by Kim Everett

Created on: July 28, 2008   Last Updated: July 31, 2008

Choosing the best African-American actors is a challenge because there are so many to choose from. But, after much thought, my list includes Sidney Poitier, Morgan Freeman, and James Earl Jones. Each has received various awards, and each is considered a master of their craft. In addition, though their backgrounds and early circumstances differ, each has reached a position of honor and respect in life, as well as in the entertainment industry.

Sidney Poitier started life as the son of a poor dirt farmer. He was born in Miami, Florida on February 20, 1927. He lived at Cat Island, The Bahamas until he was fifteen when his mother sent him back to Miami to live with his brother. He then moved to New York when he was eighteen years old. Poitier auditioned at the American Negro Theater, but failed to be accepted on his first try. The second try, however, was successful. He then appeared on Broadway in "Lysistrata" and received rave reviews.

He soon began to receive film offers, and after his performance in the 1950 production of "No Way Out," his place in the film industry was cemented. After a few years, his role in "The Defiant Ones" resulted in his first Academy Award nomination. Then, in 1963, he became the first African American to receive an Oscar for a leading role. After "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" and "To Sir, With Love" in 1967, he was one of the most popular stars in Hollywood.

Poitier has been married twice. His first marriage was to Juanita Hardy and lasted fifteen years. They had four children together before the marriage ended in divorce. He is currently married to Joanna Shimkus, and they had two children. Poitier has four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

James Earl Jones, recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2002 and multiple Emmy Award and Tony Award winner, was born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutta, Mississippi. His best-known characteristic, of course, is his deep, clear, commanding voice that he used in roles such as Mufasa in "The Lion King" and Darth Vader in the Star Wars movies. Unbelievably, he had a stuttering problem as a child and took acting lessons to control it. His parents, Ruth Connolly and Robert Earl Jones, separated before his birth, and he was raised by his mother's parents. Jones grew up in Dublin, Michigan and graduated from Kaleva-Norman-Dickson High School in Brethren, Michigan. He then attended the University of Michigan where he majored in pre-med. When he realized that medicine was not the career he wanted,

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