List of former African-American child actors facts for kids

African-American child actors have brought joy and entertainment to audiences for many years! This page celebrates talented young performers who started acting when they were 17 years old or younger. Many of them continued their careers into adulthood, while some sadly passed away after their time as child stars.

Here, you'll find a list of some of these amazing actors and the movies or TV shows they were in while they were still kids.

Talented Young Stars

Here's a list of some incredible African-American actors who started their careers as children:

• Adams, Brandon (born 1979)
  • Active as a child actor from 1986 to 2001.
  • Known for: The Sandlot (1993) and Moonwalker (1988).

• Bagley, Ross (born 1988)
  • Active as a child actor from 1994 to 2004.
  • Known for: The Little Rascals (1994).

• Beard, Matthew "Stymie" (1925 – 1981)
  • Active as a child actor from 1929 to 1940.
  • Known for: Our Gang (1930–35).

• Berry, Ananias (1913 – 1951)
  • Active as a child actor from 1924 to 1927.
  • Known for: The McDougall Kids.

• Berry, James (1915 – 1969)
  • Active as a child actor from 1924 to 1926.
  • Known for: The McDougall Kids.

• Berry, Warren (1922 – 1996)
  • Active as a child actor in 1927.
  • Known for: The McDougall Kids.

• Bledsoe, Tempestt (born 1973)
  • Active as a child actor from 1984 to 1988.
  • Known for: The Cosby Show (1984–92).

• Blunt, Erin (born 1963)
  • Active as a child actor from 1973 to 1979.
  • Known for: The Bad News Bears (1976).

• Boyce, Cameron (1999 – 2019)
  • Active as a child actor from 2008 to 2019.
  • Known for: Jessie (2011–2015) and Descendants series (2015–19).

• Bridges, Todd (born 1965)
  • Active as a child actor from 1975 to 1980.
  • Known for: Fish (1977–78) and Diff'rent Strokes (1978).

• Brown, Orlando (born 1987)
  • Active as a child actor from 1995 to 2003.
  • Known for: Family Matters (1996–98).

• Cameron, Trent (born 1979)
  • Active as a child actor from 1989 to 1991.
  • Known for: Homeroom (1989), The Kid Who Loved Christmas (1990), and You Take the Kids (1990–91).

• Carter, Ralph (born 1961)
  • Active as a child actor from 1971 to 1976.
  • Known for: Raisin (1973) and Good Times (1974–79).

• Coleman, Gary (1968 – 2010)
  • Active as a child actor from 1974 to 1983.
  • Known for: Diff'rent Strokes (1978–86).

• Davis Jr., Sammy (1925 – 1990)
  • Active as a child actor in 1933.
  • Known for: Rufus Jones for President (1933).

• Edwards, Ed (born around 1925)
  • Active as a child actor from 1931 to 1932.
  • Known for: Penrod (1931–32).

• Fields, Kim (born 1969)
  • Active as a child actor from 1977 to 1984.
  • Known for: Baby, I'm Back (1978), Diff'rent Strokes (1979–81), and The Facts of Life (1979–88).

• Fishburne, Laurence (born 1961)
  • Active as a child actor from 1972 to 1976.
  • Known for: One Life to Live (1973–76).

• Foxworth, Jaimee (born 1979)
  • Active as a child actor from 1986 to 1993.
  • Known for: Family Matters (1989–93).

• Golden II, Norman D. (born 1984)
  • Active as a child actor from 1992 to 1998.
  • Known for: Cop and a Half (1993) and Moby Dick (1998).

• Holmes, Tony (born around 1967)
  • Active as a child actor from 1977 to 1978.
  • Known for: Baby, I'm Back (1978).

• Hooks, Kevin (born 1958)
  • Active as a child actor from 1969 to 1972.
  • Known for: J.T. (1969) and Sounder (1972).

• Hoskins, Allen "Farina" (1920 – 1980)
  • Active as a child actor from 1922 to 1936.
  • Known for: Our Gang (1922–31).

• Hurlic, Philip (1927 – 2014)
  • Active as a child actor from 1932 to 1942.
  • Known for: Penrod and Sam (1937) and Zenobia (1939).

• Jackson, Eugene (1916 – 2001)
  • Active as a child actor from 1923 to 1931.
  • Known for: Penrod and Sam (1923), Our Gang (1924–25), Little Annie Rooney (1925), and Hearts in Dixie (1929).

• Jackson, Janet (born 1966)
  • Active as a child actor from 1977 to 1981.
  • Known for: Good Times (1977–79) and Diff'rent Strokes (1980–84).

• Jackson, Michael (1958 – 2009)
  • Active as a child actor in 1972.

