Your Favorote Black Actor

Mekhi was featured in a lot of the nineties music videos... man, I miss them!

 

Steve James, an actor who left before his time had arrived. Probably best known as 'Kung Fu Joe" in I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and the American Ninja films. Seeing him in the Chuck Norris flick Hero and the Terror (at age 8 was the first time that I noticed the trend of killin' off brothas in the movies. At the time of his passing, he was actually getting better roles and expanding his range as an actor. Plus, the was the ONLY other consistent Black action actor in the '80s! Although usually playing sidekicks, he was clearly the better martial arts fighter and had more charisma then the leading actor. He had a couple leading roles in films like Street Hunter and Riverbend (a good B-movie)



My other favorite of course is none other than...

Fred "The Hammer" Williamson- The man who makes and produces his own films (which are known for having IR scenes). Formed his own production company Po' Boy productions to make the films that he wanted to when Hollywood wanted to offer him sidekick roles, pimp or criminal roles. Has three rules: 1) You can't kill him. 2) He wins all the fights. 3) he gets the girl (if he want's her). Other than Steve James, he was the only Black action star throughout the '80s. While his films aren't 'classics', they are important to me.



Honorable Mention:

Carl Weathers (yeah, the first time I saw Apollo get killed, I cried because the shit pissed me off.)
Billy Dee Williams
Ron Van Clief (better martial artist than Jim Kelly, and should have gone further in action films)
Sidney Poitier
Thalmus Rasulala (very underrated 70s actor)
John Amos (he WAS Good Times! TV's first Black father? The producers fired him to have the show focus on Jimmie Walker's minstrel-type antics)
Ron O'Neal
Richard Roundtree
James Earl Jones
Samuel L. Jackson
Blair Underwood

 

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! I love that movie! I should watch that again. :lol:

 

"I don't really have... 12 inches."

 

:lol:

"You can take the window or the stairs."

Hollywood Shuffle is another movie I love!!

 

"But what about your kinfolk?"
"I don't care about them, Mandingo! I love you!"

 

Try this link and see if you all don't agree.

http://www.cleavantderricks.com/sssliders.jpg

 

I loved Thalmus Rasulala as Omoro in Roots....the scene where he picks up the ornament he gave to Kunta...when he knows that he will never see his son again was strong stuff.

Ron O'Neal was a classically trained actor that got shortchanged by the fact that he starred in 'Superfly'

James Earl Jones when he potrayed boxer Jack Johnson...excellent

Billy Dee Williams...all I have to say is..."Lady Sings the Blues"

Henry Cele as Shaka Zulu...maybe the best lead acting performance of anyone I have ever seen...I couldn't imagine anyone else playing that role

Moses Gunn...I think that's his name....played the big shot dude the Richard Roundtree was working for in 'Shaft' and he was the kintango in Roots

Whatever happened to Ji-Tu Cumbuka?

Leon...always one of my favorites

John Amos was the blue-collar version of Dr. Huxtable...that could have been the Cosby Show before the Cosby Show except that the writers wanted to "nigger it up" and turn it into coon-foolery...something that may have worked in 1947 but not as much in 1977....I think many good black fathers have a little bit of Cliff Huxtable and a little bit of James Evans in them.

 

An impressive looking man.

 

Moses Gunn..., yup, that was his name. Ironically, he played on Good Times to play a love interest for Florida (Esther Rholle) after James (John Amos) had been killed off.

Years ago, there were rumors saying that Ji-Tu had owned and operated a construction company.

BTW, I never got the chance to see Roots...YET.

 

Talking about "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka", I thought Jim Brown was extremely good-looking. It's a man like this that you look at and think he'd be hell in bed.

 

Thanks, that's close to what my baby looks like. :smt055

 

Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Wesley Snipes, Omar Epps, Mike Epps, Anthony Anderson, DMX (I don't know about his acting abilities :-? , but he's the hottest BM on this entire planet and whatever movie he's in, I'm watchin. I do like his music.), Bernie Mac ( ), Dave Chapelle, Denzel, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, Ice Cube, all the Wayans brothers, Samuel L Jackson ... I think that's it, though I could be forgetting someone. OH! I remembered one Romany (the dude in 40 Year Old Virgin and if I remember right, I think he's in an IR relationship), and that guy "Romeo" who was murdered who was in the Steve Harvey show, but I'm forgetting his name right now. I liked him because he looked strikingly similar to my man at that age, quite "trippily" so , I like Steve Harvey too.

 

Morgan Freeman. He just seems so kind and laid back.

 

Jim Brown is the man! On top of helping the Cleveland Browns win their last title in 1964, he was a straight up ass-kicker in all his movies and got the prettiest ladies. So yes, Moskvichka, he would have definitely ravaged you

 

You are referring to Merlin Santana.

 

have to say SAMUEL L JACKSON he is the don!

 

Morgan Freeman

 

Morgan Freeman for me hands down....He has a certain air about him that oozes class, style and caliber that superceeds the Don Cheedles and Denzels.

He is definatley under-rated in the Black Actors Line up!

 

Yes! That was his name! Thank you Chosen.