David Lee; Netflix / Silver Screen Collection / CBS / Getty
To look at the career of celebrated actress Angela Bassett is to see a true story of Black excellence and success in the heavyweight world of Hollywood. Still, if you look a little closer you’ll see that even with hundreds of nominations to her name, a talent of her caliber deserved way more accolades when it comes to wins.
Many of us would agree that her unforgettable performance in What’s Love Got to Do with It, the 1993 Tina Turner biopic that garnered her an Oscar nomination, was more than deserving of the big win. With respect to Holly Hunter’s performance in The Piano, the Academy didn’t quite see it that way. To make matters worse, Bassett recently revealed in an interview with ABC’s Linsey Davis that she found difficulty in picking up a follow-up job for over a year due to lack of roles at the time for women of color.
Bassett’s career spans a whopping four decades between television, film and even theater. With that said, in addition to the aforementioned “Best Actress” nomination in 1994, she has only one other to her name that arrived only three years ago for “Best Supporting Actress” in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; in similar fashion, she lost out to Jamie Lee Curtis. Outside of the obvious cultural contrast, it’s easy to see the differences when comparing their trajectories in the game as women of the same age. Yet and still, Bassett is a success story compared to how other Black Hollywood stars have been treated over time.
For as much depth, originality and authenticity that Black performers bring to the characters they portray, the recognition in accolades isn’t always comparable to the hustle they put in. It’s mind-boggling to think of where some of the unsung stars of past and present would be if given more attention through major awards, leading roles and high-profile projects that showcased the full range of their abilities. Hollywood has definitely made progress toward greater representation, but we can’t help but consider the ones who deserved better along the way.
Take a look below at a list of Black Hollywood stars from past and present who we feel deserved better treatment when it comes to roles, awards and overall recognition:
Dorothy Dandridge (1922 – 1965)
She broke barriers in Black Hollywood as the first African American to be nominated for a “Best Actress” Oscar. However, years of unfair treatment led to a decline in popularity and bankruptcy that led her to making ends meet as a lounge act in Las Vegas only a year before her death at 42 in 1965.
Delroy Lindo
Lindo’s longevity, range, theatrical background, influence on Black cinema and consistently strong performances arguably make him a more important figure than the general public’s awareness of him might suggest.
Jeffrey Wright
Wright is a good example of an actor whose influence and range arguably exceed the amount of mainstream recognition he receives. Having received his first Oscar nomination for “Best Actor” only two years ago felt like the Academy playing catch-up to an actor who had already spent decades establishing himself across theater, television, and film.
Cicely Tyson (1924 – 2021)
Tyson helped change what kinds of Black women Hollywood considered worthy of being portrayed. Although she received her honorary Oscar in 2018 at the age of 93, being honored late in life doesn’t always resonate the same as having your entire body of work fully appreciated while you were working.
Loretta Devine
It’s our belief that Loretta Devine deserves more recognition simply on the basis that her career is a great example of an actor whose versatility can make her seem familiar without always receiving the same level of attention as the stars she consistently works alongside.
Giancarlo Esposito
Esposito has received substantial recognition already, but his career is much broader than the role that made him famous as Gus Fring on Breaking Bad, including parts in Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, The Usual Suspects, Fresh and The Cotton Club just to name a few.
Tichina Arnold
When it comes to Arnold, her career represents an impressively long and versatile contribution to Black television and comedy. She has been working professionally since childhood, but her work is sometimes overshadowed by the larger stars of the shows she has appeared in.
Tony Todd (1954 – 2024)
The legacy left behind by Tony Todd, particular when it comes to the horror genre, deserves more recognition as a formally trained actor, stage performer, genre icon and prolific voice performer over four decades. In addition to a generational run within the Candyman series as the titular star, roles in The Crow, Lean on Me, Night of the Living Dead and throughout franchises like Star Trek and Final Destination are memorable as well.
Kim Wayans
Much more than a member of the Wayans comedy dynasty, Kim has proven herself as a female comedienne, dramatic actor, writer, producer, director and theater performer. Her career has sometimes been overshadowed by the enormous personalities surrounding her. Her Image Award-nominated performance in the 2011 film Pariah was proof that she’s got way more than a funny bone.
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White should easily be at Black action-star status given his expertise in comedy, dramatic acting and most notably martial arts. His resume is considerably broader than the handful of nominations he’s been given.
Regina Hall
At this point in her career, Regina has spent decades proving that a Black woman can be the comic relief, the romantic lead, the dramatic protagonist, the psychologically complex character or the person controlling the production. We just wish that reflected more in how she’s been rewarded over the years.
Glynn Turman
With just one Emmy win to his name, Turman’s career is one of the clearest examples of a Black actor whose longevity, versatility and body of work are arguably more impressive than his level of mainstream fame suggests. He has worked regularly across Broadway, film, television, directing and theater for more than six decades.
CCH Pounder
Aside from a still-viral run on The Shield for seven great seasons, many aren’t aware of CCH Pounder’s full depth of work in theater, film, television, animation and major franchises. In specific, we applaud her for always showcasing Black women with authority, intelligence, moral complexity and enormous emotional presence.
Kimberly Elise
Unlike some actors whose underrated reputation stems from clocking in only a handful of performances, Elise has repeatedly demonstrated the same thing over decades: she can carry emotionally brutal material without making the character feel like a performance. Her award shelf should reflect that.
Ernie Hudson
As a veteran of theater, film and television that spans more than five decades, not to mention being one of the OG Ghostbusters, Hudson sits comfortably in his legend status. Unfortunately, that doesn’t resonate equally when compared to his major lack of awards or even nominations received.
