vast majority of Roles for Black actors were negative stereotypes.
I mean, she’s the Queen. Oprah is also the first Black woman to own a production company, the highest paid person on tv and one of the biggest tv hosts ever.
Laverne Cox is the first transgender person to be nominated for an Emmy, among many other “firsts”.
This is Roxie Roker, Lenny Kravitz’s mom. More importantly, she also appeared on “The Jeffersons” as part of the first inter-racial couple on prime time tv.
Halle Berry was the first and only Black woman to win an Oscar for best actress.
Whoopi Goldberg was the first Black winner of an EGOT (followed by John Legend and Jennifer Hudson).
Sidney Poitier is affectionately called the Godfather of Black Hollywood. He is the first Black actor to win an Oscar for best actor.
Spike Lee is known for his exceptional storytelling in his movies. He is also the first Black president of the Cannes Film Festival.
Angela Bassett is known for so many roles, along with a recent one: highest paid Black actress in TV history.
Hattie McDaniel is the first Black person to win an Oscar. When she won, Hattie had to sit in the back room because the venue was segregated.
There are so many more important people on this list, present and past. But, there could be more. Black roles only make up about 11% of movie roles in Hollywood. Behind the scenes, only about 6% of directors, writers and producers are Black. A recent study says Hollywood leaves about $10B annually on the table due to lack of Black representation and the projects that are picked up are underfunded, even though they see higher returns than other projects.
I’m here to reveal some blinds but I would love to hear what Black-led, produced, written shows and movies you’re into. Definitely going to make a point to stream some, this month and going forward.
Now to hit “create” and hope this novel posts.