Best black actress of all time?

Cicely Tyson.

Diana Sands.

Carol Channing.

Angela Bassett

Ruby Dee

Rosalind Cash

Viola Davis gives the exact same performance in every single project. No matter how different the character descriptions or plot lines are. She does her schtick well but it's very limited.

I'd say the greatest is Whoopi, who is the most versatile of the bunch (comedy, drama, musical, voiceover, even action movies). I haven't seen her one woman shows in years but the transformations she did in those is something no other black actress has done. She can headline a Broadway play and then guest star in sitcoms, lead an action movie and do some wacky childrens stuff. Her Oscar-nommed performances in The Color Purple and Ghost alone display a huge difference in range. There was even a movie on TV the other day where she was playing Santa Claus. Meryl could never. She just has the biggest 'raw talent' even if her recent career is shit and she should have left The View eons ago. I don't think she'll ever get her career back now.

Runner ups are Alfre Woodard and Angela Bassett, who i'm surprised weren't in your poll when they have much broader and longer careers than Hattie McDaniel, Oprah, and Jada Pinkett.

HM to Cicely Tyson (Miss Jane Pittman is a beautiful performance) even though I haven't seen a lot of her work, and I think Vivica A Fox was great before her projects got so bad. Queen Latifah is really good in the HBO movies Life Support and Bessie, but she can also be a bit same-y. A real hard worker though.

Alfre Woodard for the win

Angela Bassett is actually a very limited and, dare I say, fairly terrible actress. What's Love Got to Do With It was a fluke.

Another vote for Alfre.

Cicely Tyson was great in both "Sounder" and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman."

Thandie Newton!

The Rs 7 and 9 beat me to it. She am THE BEST.

If you include theater, Gloria Foster and Mary Alice.

Me, bitches!

How on earth did OP leave off Angela, Cissy, Alfre, Ruby Dee, Octavia Spencer, Lupita Nyong’o, Pam Grier (who was totally smokin hot and smart- what Basset had HOPED to become)?

Actresses: Diahann Carroll, Tariji P Hensen, Gabrielle Union, Lena Horne, Vanessa Williams, etc.

Please revise. Thank you.

Dorothy Dandridge

Don’t forget Kerry Washington

r15, since there are only 10 choices, I intentionally left off women who are better known for their singing careers, such as Lena Horne.

r18, yet you put Oprah and Queen Latifah. Your list is a joke.

Regina King

Angela Bassethound at r19, when has Oprah ever sung? And QL didn't start singing until well after her acting career was firmly established.

I'd day Viola is the most resembling M. in terms of talent, critical acclaim, and cultural impact. However I'd like to add that Taraji P. Henson is the most versatile actress, not just black, in the game right now. Taraji can do comedy and lightweight stuff as well as she does serious dramas. Her career is evolving like Sandra Bullock, though Sandra never did tv.

the only way you could possibly make this judgment is for each of them to play the same part.

Next!

r21, your missing my point. The OP put pop cultural fodder like Oprah in the best blactress of all time category, while omitting critical darlings and AA legends like Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard, and Cissely Tyson. Hell why not just include Beyonce; she'll become the highest paid actress in hollywood when the Lion King is released next year.

CCH Pounder and Marianne Jean-Baptiste own everyone on the OP's list.

You're very right about CCH Pounder, r26.

Up against Meryl? That would be Viola

I had no idea Vivian Vance was black! Anyone else have any more gossip on her.

r29 = new to DL

LMFAO at Phylicia Rashad in this group. Claire Huxtable..... What about the mom from Family Matters, Jomarie Payton?

R31, to be fair, Phylicia has a significant theater resume and won a Tony Award.

Cleo King

Off topic but I’ve met Alfre Woodard before, and she’s lovely

Regina King has been very impressive since the revelation of her gifts in the first season of "American Crime."

[Quote]Viola Davis gives the exact same performance in every single project. She does her schtick well but it's very limited.

You can say the same about a lot of the acclaimed actresses. Jessica Lange comes to mind. She does her thing beautifully, but it's the same schtick.

Debbi Morgan was fabulous in Eve’s Bayou.

Whoopi Goldberg is better than Viola and has far more range.

Vioka always sounds violent and aggressive.

Lil' Kim ofcourse.

