Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o may be a relative newcomer to Hollywood but that hasn't stopped her from making a giant splash! Talented, gorgeous, and intelligent, after graduating with a master's degree from Yale, Nyong'o would star in what has now become her most talked-about film, 12 Years a Slave (2013). Lupita Nyong'o would make history becoming the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Academy Award. 

With a career spanning over seven decades, American actress and model Cicely Tyson became an important figure in Hollywood. The acting great is best-remembered for her roles in films like Sounder (1972), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), and The Help (2011). Cicely just recently passed away in January of this year at the age of 96 and leaves behind an impressive legacy. 

Viola Davis is another fierce and influential actress in black Hollywood. Known for portraying tough characters such as "Annalise Keating" in How to Get Away with Murder and most recently as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2020), Davis went down in history as the first African American to earn the "Triple Crown of Acting" (winning an Academy, Emmy, and Tony Award). 

Halle Berry has a long list of impressive roles on her resume including playing the part of acting great, Dorothy Dandridge in the 1999 film, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. In addition to being one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood during the 2000s, Halle Berry has also been actively involved with the production of the films she stars in. 

No list of influential black actresses would be complete without the gorgeous and formidable Kerry Washington. Known for playing parts like "Olivia Pope" in the hit series Scandal and films like Confirmation (2016), Kerry Washington is truly a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

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