Hottest Black Women Celebrities
Beyonce
Beyonce is a stunning black women who has conquered the music and film industry with her incredible singing, songwriting, producing, dancing, and acting. As one of the original members of the popular ‘90s group, Destiny’s Child who then went on to become the biggest pop and R&B solo artist of modern times, Beyonce has been nominated for 70 Grammy Awards and won 24, most of which during her solo career. She is also the most awarded artist in MTV Music Award show history and has won awards for her work in film, television, journalism, and philanthropy.
Rihanna
Rihanna is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She has won Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and even Guinness World Records. In addition to her extremely successful music career, she is also involved in fashion and philanthropy. Between her Fenty brand, Clara Lionel Foundation, and successful music career, Rihanna is one of the most popular and beautiful black female celebrities in the world.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an incredibly prolific businesswoman, television show host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She ran and hosted her own television show for 25 years, is the first Black female billionaire in America, and is known for her work in philanthropy. She has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and introduced into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Lupita Nyong’o
Lupita Nyong’o began acting in the United States in the early 2000s before returning to Kenya, the country where she was raised, to act in the show Shuga. Since, she has been featured in 12 Years A Slave, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, as well as the wildly successful Marvel film, Black Panther, and the horror movie, Us. She is the first Kenyan and Mexican actress to win an Academy Award.
Viola Davis
Viola Davis is the only Black actress to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting, having won an Academy Award, an Emmy Award, and two Tony Awards. She was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in both 2012 and 2017, and starred in the popular drama How To Get Away With Murder from 2014 to 2020. Davis is considered to be one of the most talented, beautiful and famous black actresses in Hollywood right now, and continues to captivate audiences around the world while breaking down barriers for women of color.
Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson has been acting in films and television since the late 1990s and has been awarded an Academy Award, SAG Award, and Critic’s Choice Award. In 2016, she starred in the film Hidden Figures, which was nominated for Oscars and Golden Globes, and won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Danai Gurira
Danai Gurira is no stranger to playing powerful characters. In the 2018 Marvel film Black Panther, she took on the role of Okoye, a member of the Dora Milaje, the female special forces team for the country of Wakanda. She is also known for her role as Michonne in the AMC horror television series, The Walking Dead.
Kerry Washington
Kerry Washington, starring as Olivia Pope in the hit television program Scandal, is the first lead Black actress on a network television program in decades. She has been nominated for SAG Awards, Emmy Awards, and Golden Globes. Most recently, she was in the Hulu original series, Little Fires Everywhere.
Janelle Monae
Janelle Monae wears many hats, including singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and producer. She has starred in major motion pictures, including Hidden Figures and Academy Award Best Picture winner, Moonlight. She has eight Grammy nominations and has been awarded the MTV Music Video Award and the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award.
Nathalie Emmanuel
Fans of Game of Thrones will recognize Nathalie Emmanuel as the powerful and intelligent Missandei, Daenerys Targaryen’s most trusted advisor. But her work has taken her beyond the HBO fantasy world to the West End in London as well as successful film franchises, including The Maze Runner and the Fast & Furious franchises.
Zoe Saldana
Zoe Saldana has starred and acted in some of the hottest franchises of the last several decades. She has played major roles in the Star Trek movies, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean, Guardians of the Galaxy, and other blockbuster Marvel films. Worldwide, these films have grossed more than $11 billion.
Zoe Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz is the daughter of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet, but she has created a successful career independently. Most recently, she has starred in the television programs Big Little Lies and High Fidelity, and her filmography includes the major franchises of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, X-Men, Mad Max, and the Divergent series.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a Nigerian writer who covers themes of identity, womanhood, and storytelling. Her TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” has been watched over 15 million times, making it one of the top-most viewed TED Talks ever. She was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant Award in 2008 for her work in fiction and non-fiction writing.
Ashleigh Murray
Ashleigh Murray played the character of Josie, lead singer of Josie and the Pussycats, on the CW show Riverdale, and reprised the role for the spin-off series Katy Keene. She has been in several films and television shows since beginning her career in 2007.
After finaling in the third season of American Idol, Jennifer Hudson debuted as an actress in the 2006 film Dream Girls. She won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film. She performed on Broadway, won a Grammy Award for her R&B album, and performed during the Super Bowl half-time show.
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is the former number one player in Women’s Singles Tennis and it’s not hard to see why. She has won 23 Gram Slam titles over the course of her career, more than any other player in the Open Era sport, and has been number one for 319 weeks. She has also repeatedly been named the highest-paid female athlete in the world.