• Jackson, Skai (born 2002)
  • Active as a child actor from 2007 to 2017.
  • Known for: Jessie (2011–15).

• Jeffries, Adam (born 1976)
  • Active as a child actor from 1988 to 1991.
  • Known for: True Colors (1990–92).

• Jordan, Michael B. (born 1987)
  • Active as a child actor from 1999 to 2002.
  • Known for: The Wire (2002).

• Knight Pulliam, Keshia (born 1979)
  • Active as a child actor from 1984 to 1992.
  • Known for: The Cosby Show (1984–92).

• Leedy, Glenn (1935 – 2004)
  • Active as a child actor from 1942 to 1947.
  • Known for: Jasper (1942-45), Song of the South (1946), and The Burning Cross (1947).

• Lewis, Emmanuel (born 1971)
  • Active as a child actor from 1982 to 1989.
  • Known for: Webster (1983–89).

• McClure, Bryton (born 1986)
  • Active as a child actor from 1990 to 2001.
  • Known for: Family Matters (1990–97).

• Morrison, Dorothy (born 1919)
  • Active as a child actor from 1923 to 1929.

• Morrison, Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" (1912 – 1989)
  • Active as a child actor from 1917 to 1926.
  • Known for: Our Gang (1922–24).

• Paulk, Marcus T. (born 1986)
  • Active as a child actor from 1993 to 2001.
  • Known for: Moesha (1996–2001).

• Perry, Steven (born 1952)
  • Active as a child actor from 1958 to 1969.
  • Known for: A Raisin in the Sun (1961).

• Pratt, Kyla (born 1986)
  • Active as a child actor from 1993 to 2001.
  • Known for: Dr. Dolittle (1998).

• Preston, Billy (1946 – 2006)
  • Active as a child actor in 1958.
  • Known for: St. Louis Blues (1958).

• Raven-Symoné (born 1985)
  • Active as a child actor from 1989 to 2000.
  • Known for: The Cosby Show (1989–92) and Hangin' with Mr. Cooper (1992–97).

• Raycole, Jazz (born 1988)
  • Active as a child actor from 1995 to 2003.
  • Known for: My Wife and Kids (2001–02).

• Richmond, Deon (born 1978)
  • Active as a child actor from 1987 to 1993.
  • Known for: The Cosby Show (1986–92).

• Richmond, Tequan (born 1992)
  • Active as a child actor from 2003 to 2006.
  • Known for: Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009).

• Rivera, Naya (1987 – 2020)
  • Active as a child actor from 1991 to 2002.
  • Known for: The Royal Family (1991–92).

• Robinson, Bumper (born 1974)
  • Active as a child actor from 1983 to 1992.
  • Known for: Enemy Mine (1985) and The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992).

• Robinson, Jimmy (1918 – 1967)
  • Active as a child actor from 1927 to 1934.
  • Known for: Mickey McGuire (1927–34) and Penrod and Sam (1931).

• Ross, Shavar (born 1971)
  • Active as a child actor from 1980 to 1986.
  • Known for: Booker (1984).

• Smith, Jaden (born 1998)
  • Active as a child actor from 2006 to 2013.
  • Known for: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and The Karate Kid (2010).

• Smollett-Bell, Jurnee (born 1986)
  • Active as a child actor from 1991 to 2001.
  • Known for: Full House (1992–94) and Eve's Bayou (1997).

• St. John, Kristoff (1966 – 2019)
  • Active as a child actor from 1975 to 1982.
  • Known for: Roots: The Next Generations (1979).

• Thomas, Billie "Buckwheat" (1931 – 1980)
  • Active as a child actor from 1934 to 1944.
  • Known for: Our Gang (1934-44).

• Thompson, Donald (born 1938)
  • Active as a child actor in 1948.
  • Known for: The Quiet One (1948).

• Van Peebles, Mario (born 1957)
  • Active as a child actor from 1968 to 1971.
  • Known for: Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971).

• Warner, Malcolm-Jamal (born 1970)
  • Active as a child actor from 1982 to 1985.
  • Known for: The Cosby Show (1984–92).

• Weaver, Jason (born 1979)
  • Active as a child actor from 1990 to 1994.
  • Known for: The Jacksons: An American Dream (1992), Thea (1993–94), and Summertime Switch (1994).

• White, Jaleel (born 1976)
  • Active as a child actor from 1984 to 1991.
  • Known for: Family Matters (1989–98).

• Williams, Tyler James (born 1992)
  • Active as a child actor from 2000 to 2007.
  • Known for: Everybody Hates Chris (2005–2009).

See also

• List of African-American actors