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Casting Actors of Color

@castingactorsofcolor

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A community that empowers diverse artists. We promote inclusivity while demystifying the journey of an entertainment industry professional.

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Watching Michael B. Jordan lift that Best Actor Oscar for Sinners felt incredibly earned. He didn’t just play a role in this film—he embodied it with an intensity that stays with you long after the credits roll.

This win is not only a testament to his incredible performance in Sinners, but also to years of dedication and powerful work. He has been consistently excellent throughout his career, and it is truly wonderful to see him receive this highest level of recognition from his peers and the Academy.

Congratulations, Michael. You have made everyone who values great film-making and storytelling incredibly proud. This moment is so well-deserved! 🥂🎬

#MichaelBJordan #Sinners #BestActor #Oscars2024 #AcademyAward by @castingactorsofcolor

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7 months ago

Congratulations to Ryan Coogler on winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A powerful storyteller whose work continues to expand the possibilities of cinema. by @castingactorsofcolor

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7 months ago

Terence Blanchard
American composer, trumpeter
• Born: March 13, 1962
• From: New Orleans, Louisiana
• Known for: Blending jazz, film scoring, and opera to center Black interior life

Terence Blanchard is a Grammy Award–winning composer whose work spans jazz, film, and opera. After scoring over twenty films for Spike Lee, Blanchard made history as the first Black composer to have an opera produced by the Metropolitan Opera with Fire Shut Up in My Bones. His work proves that Black stories—and Black sound—belong at the center of the world’s most prestigious stages.

Voiceover: @ActWithJamil

#BlackInTheDay #BlackMusicHistory #OperaAndJazz by @castingactorsofcolor

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8 months ago

Vinnette Carroll
American director, playwright, actor
• Born: March 11, 1922
• From: New York City, New York
• Known for: Integrating Black culture into mainstream theater and television with artistic rigor and joy

Vinnette Carroll was a groundbreaking theater director and playwright and the first Black woman to direct on Broadway. Her work expanded the presence of Black artists in commercial theater, most notably with Your Arms Too Short to Box with God (1976). Carroll also made history as the first Black woman to direct a major network television series, shaping episodes of Roots and other landmark productions. Through her leadership, she broadened who could tell stories—and how Black life could be staged—with dignity, complexity, and musicality.

Voiceover: @ActWithJamil

#BlackInTheDay #BlackTheaterHistory #WomenInTheatre by @castingactorsofcolor

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8 months ago

Bradford Young
American cinematographer
• Born: July 7, 1977
• Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
• Known for: Naturalistic lighting, lyrical realism, and a visual language centered on Black interior life

Bradford Young is an American cinematographer and the first Black cinematographer nominated for an Academy Award, receiving an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography for Arrival (2016). His work is widely recognized for its expressive use of shadow, ambient light, and visual restraint—often prioritizing emotional truth over spectacle.

Young rose to prominence through his collaborations with director Ava DuVernay, notably on Selma, where his cinematography reframed historical narrative through intimacy rather than distance. His other major credits include A Most Violent Year, When They See Us, and Solo: A Star Wars Story.

Beyond accolades, Young’s impact lies in how he expanded the visual grammar of mainstream cinema—demonstrating that Black stories, faces, and environments could be photographed with nuance, darkness, softness, and dignity on the largest stages in the industry.

Voiceover: @ActWithJamil

#BlackInTheDay #BlackFilmHistory #Cinematography by @castingactorsofcolor

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9 months ago

Ruby Berkley Goodwin
American writer, actress, journalist
• Born: October 17, 1903
• Died: May 31, 1961
• Birthplace: United States (exact city not consistently documented)

Ruby Berkley Goodwin was an American writer, actress, and pioneering entertainment journalist. From 1936 to 1951, she served as personal secretary and publicist to Academy Award–winning actress Hattie McDaniel and is credited with helping McDaniel prepare her historic 1940 Oscars acceptance speech. She later worked in a similar capacity for Ethel Waters.

Through her nationally syndicated column Hollywood in Bronze, Goodwin became the first accredited Black Hollywood correspondent, documenting Black life and labor in the film industry during segregation. In the 1940s, she transitioned to acting, appearing in Los Angeles stage productions including Anna Lucasta, The Member of the Wedding, Winesburg, Ohio, and The Little Foxes.