Janet

Butterfly McQueen

Angela Bassett.

r34, yes. She's a class act.

Fuck you, motherfucker OP.

Eh... Vivian Vance is awkwardly in second place right now.

FINALLY this list became real. You could easily include Whitney Houston if including Lena Horne and (ugh) Bey.

Whitney stopped the world in “Waiting to Exhale” with her Savannah Jackson - but for the clothes car on fire scene with Bassett, Whitney walked away the headlines. Bassett coming off her amazing, heart thumping role “What’s Love..” evidently felt somewhat jealous that with Houston. She went on to direct the worst, derogatory Lifetime movie about Houston possible.

Further WTE was the most ground breaking film in modern American history portraying friendships amongst women of color. The soundtrack was the work of Houston - became an instant chart topper. All the more remarkable is that Whitney’s finest qualities and POLITICAL ACTIVIST commitment to expanding the role of Black women in music was the guiding light in creating this sountrack. She gave young artists (new on the charts or lesser known artists) a global exposure: Sonja Marie, Brandy, TLC, Chianti Moore, For Real, Shanna. That was a remarkably generous act. She included Aretha - adding yet ANOTHER smash hit to her repertoire. Lastly she wrote a song specifically , a duet to be shared with CeCe Winans. Cece was a widely celebrated Gospel Artist, but with this Whitney shared a celebrity status that went global.

In the decades since a sequel has been much in demand - Houston’s signature was the only thing holding it up.

Houston was one of the most intelligent of all Music Divas - make no mistake. She might not have gone to Yale (Basset) but she was an extraordinarily brilliant, politically active woman that could easily hold her own with Presidents, Prime Ministers, powerhouses of the Entertainment Industry.

And then there was her role as Julia Bg’s in “Preachers Wife” that became THE best selling Gospel Albun of all time.

Her acting role in as the Fairy Godmother (and what a real fantastic closeted Fairy Godmother she was in life to children, and her community) In the now iconic “Cinderella.” As Exec Producer and SINGER and ACTRESS there has never been another like her.

Whitney Houston belongs in the pantheon of Black Actresses That Sang. She broke through that GLOBAL glass ceiling that held all of them back. (As much as I love Diana Ross - def not the same caliber.)

Do add the Divine Ms. Ross and of course the magnificent Jenifer Lewis. Thank you.

R31

If you can get your hands on a copy of the play The Old Settler starring Phylicia Rashad and Debbie Allen, you won't be so quick to dismiss her. I saw it on American playhouse on PBS and was blown away by it!

Oh, Diana Sands was splendid! She died of cancer while still a young woman. Had she lived, she certainly would've won an Oscar, possibly could've been the first Black woman to win for Best Actress.

She was going to star in "Claudine," but her cancer prevented her from doing so. Therefore, she insisted that her good friend Diahann Carroll replace her, which she did. Diahann was Oscar-nominated for that role, but lost. I think if Diana could've performed it as planned, she would've won it.

Whitbot!

r46 actually makes some good points. Whitney was actually a very competent actress as far as popstars are concerned and unlike Madge her movies were box office hits.

Angela Bassett

Glenn Close (rumor has it)

Diana Ross was a much better actress than people gave her credit for. Lady Sings the Blues was incredible and she should have won best actress (and she would have had Barry Gordy not gone overboard trying to impress so many academy members).

More recently she did a TV movie playing a schizophrenic woman. She was stunning in that role

Debbi Morgan. Fuck you all for not including her here... she wipes the floor with all of the bitches listed but because she's a daytime soap actress, she gets no credit.

Audra MacDonald. Period

What the name of the woman who has an Oscar already and was in the movie about the sea creature her friend has Sex with. She’s good

R56 you are talking about Octavia Spencer. She is a wonderful actress and it is insane that OP omitted her.....

The incredible Regina King will be an Oscar winner one day. Voters love her ... 3 Emmys, each time winning over bigger "stars".

Paula Kelly did not have the career that she deserved.

Definitely the best Actress That Sings in music history. The Bodyguard broke sales records that stood for a very long time. I agree, she was a terrific actress.

Regina Hall is a wonderful actress.

Audra McDonald

My favorites are Diana Ross and Regina King. Regina was great in Southland.

Hi R54, I’m R37.

Esther Rolle: comedy, drama, theater...