The Hollywood Dream
The dreamy world of Hollywood attracts aspiring actors and actresses of all races and religions. People even cross borders to pursue their starry dreams here. We would, in this write-up, try to chart the path of black actresses (under 40, in sync with the title) who have been able to make a name for themselves. So play the drumrolls, and spread the red carpet as the reigning queens are about to grace it with their presence.
Rise of the Dark Divas
The first black actress to truly make a mark on Hollywood was Hattie McDaniel. The legendary actress was the first African American to win the much-coveted Oscar in 1940. She was awarded the Oscar for her role as Mammy in the classic Gone with the Wind. Since then many black actresses have been in limelight — Ethel Waters (the first among African American women to be nominated for an Emmy award), Dorothy Dandridge (the first black woman to feature on the cover of the Life magazine, Cicely Tyson (the first Afro-American actress to bag the prestigious Emmy award as a lead actress in a television movie), Diahann Carroll (the first black actress to secure the Golden Globe award), Trina Parks (the first African American to become a Bond girl) and Phylicia Rashad (the first Afro-American woman to win the Tony award).
With fans swarming all around the planet and among all the races, Queen Latifah, Whoopi Goldberg, Helle Berry, and Oprah Winfrey are household names in America.
Nowadays, with the advent of the liberal wave, of course, it is many times easier for black actresses to make it to the top in comparison to African American actresses of the bygone era. To be in sync with the topic, now let's check out the hottest black actresses under 40 who are looked upon as an idol by aspiring actresses of African descent.
Coco Jones
It is a cakewalk for Coco to walk into this catalog. She is a super talented and proven performer. Coco graced the limelight in the year 2012 with her role in the film Let it Shine. Her talent was initially noted as a singer. A testimony to her prodigious talent is that Disney picked her up at the tender age of nine With exposure, she gradually turned into a songwriter and later even an actress. She appeared as a guest star in So Random, a TV series produced by Disney Channel. Apart from being an entertainer, she is also an activist rallying for anti-bullying and racism.
Height- 1.78 m
Weight- 55 Kgs
Net worth- $1 million
Instagram-
cocojones
Relationship status- Coco is currently single.
Kids- No
Kat Graham
Kat is instantly recognized courtesy of the role she played of Bonnie Bennett (a witch) that she played in popular CW TV series. For her role in this show, she won "Scene Stealer Female" at the Teen Choice Awards. Because of her prodigious talent, she debuted as a child artist at the early age of six. She was a mini star in the world of commercials. Her break in television came with Lizzie McGuire, a teen comedy series that was telecasted on the Disney Channel. Followed by it, she appeared on a host of other TV programs. In terms of movies, she acted as a supporting actress in 17 Again and The Roommate. Apart from being an actress, he has also shown promising signs as achieved considerable success as a singer, dancer, and model.
Height- 1.57 m
Weight- 52 Kgs
Net worth- $3 million
Instagram-
katgraham
Relationship status- Kat was previously engaged to Cottrell Guidry. She is currently single.
Kids- No
Kylie Bunbury
image courtesy @
https://creativecommons.org/Imported from Canada, Kylie Bunbury initially made her mark in the field of modeling, an attribute to her drop-dead gorgeous looks. As per her agency's direction, she decided to catwalk herself into a career in acting. She made her debut in Days of Our Lives, portraying the role of Kathleen. Later on, she went to act (as EVA) in Under the Dome, a Sci-fi television series broadcasted on CBS. Furthermore, she also played the lead role of Angie Richardson in When They See Us, a popular Netflix miniseries. She is married to Jon-Ryan Alan Riggins and her brother Alex Bunbury is a renowned football player.
Height- 1.73 m
Weight- 58 Kgs
Net worth- $0.3 million
Instagram-
kyliebunburyRelationship status- Jon-Ryan Alan Riggins (Husband)
Kids- No
Ashleigh Murray
image courtesy @
https://creativecommons.org/Ashleigh Murray (born as Ashleigh Monique Murray) rose to fame with her role as Josie McCoy in Riverdale, a popular CW television series. In the year 2017, she starred in the Netflix film Deidra & Laney Rob a Train. On January 23, 2017, the movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. She portrayed Loryn for the remake of the 1983 film Valley Girl, which was released in May 2020. She is also an upcoming singing sensation.
Height- 160 m
Weight- 49 Kgs
Net worth- $0.1 million
Instagram-
iamamurray
Relationship status-Single
Kids- No
Keke Palmer
image courtesy @
https://creativecommons.org/Last on this list but certainly not last, Keke was born as Lauren Keyana to professional actors. Courtesy of this conducive environment, her talent quickly began to bloom. She debuted as an actress in 2004 with the movie Barbershop: Back in Business. Her performance in the television film The Wool Cap (released in the same year earned her a nomination for the prestigious Screen Actors Guild Award. She further gained accolades for her role in the film Akeelah and the Bee (released in 2006) and was awarded both Young Artist Award and Chicago Film Critics Association Award. The multi-talented actress is also a popular singer and talk-show host.
Height- 1.68 m
Weight- 57 Kgs
Net worth- $7.5 million
Instagram-
keke
Relationship status- Quincy Brown (Boyfriend)
Kids- No
We would love to hear your thoughts about the list here. If you think we may have missed someone worthy, do drop the name in the comment section. Also, please feel free to share if you have any interesting stories about the abovementioned talented actresses.
