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20 Most Talented Gay Black Actors

Originally published by Gloria N in October, 2022 and updated by Faith in March 2024

Gay is a word used to describe men and women attracted to the same sex. There are people who reject the gay title due to the shame of negative comments from others.

However, some come out and accept who they are and love it. There are several talented gay black actors worldwide who are successful and does wonder in the field of acting.

The following are some talented gay black actors;

1. Blake Young- Fountain

Blake is a gay black American actor and producer. People know him for his roles in Grownish, The Mindy Project and The Skinny. His mother was a fan of soap operas and she named him after her favourite character known as Blake Carrington.

He has appeared in several films such as The Houseboy (2007), Perception (2007), Chasing The Green (2009), Michael (2005), Purple Dots (2016), Pet Peeves (2018) and Let Clay be Clay (2013) among others.

2. Keiynan Lonsdale

He is an Australian actor, dancer, and singer-songwriter. He is popularly known for his roles such as Oliver Lloyd on the ABC series Dance Academy (2012-2013), and Wally West/Kid Flash on The CW series The Flash (2015- 2020) among others.

His first acting job was in the year 2007 in a film known as Razzle Dazzle: A Journey into Dance. In 2008, he appeared in All Saints an episode of the Australian television medical drama. Some of the other films and drama series he acted in include The Finest Hours (2016), Dance Academy: The Movie (2017), Love, Simon (2018), and My Fake Boyfriend (2022) among others

3. Brian Michael Smith

Brian Michael Photo By UWS246

Brian Michael Smith is one of the most talented gay actors, he was born on January 29, 1983, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the US and raised by his mother, Ingrid Smith, who was an event planner and Ford Motor Company employee.

Michael Smith had a passion for acting and he joined Kent State University to study acting and video production. After he graduated, he started teaching drama and media literacy to teens before he relocated to New York City to pursue a career in acting.

In 2015 Brian secured his first speaking credit in HBO’s Girls Season 4 opposite Jemima Kirke and Adam Driver. Since then he has earned many roles in films such as Girls (2015), Blue Bloods (2016- 2018), Chicago P.D (2017), Queen Sugar (2017), The L Word Generation Q (2019) and The Detour (2016).

4. Billy Porter

Billy Porter photo By Steam Pipe Trunk Distribution Venue

Samira Wiley has been an active American actor, singer, writer and director from 1992 to date. He attended Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama where he gained skills in acting.

He became famous and widely known when he was performing on Broadway. He later started his solo career as an actor and singer. Some of the films he has started include; Twisted (1996), Anastasia (1997), The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy (2000), Noel (2004), The Humbling (2014), Like a Boss (2020), and Anything’s Possible (2022).

5. Darryl Stephens

Darryl Stephens Photo By Albert Domasin

The television dramedy Noah’s Arc made Darryl famous and known. He is an American black gay actor and author. He has as well featured in other successful films and dramas.

Some of these films include Seamless (1999), Undressed (2000), That’s Life (2001), Circuit (2001), Boy Culture (2006), Not Quite Right (2005), and Tranny McGuyver (2008) among others.

6. Dyllon Burnside

Dyllon Burnside was born back in 1989 in Miami, Florida, U.S. He has been an active actor since 2014 to date. Dyllon moved to New York City where he took acting and dance classes together with studying for a bachelor’s degree in media studies and writing from The New School.

Burnside attending acting classes is one of the reasons he does a great job when it comes to acting. Some of the films he has starred in include Misunderstood (2016), Central Park (2017), and Yinz (2018) among others.

7. Alex Newell

As it is said children raised by single mothers became successful in life sound to be true to me. Alex was born on August 20, 1992, and when he was only 6 years old his father, a deacon, died due to cancer, and he was left with only his mother to raise him.

Today Alex is one of the talented actors and he has produced good work when it comes to acting. He has starred in different famous movies such as The Glee Project (2011), Geography Club (2013), Imaginary Friend (2015), Empire (2019), Come and Learn with Pibby (2021), and Resident Advisors (2015).

8. Tituss Burgess

Tituss Burgess photo By Netflix Wikimedia

Tituss Burgess is an American actor and singer. He is known for his high-tenor voice and has appeared in several Broadway musicals. The unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Netflix comedy series made him famous after starring in it as Titus Andromedon from 2015- 2020.

He has received several awards, such as five primetime Emmy Award nominations which he received after acting in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Films he has featured in include Are You Joking (2014), Then Came You (2018), I hate Kids (2018), Dolemite is My Name (2019), The Addams Family (2019), and Hot Mess Holiday (2021) among others.

9. Sasha Lane

Lane is an American actress. Her father is African-American while her mother is from New Zealand of Maori descent. Before she became an actress she attended Liberty High School where she was a stand-out athlete on the basketball, track and field teams.

In 2016 Lane made her film debut in American Honey which was directed by Adrea Arnold, a film which was about magazine crews.

Other films she has appeared in include Born in the Maelstrom (2017), After Everything (2018), Daniel Isn’t Real (2019), If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (2021), and How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022).

10. Jeremy Pope

Jeremy Pope photo By Tony Awards Youtube Channel

Jeremy Pope is the sixth person in Tony Award history to be nominated in two categories for separate performances during the same year and received Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Play and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. He was as well nominated for a 2020 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Actor.

