black actresses
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Niecy Nash (Finally) Wins It All With Claws
Niecy Nash is full of surprises. Last summer the former host of the HGTV reality show Clean House helped change the TV landscape as star of the wacky TNT dramedy Claws. Nash’s character, Desna, owner of the fictional nail salon Nail Artisan of Manatee County in Palmetto, Fla., found herself wrapped up in a very…
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Bow Down: Tracee Ellis Ross Covers Vanity Fair’s Special Awards Issue
“The business is finally catching up to the genius that is Tracee,” says Kerry Washington. “Genius” is an apt word to describe Tracee Ellis Ross, who, after eight seasons on Girlfriends and four on Black-ish (which turned a dramatic corner at the end of its last season, thanks in part to Ross’ directorial debut on…
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Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters Return, More Relevant Than Ever
Respect your elders. I don’t know a child who wasn’t raised with that admonition, which in my household was often accompanied by a swat on the butt or a swift side-eye when due respect wasn’t paid. But it’s generally far later in life when most of us learn the value of also listening to our…
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Did I Do That? Issa Rae Dresses Up as Our ’90s Faves for GQ—and It’s Pure Comedy
Urkel. Moesha. The Fresh Prince. If you were a kid in the 1990s, at least one or all of the above were likely among your faves. We’re not sure if Issa Rae, who was born in 1985, grew up on these classic characters, but it sure gave us a laugh to see her dress up…
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Rolling Solo: Thandie Newton Made a Stylish Statement About Representation at Cannes
Fun fact: Thandie Newton collects Star Wars action figures. Well, only the black ones. How do we know? Because she incorporated them into the Vivienne Westwood gown she wore to Tuesday night’s European premiere of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which opens May 25 in the U.S. That’s right: Newton, who plays explosives expert Val…
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Black Is Not My Job: 16 Black Actresses Take the Cannes Red Carpet by Storm
The red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival got even more colorful Wednesday as 16 black and biracial actresses staged a very glamorous protest on the steps of the Palais des Festival convention center. Dazzlingly dressed in black, silver and white by Balmain wunderkind Olivier Rousteing, actresses Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Mata Gabin, Maïmouna Gueye, Eye Haidara,…
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She Got That Glow: Olivier Award Winner Sheila Atim Is One to Watch (and Hear)
Chances are, if you live outside the United Kingdom or aren’t a musical-theater buff, you haven’t heard of Sheila Atim yet. But the 26-year-old actress, singer and composer is making a major splash across the pond: On Sunday night she garnered the honor of Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical at the…
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Chanté to Shanté: Chanté Adams Channels Hip-Hop Pioneer Roxanne Shanté in Netflix’s Roxanne, Roxanne
Chanté Adams is living a dream—one she envisioned not too long ago as a 2016 graduate of the School of Drama at the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Less than two years later, the young actress is enjoying the premiere of her first film, starring as female rap prodigy and pioneer Roxanne Shanté in…
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw Gracing This Glorious Cover of British Vogue Is the Red-Velvet Magnificence We Need
A minor confession: Although Beauty and the Beast was my favorite Disney movie when I was growing up (bookish, socially awkward little girls, ftw!), I hesitated about, and ultimately didn’t watch, the live-action reboot. I stayed away because I simply couldn’t get over the fact that my perfect Belle, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, a woman so…
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From Broadway to a Dynasty to a Legacy: All Hail Glow Up Goddess Diahann Carroll
Inspired by the growing number of black female leads on television and film? Thank trailblazing performer Diahann Carroll. Sixty years of striving and of stunning audiences have earned her a 1962 Tony for No Strings, the 1969 Golden Globe for the television series Julia (plus two subsequent nominations), a 1975 Oscar nomination for Best Actress…