Jada Pinkett Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith has starred in many successful movie series and television shows, including The Matrix, Scream, and Magic Mike. In addition to being an actress, she is also a singer, songwriter, producer, author, and businesswoman. Along with her famous male celebrity husband, Will Smith, she founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation to help inner-city youths.
Gina Torres
Perhaps most famous for her role as Zoe Washburne on the space western drama Firefly, Gina Torres has also starred in the legal drama Suits as well as several successful films, including The Matrix franchise. Moreover, Torres has provided voiceovers for many video games.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys has played many successful roles in her life, including as a musician, songwriter, singer, actress, and philanthropist. She has written best-selling novels, served as a reality television show talent judge, and won 15 Grammy Awards. She is also dedicated to breaking down society’s beauty expectations and has created the #NoMakeup campaign to help celebrate natural beauty.
Halle Berry
Halle Berry is the only Black actress to have won an Academy Award for Best Actress, for her performance in the 2001 film Monster’s Ball. She started as a model and competed in pageants early in her career. Her films include major franchises like James Bond, X-Men, and John Wick.
Ciara
Ciara has been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 many times. As an artist, she has won BET Awards, MTV Music Video Awards, and a Grammy Award. Ciara has sold over 23 million records around the world and enjoyed a successful acting and modeling career.
Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union is a classic face of 1990s and early 2000s teen films, acting in Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Bad Boys II. Union later got involved in writing, activism and politics, working with the National Advisory Committee For Violence Against Women under the Obama administration.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is one of the most successful supermodels of her time and was the first Black model to appear in Time Magazine. Her career includes acting, producing, singing, songwriting, and reality television. Campbell continues to be involved with charity and philanthropy work.
Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks has had an extremely prolific career. Her early work as a model and Victoria’s Secret Angel helped to make her one of the top-paid models in the world. She had smaller parts on several television shows and films before developing the long-running reality show America’s Next Top Model, which ran for 22 seasons.
Rosario Dawson
Rosario Dawson’s career has taken her from Sin City to the D.C. Animated Movie Universe, for which she provided the voice of Wonder Woman. She won a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role in the film Rent and is strongly involved in politics, activism, and charity.
Solange
Solange Knowles has forged an incredible career for herself outside of her work with her sister Beyonce and her time as a backup dancer for Destiny’s Child. She has focused her career on songwriting, though she has found success as a singer, dancer, actress, and producer.
Cassie
Cassie started as a model and dancer, but her career has come to include many successful artistic endeavors, including acting, singing, and songwriting. She has represented many famous fashion brands and has been featured in a variety of top lifestyle magazines.
Meagan Good
Meagan Good has had a prolific acting career that began early on Nickelodeon. Since, she has acted and starred in television programs and movies, and even voiced over video games. Good also has her own production company, Freedom Bridge Entertainment.
Selita Ebanks
Selita Ebanks is a successful model and actress who worked as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in the early 2000s. She has represented several high-fashion brands and been featured in magazines like Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, Glamour, and Vogue.
Noemie Lenoir
Noemie Lenoir is a model from France who has worked with some of the top brands and photographers around the world. She has represented Gucci, L’Oréal, Tommy Hilfiger, and Victoria’s Secret, as well as appearing in films and music videos.
Aja Naomi King
Aja Naomi King was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for her performance in the ABC television program How To Get Away With Murder. She has appeared in several films, television shows, and independent projects throughout her career.
Yaya DaCosta
A runner up on the third season of America’s Next Top Model, Yaya DaCosta has forged a successful career in the fields of acting and modeling. She appeared on the television programs Ugly Betty and Chicago Med, as well as representing Whitney Houston in Whitney in 2015.
Eva Marcille
Eva Marcille won the third season of America’s Next Top Model and went on to appear on the cover of several fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Women’s Health and Fitness, and Essence. She represented designer brands, including CoverGirl and DKNY, and has made appearances in fiction and reality television shows.
Arlenis Sosa
Arlenis Sosa has represented some of the top fashion houses in the world on the runway, including Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, and Diane von Furstenberg. She is the spokeswoman for Lancôme.
Laila Ali
A professional boxer, Laila Ali is the daughter of boxing legend, Muhammad Ali, who has created a successful acting and athletic career in her own right. She held female super weight titles in the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA. Ali has appeared on many television shows and reality television programs.
From creative success to philanthropic pursuits, these gorgeous Black women celebrities are perfect examples that beauty isn’t just skin deep. Instead, true beauty and success comes from the way you impact and uplift humanity.
