21st-century African-American actresses

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( bee-ON-say; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Known as "Queen Bey", she has been widely recognized for her boundary-pushing artistry and vocal performances. Beyoncé is regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of her generation. Her contributions to music and visual media have made her an influential pop culture figure of the 21st century.

Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973), also known as BanX, is an American television personality, model, producer, writer, and actress. Born in Inglewood, California, she began her career as a model at the age of 15, and was the first African-American woman to be featured on the covers of GQ and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, on which she appeared three times. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 1997 to 2005. By the early 2000s, Banks was one of the world's top-earning models.

Stacey Lauretta Dash (born January 20, 1967) is an American actress. Dash played Dionne Marie Davenport in the 1995 feature film Clueless and its television series of the same name. She has also appeared in the films Moving, Mo' Money, Renaissance Man, and View from the Top. Other television work by Dash includes appearances in the series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Single Ladies and the reality TV show Celebrity Circus. She has also appeared in music videos for Carl Thomas' "Emotional" and Kanye West's "All Falls Down".

Meagan Monique Good is an American actress. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film Eve's Bayou (1997), prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom Cousin Skeeter (1998–2001). Good received further prominence after starring in the films Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Roll Bounce (2005), and Stomp the Yard (2007).

Halle Maria Berry (born Maria Halle Berry; August 14, 1966) is an American actress. Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the romantic drama film Monster's Ball (2001), becoming the only woman of African American descent to have won the award.

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records, she is noted for her songwriting, five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register. An influential figure in popular music, Carey is credited with influencing vocal styles, merging hip-hop with pop through her collaborations and popularizing remixes. She has also been dubbed the "Queen of Christmas" for the enduring popularity of her holiday music, particularly the 1994 song "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which is the best-selling holiday song by a female artist.

Karrueche Tran ( kə-ROO-chee TRAN; born May 17, 1988) is an American actress and model. From 2013 to 2016, she starred as Vivian Johnson in the web series The Bay. For producing the series, she won two Daytime Emmy Awards. Her return to The Bay for its sixth season garnered her the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Performance by a Lead Actress in a Daytime Fiction Program at the 2021 Daytime Emmy Awards. Her win made her the first person of Asian Pacific American descent to win an Emmy for Lead Actress or Actor. Tran also starred as Virginia Loc on the TNT series Claws.

Troian Avery Bellisario (born October 28, 1985) is an American actress. She is best known for starring as Spencer Hastings in the television series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017). In 2010, she received praise for her leading performance in the film Consent for which she won the Vision Fest Award for Best Acting by a Female Lead and the FirstGlance Philadelphia Award for Best Actress. She has won two Teen Choice Awards out of six nominations and a Young Hollywood Award.

Willow Camille Reign Smith (born October 31, 2000), also known mononymously as Willow, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, actress and dancer. She is the daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and the younger sister of Jaden Smith. Smith made her acting debut in 2007 in the film I Am Legend and later appeared in Kit Kittredge: An American Girl alongside Abigail Breslin. She received a Young Artist Award for her performance.

Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( tee-NAH-sheh; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena, California as a child, where she pursued work in entertainment. Her notable roles include a motion-capture performance in the animated film The Polar Express (2004), Robin Wheeler in the Cartoon Network television series Out of Jimmy's Head (2007–2008), and a recurring role in the CBS series Two and a Half Men (2008–2009).