T. L. Richardson

Lena Horne, Esther Rolle, Diahann Carroll, Eartha Kitt, Pam Grier, Nell Carter, Dorothy Dandridge, Isabel Sanford, Marla Gibbs, Della Reese, Hattie McDaniel, Mabel King, LaWanda Page, Ruby Dee and Cicely Tyson belonged to different generations, but together they tell an extraordinary story of Black women carving out space in American entertainment. They worked in an industry where Black actresses were often offered stereotypical or limited roles, yet each found ways to leave a mark through film, television, theater and music. Hattie McDaniel became the first Black person to win an Academy Award in 1940, Dorothy Dandridge became the first Black woman nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1955, and decades later Diahann Carroll made television history with Julia, becoming one of the first Black women to lead a network television series in a role that did not revolve around domestic service. Cicely Tyson became famous for deliberately choosing roles that presented Black women with dignity, complexity and humanity, while actresses such as Pam Grier challenged conventional ideas about who could be an action hero and carry a film. Their influence also reached far beyond individual awards and famous performances. Isabel Sanford became the first Black woman to win the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for The Jeffersons, while Marla Gibbs turned Florence Johnston into one of television’s most memorable characters before starring in 227. Esther Rolle insisted that Black family life be portrayed with greater seriousness on Good Times, and Ruby Dee spent decades combining acting with civil rights activism. Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne, Della Reese and Nell Carter crossed between music, stage and screen, building careers at times when Black performers routinely encountered segregation and discrimination even after becoming nationally famous. Their careers were not identical and neither were their views, but their collective legacy helped widen what audiences could see Black women doing on screen. Many opportunities available to later generations of Black actresses were built on ground these women spent decades breaking.