This is a list of former African-American child actors . These actors were aged 17 or less at the time they started acting but are currently 18 or over. The list also includes deceased child actors.
Movies and/or TV series they appeared in are mentioned only if they were still a child at the time of filming.
| Name | Born [Died] | Years active (as child actors) & selected filmography |
|---|---|---|
| Adams, Brandon | 1979 | 1986–2001 -- The Sandlot (1993) -- Moonwalker (1988) |
| Bagley, Ross | 1988 | 1994–2004 -- The Little Rascals (1994) |
| Beard, Matthew "Stymie" | 1925 [1981] | 1929–1940 -- Our Gang (1930–35) |
| Berry, Ananias | 1913 [1951] | 1924–1927 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Berry, James | 1915 [1969] | 1924–1926 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Berry, Warren | 1922 [1996] | 1927 -- The McDougall Kids |
| Bledsoe, Tempestt | 1973 | 1984–1988 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Blunt, Erin | 1963 | 1973–1979 -- The Bad News Bears (1976) |
| Boyce, Cameron | 1999 [2019] | 2008–2019 -- Jessie (2011–2015) -- Descendants series (2015–19) |
| Bridges, Todd | 1965 | 1975–1980 -- Fish (1977–78) - Diff'rent Strokes (1978) |
| Brown, Orlando | 1987 | 1995–2003 -- Family Matters (1996–98) |
| Cameron, Trent | 1979 | 1989-1991 -- Homeroom (1989) -- The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990) -- You Take the Kids (1990–91) |
| Carter, Ralph | 1961 | 1971-1976 -- Raisin (1973) -- Good Times (1974–79) |
| Coleman, Gary | 1968 [2010] | 1974–1983 -- Diff'rent Strokes (1978–86) |
| Davis Jr., Sammy | 1925 [1990] | 1933 -- Rufus Jones for President (1933) |
| Edwards, Ed | 1925 ca. | 1931–1932 -- Penrod (1931–32) |
| Fields, Kim | 1969 | 1977-1984 -- Baby, I'm Back (1978) -- Diff'rent Strokes (1979–81) -- The Facts of Life (1979–88) |
| Fishburne, Laurence | 1961 | 1972–1976 -- One Life to Live (1973–76) |
| Foxworth, Jaimee | 1979 | 1986–1993 -- Family Matters (1989–93) |
| Golden II, Norman D. | 1984 | 1992–1998 -- Cop and a Half (1993) -- Moby Dick (1998) |
| Holmes, Tony | 1967 ca. | 1977–78 -- Baby, I'm Back (1978) |
| Hooks, Kevin | 1958 | 1969–1972 -- J.T. (1969) -- Sounder (1972) |
| Hoskins, Allen "Farina" | 1920 [1980] | 1922–1936 -- Our Gang (1922–31) |
| Hurlic, Philip | 1927 [2014] | 1932–1942 -- Penrod and Sam (1937) -- Zenobia (1939) |
| Jackson, Eugene | 1916 [2001] | 1923–1931 -- Penrod and Sam (1923) -- Our Gang (1924–25) -- Little Annie Rooney (1925) -- Hearts in Dixie (1929) |
| Jackson, Janet | 1966 | 1977–81 -- Good Times (1977–79) -- Diff'rent Strokes (1980–84) |
| Jackson, Michael | 1958 [2009] | 1972 |
| Jackson, Skai | 2002 | 2007–2017 -- Jessie (2011–15) |
| Jeffries, Adam | 1976 | 1988–1991 -- True Colors (1990–92) |
| Jordan, Michael B. | 1987 | 1999–2002 - The Wire (2002) |
| Knight Pulliam, Keshia | 1979 | 1984–1992 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Leedy, Glenn | 1935 [2004] | 1942–1947 -- Jasper (1942-45) -- Song of the South (1946) -- The Burning Cross (1947) |
| Lewis, Emmanuel | 1971 | 1982–1989 -- Webster (1983–89) |
| McClure, Bryton | 1986 | 1990–2001 -- Family Matters (1990–97) |
| Morrison, Dorothy | 1919 | 1923–29 |
| Morrison, Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" | 1912 [1989] | 1917–1926 -- Our Gang (1922–24) |
| Paulk, Marcus T. | 1986 | 1993–2001 -- Moesha (1996–2001) |
| Perry, Steven | 1952 | 1958–1969 -- A Raisin in the Sun (1961) |
| Pratt, Kyla | 1986 | 1993–2001 -- Dr. Dolittle (1998) |
| Preston, Billy | 1946 [2006] | 1958 -- St. Louis Blues (1958) |
| Raven-Symoné | 1985 | 1989–2000 -- The Cosby Show (1989–92) - Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–97) |
| Raycole, Jazz | 1988 | 1995–2003 -- My Wife and Kids (2001–02) |
| Richmond, Deon | 1978 | 1987–1993 -- The Cosby Show (1986–92) |
| Richmond, Tequan | 1992 | 2003–2006 -- Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009) |
| Rivera, Naya | 1987 [2020] | 1991–2002 - The Royal Family (1991–92) |
| Robinson, Bumper | 1974 | 1983–1992 -- Enemy Mine (1985) -- The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) |
| Robinson, Jimmy | 1918 [1967] | 1927–1934 -- Mickey McGuire (1927–34) -- Penrod and Sam (1931) |
| Ross, Shavar | 1971 | 1980–1986 -- Booker (1984) |
| Smith, Jaden | 1998 | 2006–2013 -- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) -- The Karate Kid (2010) |
| Smollett-Bell, Jurnee | 1986 | 1991–2001 -- Full House (1992–94) -- Eve's Bayou (1997) |
| St. John, Kristoff | 1966 [2019] | 1975–1982 -- Roots: The Next Generations (1979) |
| Thomas, Billie "Buckwheat" | 1931 [1980] | 1934–1944 -- Our Gang (1934-44) |
| Thompson, Donald | 1938 | 1948 -- The Quiet One (1948) |
| Van Peebles, Mario | 1957 | 1968–1971 -- Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) |
| Warner, Malcolm-Jamal | 1970 | 1982–85 -- The Cosby Show (1984–92) |
| Weaver, Jason | 1979 | 1990–1994 -- The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992) -- Thea (1993–94) -- Summertime Switch (1994) |
| White, Jaleel | 1976 | 1984–1991 -- Family Matters (1989–98) |
| Williams, Tyler James | 1992 | 2000–2007 -- Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009) |