The Fans Have Picked the 10 Best Black Actors in Recent Years, and the List is Great!

The Fans Have Picked the 10 Best Black Actors in Recent Years, and the List is Great!

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Ranker is a popular place on the Internet where people can rank whatever they want, however, they want, and whenever they want. This is always a fan-focused ranking system and it is never officially tied to the people behind the projects in question. Recently, a large survey was organized on Ranker, whose goal was to determine the best black actors in recent years. The list includes a bunch of names, but in our report, we have decided to list the first ten names from the site, as to provide you with a better insight, combined with our original comment and opinions which will add flavor to the whole report.

Of course, since this is indeed an important list, have decided to report on it, so we are going to bring you the results by listing the top 10 actors on this list, from 10th to first place. We hope you’ll enjoy it!

10. Sterling K. Brown (56 votes)

Sterling K. Brown is one of those actors who have a familiar face, although you’re not always sure where you saw them in. He’s has memorable appearances in This Is Us and American Crime Story, while movie goers could recently see him in American Fiction in a role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. Brown is definitely one of the most important black actors, so we can agree with him being on this list, especially after his recent performances.

9. LaKeith Stanfield (73 votes)

LaKeith Stanfield’s career has been on the rise in recent years and he has had some truly memorable appearances, although he is mostly seen in supporting roles. Whether it’s Jordan Peele’s Get Out or the relatively new Judas and the Black Messiah, Stanfield has definitely proven his worth as an actor, which also explains the Oscar nomination for the latter movie. He is, in that aspect, in a similar position to Brown. And while Stanfield is definitely great, we’re not so sure about his position on this list if we consider that Jeffrey Wright and John David Washington did not make it in the top ten.

8. Aldis Hodge (54 votes)

Aldis Hodge is an interesting name on this list and while he is definitely a versatile and interesting actor, we’re not really sure he merits being in the top then, especially when Wright and Washington did not make the cut. His memorable roles include Leverage, Underground, and Clemency, and he is also known for providing the voice for John Stewart / Green Lantern in the animated film Green Lantern: Beware My Power and for playing Hawkman in the DC Film Black Adam. And that is more or less it.

7. Brian Tyree Henry (67 votes)

Bryan Tyree Henry has managed to build a career in a very short time and is now a familiar and well-known face on the screen. His recent appearances in the Godzilla x Kong movies definitely helped, but he has had several memorable roles before, including those in Widows, If Beale Street Could Talk, Eternals, Bullet Train, and others. He definitely deserves a place on this list for his recent achievements, and we agree with this listing without a doubt. We just hope he’ll get more dramatic roles in the future as well.

6. Daniel Kaluuya (81 votes)

Without a doubt, Daniel Kaluuya is among the most important black actors in recent years, and he is an actor who managed to achieve some historic roles in a very short period of time. Jordan Peele made him with Get Out, but he soon evolved further dramatically and had numerous memorable appearances, including those in Black Panther, Judas and the Black Messiah (where he played activist Fred Hampton and won an Oscar for the role), Widows, Nope and the Spider-Verse movies, in which he voiced Spider-Punk. Kaluuya is certainly memorable and he absolutely merits the listing in question.

5. Michael B. Jordan (89 votes)

Another name that definitely deserves to be on this list, Michael B. Jordan has been evolving as an actor since his early appearance as Wallace in the first season of The Wire. Since then, he has made a Marvel villain a beloved character (Killmonger from Black Panther) and has managed to revitalize a long-standing series with Creed, showing that the world of Rocky can be as effective and as good without Sylvester Stallone. He is also discussed as the main star in a potential Superman project, which might redeem his Fantastic Four role, but he definitely deserves a place on this list.

4. Jamie Foxx (75 votes)

Now, the top four names on this list are definitely acting legends, but it is debatable how “recent” they are in that aspect, as all four of them built their careers much earlier, some even decades ago. But, nevertheless, they are among the most important black actors of our time, and we agree with all four of them. Jamie Foxx, the Oscar winner who portrayed Ray Charles and appeared in numerous other roles, is the first of them and we definitely agree with him being on this list!

3. Idris Elba (98 votes)

Of course, Idris Elba absolutely had to be on this list, although, when we’re talking about “older” actors, we’re surprised that Oscar winner Forrest Whitaker did not make it on this list, but that’s a wholly different question. Elba has certainly had some memorable roles, whether it’s The Wire or his appearance in The Dark Tower or the Suicide Squad movie, Elba is always there to entertain us and prove just how talented and important he is, so his inclusion on this list is absolutely merited and we agree with it.

2. Samuel L. Jackson (95 votes)

Is there anything that we need to write about Samuel L. Jackson? The guy is a living legend and is one of the most important black actors of all time. Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, the MCU, Kingsman, … you name it – the guy has done it all. He is a pillar of modern acting and a great example of versatility in every way imaginable, so he absolutely had to be included in this list. Is he going to return as Mace Windu? That is the most important question now and we certainly hope that he will, but regardless of that – he absolutely had to be on this list!

1. Denzel Washington (11 votes)

Denzel Washington is most likely the biggest name on this list. He is arguably the most important black actor ever, a two-time Oscar winner and an actor who’s done it all. He is now engaged in directing as well, and while he has not appeared in any major roles recently, his legacy remains and he definitely deserves to be on top of any list that includes black actors, so this is both merited and acceptable, as far as we are concerned.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

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