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Oscar Michaeux
Directed the Homesteaders, the first film to be directed by an African American -
Hattie McDaniel
First African American ever to win an Academy Award (Best supporting actor) -
Ethel Waters
First African American actress to be featured on a sitcom, Beulah -
Sidney Poitier
first African American man to win Academy Award for Best Actor -
Period: to
Cicely Tyson
first African American star of a television drama, and made an effort to be seen as a positive image of a African American woman on TV through her career -
Bill Cosby
first African American to be in a lead role on TV -
The Cosby Show
One of the first shows to portray a successful African American family -
Oprah Winfrey
First African American to host a talk show. -
Period: to
Denzel Washington
First African American actor to be nominated for 6 categories and to win two Academy Awards for acting, Best Actor and Best Actor in a Supporting Role -
Angela Bassett
first African American woman to win Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. -
Halle Berry
First African American actress to win Best Actress in a Leading Role -
Robert L. Johnson
Creator of BET (Black Entertainment Television), and became the first African American billionaire. -
Tyler Perry
First African American to own a TV and film studio. -
Quvenzhane Wallis
Youngest African American to be nominated for a Academy Award -
Jordan Peele
The first African American screenwriter to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay