# Who are the darkest-skinned US celebrities? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 24, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770 "2006-07-24T02:43:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lama\_Pacos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Lama\_Pacos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lama_Pacos)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/1 "2006-07-24T02:43:49Z")
I hope this thread isn’t found sketchy-- definitely not my intent. But it’s often been observed that while the population of normal Americans runs a wide gamut of skin tones, because of racist beauty standards, black celebrities tend much more often to be more towards the milkier side of the complexion spectrum. I’m trying to think of which celebrities have skin tones more on the darker end of variation, and I’m having quite a hard time of it. My brief mental skim suggests that the cultural block against darker-skinned people attaining celebrity is very real. But now I’m putting it to y’all. I’m going to tentatively say athletes don’t count, because I don’t think their appearance (beyond actual physical fitness) is considered as crucial to their careers as it is for actors, musicians, and politicians. Feel free to prove me wrong, though. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/2 "2006-07-24T02:46:18Z")
The actors Sidney Poitier and Cicely Tyson are both dark-skinned. So was musician Miles Davis. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/3 "2006-07-24T02:47:27Z")
Wesley Snipes and Eddie “Darkness” Murphy ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/4 "2006-07-24T02:49:15Z")
[Avery Brooks](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0120586/Ss/0120586/6?path=pgallery&path_key=Brooks,%20Avery%20(I)) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/5 "2006-07-24T02:50:44Z")
[Chiwetel Ejiofor](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0252230/) ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/6 "2006-07-24T03:10:33Z")
Omar Epps, from _House_ (and other things). ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/7 "2006-07-24T03:23:14Z")
Michael Jordan Bill Cosby Whoopi Goldberg Andre Braugher Yaphet Kotto Kellly Rowland ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/8 "2006-07-24T03:29:01Z")
[Yaphet Kotto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaphet_Kotto) [Andre Braugher](http://www.andrebraugher.com/) [Whoopi Goldberg](http://www.planetout.com/images/entertainment/starstruck/goldberg.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Rodgers01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@Rodgers01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rodgers01)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/9 "2006-07-24T03:29:04Z")
Denzel Washington, 50 Cent, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle are pretty dark-skinned. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/10 "2006-07-24T03:30:05Z")
[QUOTE=astro] [Yaphet Kotto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yaphet_Kotto) [Andre Braugher](http://www.andrebraugher.com/) [Whoopi Goldberg](http://www.planetout.com/images/entertainment/starstruck/goldberg.jpg) [/QUOTE] Zamboniracer outraced me ---
**Author:** ![Blanche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Blanche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blanche)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/11 "2006-07-24T03:34:42Z")
Eddie Murphy, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bill Cosby? They aren’t particularly dark at all. From some of the choices here, it looks like people are (perhaps subconsciously) choosing people with strong African features, some of which have non-dark (for black folks, that is) skin tones. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/12 "2006-07-24T03:38:03Z")
[QUOTE=DxZero] Wesley Snipes and Eddie “Darkness” Murphy [/QUOTE] Charlie Murphy is Darkness, not Eddie. ---
**Author:** ![DxZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DxZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DxZero)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/13 "2006-07-24T03:39:36Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco] Charlie Murphy is Darkness, not Eddie. [/QUOTE] If I recall my Chappelle correctly, Charlie said Rick James called both him and Eddie “darkness”. At any rate, they’re both dark skinned. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/14 "2006-07-24T03:39:39Z")
Djimon Hounsou - [linky](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0388500/Ss/0388500/M-254.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Hounsou,%20Djimon) How sad that the image above is from _Beauty Shop_. He’s had some good meaty roles. His characters in _Amistad_ and _The Four Feathers_ foremost. And he was pretty badass in the popcorn flick _The Island_. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/15 "2006-07-24T03:42:18Z")
Damn, posted too soon. I also meant to add [Andre Braugher](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/0120632/Ss/0120632/3?path=pgallery&path_key=Braugher,%20Andre). He has such a great, expressive face. It’s his eyes. I think that both Hounsou and Braugher are on the darker end of the black actors spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/16 "2006-07-24T03:56:30Z")
[QUOTE=astro] Zamboniracer outraced me [/QUOTE] Yeah, but you provided links and I did not so my hat is off to you. I forgot to mention [Flip Wilson](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0933400/) [Tracy Morgan](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0605079/photogallery-granitz-0), [Michael Clarke Duncan](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0003817/) [Howard E. Rollins](http://dkelsmith.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/blackofficer-736089.jpeg) and [Bernie Mac](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0005170/). And Blanche, if the nominees in this thread, or people such as [Gabrielle Union](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0005517/) or [Meagan Good](http://indie.imdb.com/name/nm0328709/) , aren’t dark-skinned enough that doesn’t bother me any. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/17 "2006-07-24T04:06:17Z")
[Ato Essandoh](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1017951/), who was the adopted brother in _Garden State_, is extremely dark-skinned. For comparison’s sake, [here](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/hh/1017951/HH/1017951/LFKHIGH.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Essandoh,%20Ato) is a picture of him with Will Smith. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/18 "2006-07-24T04:10:06Z")
[Dennis Haysbert](http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0371660/)? I’m not sure about _darkest_, but he’s certainly as dark as (and in some cases darker than) some of those already named here. (My first thought was “Samuel L. Jackson?” but from the pictures up on imdb, he’s not.) ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/19 "2006-07-24T04:20:47Z")
Bad to post twice in a row? Deciding to look into politics, because I haven’t seen a picture of him in quite a while, I checked out [Barack Obama](http://obama.senate.gov/newsroom/) but he’s not that dark-looking…there, anyway. Anyone want to judge which of these two pictures are more accurate: [fairly dark](http://www.harrywalker.com/photos/MoseleyBraun_Carol.jpg) or [extremely light](http://www.modernvertebrate.com/elections/2004-president/images/braun.gif)? Musicians: [Ray Charles?](http://www.imdb.com/gallery/mptv/1358/Mptv/1358/0591_0010.jpg?path=pgallery&path_key=Charles,%20Ray%20(I)) ---
**Author:** ![Mesquite-oh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770/20 "2006-07-24T06:46:09Z")
[Eminem](http://www.poster.net/eminem/eminem-blue-5200090.jpg) ? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-the-darkest-skinned-us-celebrities/365770.md?page=2)