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Home · ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood

Shining Moments: Black Women in Film 2013

What a year we had on the big screen in 2013. As a mark up to our annual Black Women in Hollywood pre-Oscars event, we're taking a look at a banner year for Black women in film—from Lupita Nyong'o's breathtaking performance in 12 Years a Slave to scene-stealers Octavia Butler and Oprah Winfrey in Fruitvale Station and Lee Daniels The Butler.

By Yolanda Sangweni · February 24, 2014October 27, 2020
01
Alfre Woodard

Alfre Woodard portrayed Mistress Shaw, a formerly enslaved woman who married a white slave master in the Oscar-nominated film, 12 Years a Slave.

Fox Searchlight
02
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey and Forest Whitaker star in “The Butler”
Anne Marie Fox/ Butler Films
03
Octavia Spencer

Spencer portrayed Oscar Grant’s (played by Michael B. Jordan) mother in the critically-acclaimed film, Fruitvale Station.

04
Lupita Nyong’o

Nyong’o is certainly number one on everyone’s list of breakout stars of 2013 thanks to her outstanding performance as Patsey in the film 12 Years a Slave.

Fox Searchlight
05
Nicole Beharie

The Sleepy Hollow star played Jackie Robinson’s wife Rachel Robinson in the biopic, 42 which hit a home run at the box office in early 2013.

06
Viola Davis

In Prisoners, Davis and her husband (played by Terrence Howard) take the law into their own hands when their daughter and her best friend are abducted.

07
Naomie Harris

Harris portrayed Winnie Mandela in the Nelson Mandela biopic, Long Walk to Freedom.

08
Danai Gurira

The Walking Dead actress starred in the indie film Mother of George, portraying a newlywed Nigerian woman who goes to great lengths to become pregnant.

09
Kerry Washington

The Scandal actress starred alongside Kali Hawk and Kimrie Lewis-Davis in African-American filmmaker Tina Gordon Chism’s film, Peeples.

10
Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson

Bassett and Hudson played mother and daughter in the holiday film, Black Nativity where Bassett made her singing debut. Hudson also starred in Winnie Mandela.

11
The Cast of ‘The Best Man Holiday’

Regina Hall, Sanaa Lathan, Nia Long, Melissa De Sousa and Monica Calhoun reunited for The Best Man Holiday.

12
Adepero Oduye

Oduye played Eliza, a free woman kidnapped into slavery like Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

Fox Searchlight
13
Jill Scott and Paula Patton

When she needed a relationship reality check, Montana Moore (Paula Patton) turned to her work BFF’s Gail Best (Jill Scott) and Sam (Adam Brody) in the David E. Talbert romocom, Baggage Claim.

Fox Searchlight
14
Yaya Alafia

Alafia played student activist Carol Hammie in Lee Daniels’ The Butler.

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