Her screen work included film roles in The View from Pompey’s Head (1955), The Alligator People (1959), and Wild in the Country (1961), as well as television appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Wagon Train, The Loretta Young Show, and General Electric Theater.

Voiceover: @ActWithJamil

#BlackInTheDay #BlackHollywoodHistory #HiddenFigures by @castingactorsofcolor

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9 months ago

Honoring the life and legacy of Woodie King Jr., The Godfather of Black Theatre.
A visionary champion whose artistry, leadership, and devotion to Black storytelling transformed the American stage. His influence lives on through the countless artists he uplifted and the stories he insisted be told. #WoodieKingJr #BlackTheatre by @castingactorsofcolor

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9 months ago

A visionary, founder, producer, director, and fearless advocate for stories that too often went unseen, Woodie King Jr. dedicated his life to creating space where Black artists could tell the truth on their own terms.

This legacy is personal for me. My grandmother Elma Bateman, along with her dear friend Arthur, would organize bus trips to see his plays—making sure our community showed up for the work. Because of them, I was exposed to Woodie King Jr.’s theater as early as 10 years old, long before I understood how rare and necessary that kind of artistic leadership was.

He didn’t build theater for recognition or ego—he built it because the work needed to exist. And because of that, generations of artists—including myself—stand on the foundation he laid.

Rest in power, King. Your legacy lives forever. 🕊️🎭

#WoodieKingJr #KingOfBlackTheater #BlackTheater #BlackArts taken in New Federal Theatre by @castingactorsofcolor

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9 months ago

🌿 A Light Beyond the Curtain 🌿

There are souls who don’t just enter a room —
they lift it.
Kimberly Hébert Gregory was one of them.
A force of grace, wit, and truth,
she moved through every story she touched
with the kind of honesty that made us all
want to live a little braver.

Her laughter carried rhythm,
her presence held weight,
and her artistry —
a sermon in motion.

The stage will dim for a moment,
but her light will not.
It lingers in every performance,
every heart she stirred,
every young artist who saw in her
a reflection of what was possible.

Rest gently, radiant one.
You’ve taken your final bow here —
but the next act is all yours. 💫

#KimberlyHebertGregory #InMemoriam #TheaterSoul #ArtistEternal by @castingactorsofcolor

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a year ago

Congratulations to @PaulTazewell for his win in #CostumeDesign and being the first Black American to receive the prestigious award. #Oscars by @castingactorsofcolor

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2 years ago

First Dominican American to earn a Best Actress #OscsrAward @zoesaldana by @castingactorsofcolor

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2 years ago

**Celebrating Excellence at the 77th Tony Awards**

The 77th Tony Awards celebrated remarkable talent, with standout winners including:

**Kara Young** won **Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play** for *Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch*.

**Maleah Joi Moon** earned **Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical** for *Hell’s Kitchen*, while **Kecia Lewis** won **Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical** for the same show.

**Dede Ayite** received **Best Costume Design in a Play** for *Jaja’s African Hair Braiding*, and **Nikiya Mathis** was recognized for her outstanding wig and hair design in the same play.

**Branden Jacobs-Jenkins** won **Best Revival of a Play** for *Appropriate*.

**Billy Porter** received the **Isabelle Stevenson Award**, and **George C. Wolfe** was honored with the **Lifetime Achievement Award**.

Producers **Lamar Richardson** and **Lachanze**, along with **Debra Chase Martin**, were recognized for their contributions to the best revivals and musicals, including *Appropriate*, *Merrily We Roll Along*, and *The Outsiders*.

#TonyAwards #Broadway #Theater #KaraYoung #MaleahJoiMoon #KeciaLewis #DedeAyite #NikiyaMathis #BrandenJacobsJenkins #BillyPorter #GeorgeCWolfe #LamarRichardson #Lachanze #DebraChaseMartin #Hell’sKitchen #PurlieVictorious #JajasAfricanHairBraiding #Appropriate #TheOutsiders by @castingactorsofcolor

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2 years ago