19 Biopics About Black American Icons That Deserve An Oscar Or Emmy

There are countless biopics out there that amazingly depict the lives of notable people in history.

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Certain actors have earned Oscars for immaculately impersonating real-life influential figures in movies — like Jamie Foxx did for his role as Ray Charles in Ray.

While many biopics are worthy of the awards and accolades that they receive, great biographical movies about African American legends often go unrecognized by the Academy Awards and Emmys. In celebration of Black History Month I am listing the 19 biopics about Black American icons that should've gotten an Oscar or Emmy.

1.Angela Bassett as Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It

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Ms. Bassett should’ve taken home a Oscar for her flawless depiction of the Queen of Rock N’ Roll Tina Turner in What's Love Got To Do With It. The remarkable movie star gave us range, BAWDY and overall #BlackExcellence in that role.

2.Denzel Washington as Malcolm X in Malcolm X

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Denzel Washington is an incredible actor, and his embodiment of Civil Rights leader and Muslim minister Malcolm X in the 1992 biopic Malcolm X displayed how stellar his skills truly are. This role should’ve been an Oscar win for Denzel.

3.Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in Get on Up

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Chadwick Boseman had everything about The Godfather of Soul James Brown down pat, from his walk to his raspy higher-pitched voice. Boseman’s performance was most definitely Oscar-worthy.

4.Andra Day as Billie Holiday in The United States vs. Billie Holiday

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Watching Andra Day as the enigmatic legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday is like watching a reincarnation of Billie Holiday. There was no way that Andra Day shouldn’t have snatched that Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

5.Leon as David Ruffin in The Temptations

6.Laurence Fishburne as Bumpy Johnson in Hoodlum

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Laurence Fisburne is a brilliant actor, and he has conveyed that in multiple roles—including his role as the iconic gangster a.k.a the Harlem Godfather Bumpy Johnson in the 1997 film Hoodlum.

While Bumpy Johnson may have been a controversial figure in Black American history and history in general, Laurence Fishburne did a phenomenal job at illustrating the complexities of the mob leader.

The way he was able to present Bumpy Johnson as a multifaceted criminal mastermind who was strategic, moralistic and ruthless should’ve been enough to earn him an Oscar.

7.Viola Davis as Ma Rainey in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

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Viola Davis practically slays all of the characters she plays, and Ma Rainey is no different. Davis’ portrayal of the influential blues singer was so captivating that it’s incomprehensible as to why she didn’t get an Oscar for her role as the Mother of Blues.

8.Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton

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Eazy-E from N.W.A. was one of the pioneers of gangster rap and actually lived the life he rapped about. Jason Mitchell did such an excellent job at portraying Eazy-E in Straight Outta Compton that it was like you were watching the real-life Eazy-E. The Academy Awards shouldn't have overlooked Jason Mitchell for Oscar consideration in 2016.

9.Wylie Draper as teenage and young adult Michael Jackson in The Jacksons: An American Dream

10.Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in Bessie

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Hip-hop legend Queen Latifah as the Empress of Blues Bessie Smith in Bessie was beyond awe-inducing. It should’ve been an Emmy win for Queen Latifah, or at least an Emmy nomination.

11.Larenz Tate as Frankie Lymon in Why Do Fools Fall In Love?

12.Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall in Marshall

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Chadwick Boseman is fantastic in each role he plays, and his role as the first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall exemplifies that. It's a shame that Boseman didn’t get an Oscar for Marshall.

13.Woody McClain as Bobby Brown in The New Edition Story

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Woody McClain’s depiction of R&B superstar and New Edition member Bobby Brown was so spot on it was as if you were looking at old footage of Bobby Brown. There wasn’t any reason that McClain shouldn’t have snatched an Emmy for The New Edition Story.

14.Angela Bassett as Rosa Parks in The Rosa Parks Story

15.Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson in Hidden Figures

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If it wasn’t for the Black woman scientist Katherine Johnson the U.S. wouldn’t have ever made it to the moon. Thanks to the incomparable acting skills of Taraji P. Henson, Katherine Johnson’s story was brought to light in a meaningful way. Why Taraji P. Henson didn’t get an Oscar or at least nominated for her role in Hidden Figures is baffling.

16.Beyoncé as Etta James in Cadillac Records

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It’s Beyoncé. Need I say more? It's hilarious that the Academy didn't think Beyoncé's role as the powerhouse R&B singer Etta James was deserving of an Oscar.

17.David Oyelowo as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma

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David Oyelowo personified Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. effortlessly and still didn't win an Oscar.

18.Leon as Little Richard in Little Richard

19.Will Smith as Muhammad Ali in Ali

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Will Smith completely made you believe that he was the heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, yet his powerful performance didn’t yield him an Oscar.

Are there any other films and roles I'm missing here? Let me know in the comments below!

Make sure you head here for more of our Black History Month coverage!