Top Ten Best Female African American Actors of the 20th Century

1 Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens, known professionally by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, model, television producer, record producer, comedian, and talk show host.

2 Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson, known professionally by her stage name Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actress, comedian, and television host.

3 Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes.

4 Dorothy Dandridge

5 Diahann Carroll

6 Hattie McDaniel

7 Nina Mae McKinney

8 Ruby Dee

9 Ethel Waters

10 Lena Horne

The Contenders

11 Lillian Randolph

12 Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress and activist. She is best known for her biographical film roles, most notably her performance as Tina Turner in the biopic What's Love Got to Do with It, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a corresponding Golden Globe ...read more.

13 Louise Beavers

14 Juanita Moore

15 Phylicia Rashad

16 Cicely Tyson

17 Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warrick is an American singer, actress and TV-show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.

18 Della Reese

19 Gladys Knight Gladys Maria Knight, known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian and author.