Some of the biggest actors and actresses we know today were born or grew up famous, but many others were not. And it took some time for them to get to where they are today. According to Harvard University, the average age to become famous is 29. So, here are some of the biggest black actors and actresses that got their big breaks after 30.
MORGAN FREEMAN
Morgan Freeman, born in 1937, has won numerous awards in his illustrious career, which include the Golden Globe Award. He has starred in many blockbuster movies. Although he started his career early, it was not until his impressive performance as Hoke Colburn, the kind-hearted stubborn chauffeur in the 1989’s film Driving Miss Daisy, that he became famous. He was 52 when he got into the spotlight.
VIOLA DAVIS
Viola Davis, born in 1965, also started her acting career in the 1990s. Although she had some success in her early movies, Davis’s first most commercially successful and critically acclaimed film was Doubt in 2008. Her outstanding performance earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She was 43 at the time.
SAMUEL L. JACKSON
Our beloved Samuel L. Jackson, born in 1948, has a lot of international awards and accolades and is one of the highest-grossing actors alive. It is no news that Jackson has a phenomenal presence in every film, but it took more than 20 years for people to notice his exceptional talent as an actor. He became famous after his performance as Jules in the Quentin Tarantino 1994 movie Pulp Fiction at the age of 46.
TARAJI P. HENSON
Taraji p. Henson, born in 1970, started acting back in the 1990s and we’ve known her since her groundbreaking performances on Baby Boy and Hustle & Flow. The Howard University alum, however, started to receive widespread recognition and critical acclaim in 2015 when she was cast as Cookie Lyon, the outspoken wife and mother of three in Empire. Henson was 45 at the time. She received many awards for starring as a lead in Fox’s musical drama series, including a Golden Globe Award for best actress in television drama series.
KERRY WASHINGTON
Kerry Washington, born in 1977, has also been acting for years before she landed her biggest gig yet – the role of Olivia Pope, a crisis management expert in the 2012 TV series Scandal. She was 35 at the time, and her performance won her a multitude of awards, including the Golden Globe Award for best actress.
OCTAVIA SPENCER
Octavia Spencer, born in 1972, started her acting career in 1996, but only got her big break in 2011 when she starred as Minny Jackson, a maid in the award-winning The Help. She was 39 at that time and won her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Taylour Paige-Angulo shared that she is expecting her first child with her husband, fashion designer Rivington Angulo, earlier today.
The announcement, made official through a captionless Instagram post, featured Paige-Angulo in a white dress that beautifully highlighted her baby bump. This milestone comes after a deeply personal journey, including a decades-long battle with endometriosis, which the ‘Zola’ actress openly discussed on social media.
Paige-Angulo’s pregnancy reveal follows her first public hint at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards on February 27, where she debuted her (hidden) baby bump in a chic brown dress. A TikTok video captured her chatting with fellow actors Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors.
Behind Taylour’s joyful announcement lies a challenging history with endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, often causing severe pain and fertility issues. The actress has been candid about her struggle, which went undiagnosed for 20 years. In an emotional Instagram post on March 4, 2025, during Endometriosis Awareness Month, she described it as a “lifelong journey of healing” and a “really violent illness” that brought “agony and turmoil.” She recounted debilitating symptoms—pain so intense it made her “see stars,” monthly vomiting, and times she couldn’t drive.
In fall 2023, Paige-Angulo underwent a four-hour surgery to remove endometrial tissue. Reflecting on the experience, she wrote, “So many women are going THROUGH it okay. Be gentle with us.”
Taylour Paige and Rivington Angulo/ Instagram
The Angulos tied the knot on October 5, 2022, on Paige’s 32nd birthday. Their intimate ceremony unfolded at the Wattles Mansion in Los Angeles. The couple’s romance had blossomed quickly after meeting during the pandemic at a party hosted by a mutual friend. Paige-Angulo later recalled how Angulo’s energy felt like “home” from the start. For the occasion, she wore a custom sheer white gown designed by her then-fiance. The event was attended by close friends, including a notable appearance by Rihanna, adding a touch of star power to the heartfelt affair. Paige-Angulo described the day on Instagram as “the greatest day of my life.”
Meagan Good and Jonathan Majors have officially become husband and wife. The couple, whose relationship has been public since they were first linked in May 2023, exchanged vows in an intimate, secret ceremony at their Los Angeles home on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Majors himself confirmed the news during an emotional appearance on the Sherri show earlier this week.
