Our second week of Black History Month features Iconic Actors, Actresses, Filmmakers, Directors, and Producers. Whether it’s a Hollywood film, prime-time television, or another form talent, these talented individuals in the entertainment industry have worked to break barriers and continue to do so. Actors such as Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Samuel Jackson, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. have achieved a different milestone in various genres and decades of film and television.

African American actresses have been winning the world with their amazing and charismatic personalities. Their talent has spoken for them quite loudly and it is breathtaking to watch them perform on screen. Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, Angela Bassett, Lupinto Nyong’o, and Halle Berry have taken the Hollywood and entertainment industry by storm for many decades.

Oscar Micheaux was the first major Black filmmaker to launch his own studio in 1919. He directed and produced 42 feature films between 1919 and 1948. Other Directors, Filmmakers and Producers such as Oscar Winner Spike Lee, Golden Globe and Oscar Nominee Ava DuVernay, Oscar Winner Jordan Peele and Cannes and Sundance Film Festival Winner Ryan Coogler are household names, creating works of art and commercially successful projects.