List of former African-American child actors
This is a list of former African-American child actors. These actors were aged 17 or less at the time they started acting but are currently 18 or over. The list also includes deceased child actors.
Movies and/or TV series they appeared in are mentioned only if they were still a child at the time of filming.
| Name | Born [Died] | Years active (as child actors) & selected filmography |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Brandon | 1979 | 1986–2001 -- The Sandlot (1993) -- Moonwalker (1988) |
| Bagley, Ross | 1988 | 1994–2004 -- The Little Rascals (1994) |
| Beard, Matthew "Stymie" | 1925 [1981] | 1929–1940 -- Our Gang (1930–35) |
| Berry, Ananias | 1913 [1951] | 1924–1927 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Berry, James | 1915 [1969] | 1924–1926 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Berry, Warren | 1922 [1996] | 1927 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Bledsoe, Tempestt | 1973 | 1984–1988 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Blunt, Erin | 1963 | 1973–1979 -- The Bad News Bears (1976) |
| Boyce, Cameron | 1999 [2019] | 2008–2019 -- Jessie (2011–2015) -- Descendants series (2015–19) |
| Bridges, Todd | 1965 | 1975–1980 -- Fish (1977–78) - Diff'rent Strokes (1978) |
| Brown, Orlando | 1987 | 1995–2003 -- Family Matters (1996–98) |
| Cameron, Trent | 1979 | 1989-1991 -- Homeroom (1989) -- The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990) -- You Take the Kids (1990–91) |
| Carter, Ralph | 1961 | 1971-1976 -- Raisin (1973) -- Good Times (1974–79) |
| Coleman, Gary | 1968 [2010] | 1974–1983 -- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–86) |
| Davis Jr., Sammy | 1925 [1990] | 1933 -- Rufus Jones for President (1933) |
| Edwards, Ed | 1925 ca. | 1931–1932 -- Penrod (1931–32) |
| Fields, Kim | 1969 | 1977-1984 -- Baby, I'm Back (1978) -- Diff'rent Strokes (1979–81) -- The Facts of Life (1979–88) |
| Fishburne, Laurence | 1961 | 1972–1976 -- One Life to Live (1973–76) |
| Foxworth, Jaimee | 1979 | 1986–1993 -- Family Matters (1989–93) |
| Golden II, Norman D. | 1984 | 1992–1998 -- Cop and a Half (1993) -- Moby Dick (1998) |
| Holmes, Tony | 1967 ca. | 1977–78 -- Baby, I'm Back (1978) |
| Hooks, Kevin | 1958 | 1969–1972 -- J.T. (1969) -- Sounder (1972) |
| Hoskins, Allen "Farina" | 1920 [1980] | 1922–1936 -- Our Gang (1922–31) |
| Hurlic, Philip | 1927 [2014] | 1932–1942 -- Penrod and Sam (1937) -- Zenobia (1939) |
| Jackson, Eugene | 1916 [2001] | 1923–1931 -- Penrod and Sam (1923) -- Our Gang (1924–25) -- Little Annie Rooney (1925) -- Hearts in Dixie (1929) |
| Jackson, Janet | 1966 | 1977–81 -- Good Times (1977–79) -- Diff'rent Strokes (1980–84) |
| Jackson, Michael | 1958 [2009] | 1972 |
| Jackson, Skai | 2002 | 2007–2017 -- Jessie (2011–15) |
| Jeffries, Adam | 1976 | 1988–1991 -- True Colors (1990–92) |
| Jordan, Michael B. | 1987 | 1999–2002 - The Wire (2002) |
| Knight Pulliam, Keshia | 1979 | 1984–1992 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Leedy, Glenn | 1935 [2004] | 1942–1947 -- Jasper (1942-45) -- Song of the South (1946) -- The Burning Cross (1947) |
| Lewis, Emmanuel | 1971 | 1982–1989 -- Webster (1983–89) |
| McClure, Bryton | 1986 | 1990–2001 -- Family Matters (1990–97) |
| Morrison, Dorothy | 1919 | 1923–29 |
| Morrison, Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" | 1912 [1989] | 1917–1926 -- Our Gang (1922–24) |
| Paulk, Marcus T. | 1986 | 1993–2001 -- Moesha (1996–2001) |
| Perry, Steven | 1952 | 1958–1969 -- A Raisin in the Sun (1961) |
| Pratt, Kyla | 1986 | 1993–2001 -- Dr. Dolittle (1998) |
| Preston, Billy | 1946 [2006] | 1958 -- St. Louis Blues (1958) |
| Raven-Symoné | 1985 | 1989–2000 -- The Cosby Show (1989–92) - Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–97) |
| Raycole, Jazz | 1988 | 1995–2003 -- My Wife and Kids (2001–02) |
| Richmond, Deon | 1978 | 1987–1993 -- The Cosby Show (1986–92) |
| Richmond, Tequan | 1992 | 2003–2006 -- Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009) |
| Rivera, Naya | 1987 [2020] | 1991–2002 - The Royal Family (1991–92) |
| Robinson, Bumper | 1974 | 1983–1992 -- Enemy Mine (1985) -- The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) |
| Robinson, Jimmy | 1918 [1967] | 1927–1934 -- Mickey McGuire (1927–34) -- Penrod and Sam (1931) |
| Ross, Shavar | 1971 | 1980–1986 -- Booker (1984) |
| Smith, Jaden | 1998 | 2006–2013 -- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- The Karate Kid (2010) |
| Smollett-Bell, Jurnee | 1986 | 1991–2001 -- Full House (1992–94) -- Eve's Bayou (1997) |
| St. John, Kristoff | 1966 [2019] | 1975–1982 -- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) |
| Thomas, Billie "Buckwheat" | 1931 [1980] | 1934–1944 -- Our Gang (1934-44) |
| Thompson, Donald | 1938 | 1948 -- The Quiet One (1948) |
| Van Peebles, Mario | 1957 | 1968–1971 -- Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) |
| Warner, Malcolm-Jamal | 1970 | 1982–85 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Weaver, Jason | 1979 | 1990–1994 -- The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) -- Thea (1993–94) -- Summertime Switch (1994) |
| White, Jaleel | 1976 | 1984–1991 -- Family Matters (1989–98) |
| Williams, Tyler James | 1992 | 2000–2007 -- Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009) |