Good Black Don't Crack: 50 Plus and Fabulous
Like fine wine | these Black women are only getting better with age. See the pictures.
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Apōllonia Kotero - Singer and actress Apōllonia Kotero, born Patricia Kotero, joined Prince's entourage after the departure of Vanity. The lead in the film "Purple Rain" and a lead singer of the recording group Apollonia 6, she is 50.
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Anita Baker - R&B and soul singer-songwriter Anita Baker, who has won eight Grammy Awards and earned four platinum albums and three gold albums to her credit, is 51.
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Angela Bassett - Emmy and Academy Award-nominated and Golden Globe-winning actress Angela Evelyn Bassett, well-known for her roles in "Notorious," "Waiting To Exhale," "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" and "What's Love Got to Do with It," is 51.
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Donna Brazile - Donna Brazile, the first African American to direct a major presidential campaign when she ran Al Gore’s in 2000, is 50. She is an author, educator, political activist and strategist, affiliated with the Democratic Party.
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Juanita Bynum - An author, actress, gospel singer and televangelist, Prophetess Juanita Bynum is 50.
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Iman - Former supermodel Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid, professionally known as Iman (which means "faith" in Arabic), is 54.
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Shirley Caesar - Gospel singer Shirley Caesar, who has 11 Grammys and seven Dove awards among her many music honors, is 70.
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Diahann Carroll - American award-winning actress and songstress Diahann Carroll, whose title role in the 1968 TV show "Julia" made her the first African-American actress to star in a TV series in which she did not play a domestic worker, is 73.
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Natalie Cole - Natalie Maria Cole, who achieved success in her early career as an R&B star but smoothly changed her repertoire toward a more jazz-oriented musical style, is 59. The singer-songwriter has won 10 Grammys.
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Sheila E. - Sheila Escovedo, known by her stage name Sheila E., is perhaps best known for her work with Prince and Ringo Starr. She is 52.
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Lisa Fischer - Grammy Award-winning singer Lisa Fischer, known for her impressive vocal range and her 1991 smash hit single "How Can I Ease the Pain," is 50. Hers is considered one of the most powerful melodic voices in the music world.
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Pam Grier - Actress Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier, who came to fame in the early 1970s after starring in a string of blaxploitation films, such as "Foxy Brown," is 59. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino's film, “Jackie Brown.”
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Whoopi Goldberg - "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg, who is one of only 13 people who have won Academy, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards, is 53. In 1990, for her performance in the movie "Ghost," she became the second African-American woman, after Hattie McDaniel in “Gone With The Wind” (1940), to win an Academy Award.
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Alaina Reed Hall - Alaina Reed Hall, best known for her roles as Olivia, Gordon's kid sister on Sesame Street, and Rose Lee Holloway on 227, is 62. She also can been seen in a number of TV commercials.
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Jackée Harry - Jacqueline Yvonne Harry, known for her signature role as Sandra Clark on the NBC sitcom "227," is 52. She has a recurring role on the CW sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris."
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Anita Hill - Anita Faye Hill, a professor of social policy, law and women's studies at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management and a former colleague of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is 52. She is best known for testifying under oath at Thomas' 1991 Senate confirmation hearings that he made provocative and harassing sexual advances.
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Jenifer Lewis - Actress Jenifer Jeanette Lewis, known for her role as Dean Davenport on "A Different World" and had a recurring role as Will Smith's Aunt Helen on "The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air," is 52. She recently starred as a judge in the dramedy "Boston Legal" and appeared in Tyler Perry's film, "Meet The Browns."
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Telma Hopkins - Actress and singer Telma Louise Hopkins, who is perhaps best-known for her role as Phyllis on the sitcom "Half & Half," is 60. She is also the woman who yells "Shut your mouth!" on Isaac Hayes’ "Theme from Shaft.”
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Anna Maria Horsford - Actress Anna Maria Horsford is perhaps best known for her role as Thelma Frye on the sitcom "Amen," her role as Craig Jones' mother, Betty Jones, in the 1995 comedy "Friday" and as loveable security guard Dee on "The Wayans Bros." She is 62.
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Mae C. Jemison - Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, Dr. Mae Carol Jemison, is the first African-American woman to travel into space on the Space Shuttle Endeavor. She is 52. She also speaks fluent Russian, Japanese and Swahili and is trained in dance and choreography.
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Beverly Johnson - Former supermodel and actress Beverly Johnson made history as the first African-American model to appear on the cover of the fashion magazine Vogue in 1974. She is 56.
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Chaka Khan - Singer Chaka Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens, is best known for her hit songs "I'm Every Woman," "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire." She is 56. Her contributions to funk and soul music in her early career earned her the title of the "Queen of Funk Soul." She is also known for her perfectly pitched contralto vocals.
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Gladys Knight - Gladys Maria Knight, "The Empress of Soul," best known for the hits she recorded during the 1960s and 1970s with Gladys Knight & the Pips, is 64. She is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman and author.
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Patti LaBelle - Patricia Louise Holte, best known by her stage name of Patti LaBelle, is 64. She is renowned for her passionate stage performances, wide vocal range and distinctive high-octave belting. Her biography, "Don't Block the Blessings," was a New York Times best-seller.
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Jessye Norman - Four-time Grammy Award-winning opera singer Jessye Norman is one of the most admired contemporary opera singers and recitalists – and is one of the highest-paid performers – in classical music. She is 63.
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Sheryl Lee Ralph - Tony Award-nominated actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph, known for her role as Etienne Toussaint-Bouvier on "Designing Women" and Brandy's step-mother on "Moesha," is 52. She began her career as Deena Jones in the broadway hit "Dreamgirls." Ralph was recently featured with son Etienne on BET's "Baldwin Hills."
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Diana Ross - Diane "Diana" Ernestine Ross is 65. She is a 12-time Grammy-nominated singer and Oscar-nominated actress, whose musical repertoire spans R&B, soul, pop, soft rock, disco, funk and jazz. Since the beginning of her career with The Supremes and as a solo artist, Diana Ross has sold more than 100 million records.
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Sade - Singer Helen Folasade Adu, better known an Sade, first achieved success in the 1980s as the front woman and lead vocalist of the popular Grammy Award-winning English group Sade. She is 50.
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B. Smith - B. Smith worked first as a model, gracing the covers of 15 magazines, including "Mademoiselle." She opened her first restaurant in 1986 in Times Square. She jumped further into the spotlight by hosting her TV show and expanded with B. Smith jewelry, fabrics and bedding. She is 59.
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Bern Nadette Stanis - Actress Bern Nadette Stanis, best known for her role as the strong-willed Thelma Evans on the CBS sitcom, "Good Times," is 55. After the show ended, she made appearances on several TV shows, including "The Cosby Show" and "What's Happening Now!" Stanis can be seen on a Nationwide Insurance commercial.
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Jody Watley - Singer, songwriter, record producer and label owner Jody V. Watley, is 50. She has sold more than 20 million albums and singles worldwide. Jody Watley ranks No. 144 among the most successful R&B artists of all time, according to Billboard magazine.
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Faye Wattleton - Alyce Faye Wattleton, the first and youngest person ever elected to lead the family planning organization Planned Parenthood, is 65. She now serves as the president of the Center for the Advancement of Women. She also serves on the board of trustees at Columbia University.