The wedding was a deeply personal affair, attended only by their mothers. Majors revealed that his mother, a pastor from Dallas, officiated the ceremony. “My mother came from Dallas, where I’m from,” Majors shared with host Sherri Shepherd. “She came to the L.A. screening [of Magazine Dreams], and we had told her, ‘Hey, we’re gonna do this thing.’ And we did. My mother married us yesterday. Her mother was there.” Good’s mother served as a witness, making it a gathering of just four people.
Tyra Wardlow-Doyle, Meagan Good, Jonathan Majors and Terri Anderson-Mays at the LA screening of ‘Magazine Dreams’ on March 17. Eric Charbonneau/Briarcliff Entertainment / Getty Images
The timing of the wedding coincided with a significant professional moment for Majors, as it took place just days before the special showing of his new film, Magazine Dreams. The couple had attended the movie screening the night before their nuptials.
Majors, 35, teared up on Sherri as he told Good, 43, “Today might be the happiest day of my life.” He added, “I love that woman so much.” For Majors, the wedding was “always the plan,” a culmination of a love story that began two years earlier at the EBONY Power 100 Gala, where they first met in a unisex bathroom—a quirky detail Good shared with a laugh during their engagement announcement in November 2024.
Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good‘s engagement announcement at the Ebony Power 100 event on November 17, 2024/ Richart Shotwell. AP
Their journey to the altar has been anything but conventional. The couple’s romance ensued amid Majors’ highly publicized legal troubles, which began with his arrest in March 2023 following an alleged domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Good stood by his side throughout the ordeal, attending court hearings and offering unwavering support as Majors was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and harassment in December 2023. Sentenced to a year-long batterers’ intervention program in April 2024, Majors has credited Good with being his rock, once comparing her to Coretta Scott King for her strength and loyalty. Good, previously married to pastor DeVon Franklin until their 2022 divorce, has spoken of her and Majors’ “instant chemistry” and her determination to stand by him, telling PEOPLE in July 2024, “The things that I’ve been through gave me the bandwidth to love other people, regardless.”
As they step into married life, Majors and Good continue to defy expectations and loud public opinions. With Majors hinting at future plans for “a couple kids” in a recent Hollywood Reporter interview, we hope to see their love story unveil more chapters of joy, happiness, and success.
Netflix’s newest lifestyle series, With Love, Meghan, is set to air season two this fall, per Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s Instagram. The short post follows the release of the show’s first eight episodes this past Tuesday.
“If you’re loving Season 1, just wait until you see the fun we cooked up on Season 2!” the caption reads. “Thanks for joining the party, and an endless thanks to the amazing team and crew who helped bring it all to life!”
The lifestyle series revolves around the actress turned dutchess’ cooking and entertaining all who visit, producing engaging tutorials and conversations. This season featured various guests, including actress and producer Mindy Kaling, former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer, makeup artist Daniel Martin, and skin care entrepreneur Vicky Tsai.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Mindy Kaling in episode 102 of With Love, Meghan. Justin Coit/Netflix
With Love, Meghan, where Sussex is listed as an executive producer, is filmed in Montecito, California, where she and her family live full-time. For privacy reasons, however, the set used for filming is a nearby rental, not Sussex’s actual home.
Although the show majorly centers around the Los Angeles native’s hosting and cooking skills, her husband, Prince Harry, makes an appearance during an intimate brunch co-hosted by chef and restaurateur Alice Waters in the series’ final episode. Markle’s royal spouse, “H” as she calls him, is often mentioned throughout the season, along with their children, Princess Lilibet and Prince Archie, whose faces are never revealed in the episodes.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry in the final episode of With Love, Meghan/Netflix
With Love, Meghan is revered as Sussex’s first major independent project since she and Prince Harry resigned as senior members of Britain’s royal family in 2020 and moved back to her home state of California. Before meeting and marrying into the royal family in 2018, Markle had a lifestyle blog titled Tig, which inspired the Netflix show.
In addition to the series, the 43-year-old announced that she is rebranding her fledging lifestyle company to As Ever after originally naming it American Riviera. The company’s site went live with eight products available for purchase this spring, the same day as With Love, Meghan debuted on the streamer.