Black History In Hollywood: Stars Who Portrayed African American Icons

Jennifer Hudson is already drumming up excitement for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic “Respect,” and she is far from the only celebrated actor who has played an important figure in black history onscreen. As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, Access Hollywood looks back on how Hollywood has shared the stories of some of the most important black icons, from Jamie Foxx winning an Oscar for portraying Ray Charles, to Will Smith stepping into the shoes of Muhammad Ali.