He has acted in films, theatre and television roles. Some of his works include Choir Boy (2013), Invisible Thread (2015), The View Upstairs (2017), The Ranger (2018), The Inspection (2022), and One Night in Miami (2020).

11. Indya Moore

Indya Moore was born in New York City, U.S and at age of 14 years, he left his parents’ house and entered foster care due to his parents’ transphobia. Despite the fact that he never had parental care he worked hard and became successful. At age of 15, he had already become a model and began working for Dior and Gucci.

He meet Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza while he was doing background for the television series The Get Down. Jose encouraged him to pursue acting and sent him to an audition for the independent film called Saturday Church. Moore landed his first acting role as Dijon and the film was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.

He later featured in other films such as Pose (2018-2021), Steven Universe Future (2019), Queen and Slim (2019), The One (2019), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), and Magic Hour (2020) among others.

12. Angelica Ross

Angelica Ross started her acting career in the web series known as ‘Her Story’ in 2016 which made he be recognized and given roles in the Pose series from 2018- 2021 and American Horror Story from 2019- the present both from FX.

Natale a Miami of 2005, Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen in 2020, Framing Agnes of 2022, Missed Connections in 2017, The Heart of a Woman in 2017, Music in 2021 and Bella Maddo in 2010 are some of the movies, Angelica Ross, as featured in.

13. Rutina Wesley

Rutina Wesley photo By Gage Skidmore

Rutina Wesley was born on December 21, 1978, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the U.S. She is an actress and she has been in the field from 2005 to date. Despite her acting career, she is as well a dancer.

She said if she wasn’t an actress, she would love to be a dancer and her dream would be to dance in the Alvin Ailey dance company.

Some of the acting work she has done include How She Move in 2007, California Winter in 2012, The Championship Rounds of 2013, Broad Squad in 2015 and 2019 Live and Let Die.

14. Rosanny Zayas

Rosanny is famous and does a great job when it comes to acting. She received her bachelor’s degree in acting from Queens College which is an added advantage when it comes to her acting skills.

Her role as Sophie Suarez in The L Word: Generation Q (2019- present) made her famous. Zayas has acted in The Code, Orange is the New Black and Elementary.

15. Dominique Jackson

Dominique Jackson, despite being an actress is as well reality television personality, author and model. She has been in the modelling industry for over 20 years and has appeared in Vogue Espana.

When it comes to the acting field she became famous due to the FX television series Known as Pose where she acted in the role of Elektra Abundance. Other movies she has starred in include Chick Fight (2020), Christopher Street: The Series (2009), and My Truth, My Story: A Caribbean LGBTQ +Oral History Project (2015) among others.

16 RuPaul Andre Charles

A piction of RuPaul at the Hall of Fame ceremony. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The celebrated actor, singer, writer and producer is one of the notable black actors who are members of the LGBTQ community. RuPaul rose to prominence in the 1990s and has grown to be one of the trailblazing figures in the entertainment industry. He is famed for his immense talent as well as his charisma. The actor has produced and also hosted a successful reality competition series known as RuPaul’s Drag Race which earned him 11 Emmy Primetime Awards. In his career as an actor, Rupaul has starred in more than 50 films which is incredibly exceptional. Some of the films that he starred in include Crooklyn (1994), The Brady Bunch Movie (1994), Grace & Frankie (2019) and Girlboss (2017). The actor is a powerful advocate in the LGBTQ community that strives to push for acceptance.

17 Karamo Brown

Karamo Brown. , Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 Karamo Brown is a celebrated television host, reality TV star, and campaigner. In his role as the culture expert on the Netflix series “Queer Eye,” he became widely recognized and was praised for his caring and understanding approach to personal development. Brown used his training as a social worker and certified psychotherapist to help people overcome obstacles in their lives before going into television. He also supports mental health awareness and LGBTQ+ rights. In addition to his work on television, Brown has engaged in a number of charitable activities, promoting social change and motivating others with his inspirational life story.

18 Jussie Smollett

A picture of Jussie Smollett. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The celebrated actor who came into the limelight for his role in the drama series Empire as Jamal Lyon confirmed that he was gay while he was in an interview on The Ellen Show. The entertainment world hailed his choice to come out as a watershed moment for visibility and representation. Smollett has utilized his position to spread awareness of issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community and has been a strong supporter of their rights.

19 J. Harrison Ghee

J. Harrison Ghee. , , via Wikimedia Commons

Ghee is a talented artist who is famed for his work on Broadway. He gained popularity when he starred in Kinky Boots where he played the role of Lola. The actor embodies his identity with courage and authenticity and does not allow himself to conform to societal expectations and thus becomes a great role model to the LGBTQ+ community. Ghee’s journey is a source of inspiration for many people who are on their own journeys. His public persona dispels prejudices and promotes diversity, encouraging people to accept who they really are. Ghee’s advocacy goes beyond the stage; he uses his position to advance understanding and equality.

20 Keiynan Lonsdale

A picture of Keiynan. , , via Wikimedia Commons

The Australian actor, dancer and singer is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and advocates for the rights of gay people using his platform. He communicates the message of self-acceptance and love by being open about his sexuality and thus encouraging those who fear being open about theirs. The actor has appeared in shows like The Flash and Love, Simon Where he uses his roles to challenge societal stereotypes and promote diversity in the mainstream media. Lonsdale continues to make an impact in the gay community by advocating for people to be comfortable in who they are and learn self-acceptance.