From Vin Diesel To Pam Grier: Legendary Black Action Heroes

These stars brought excitement to the big screen.

Fred Williamson and Jim Brown - These former NFL stars left the gridiron to break into movies in the late '60s. And both found themselves becoming super-bad leading men during the blaxploitation era. But the pinnacle of their action-packed stardom was when the two starred in Three the Hard Way, where they (along with Jim Kelly) save Black America from being poisoned to death by a racist scientist.  (Photo: Allied Artists Pictures)
Tamara Dobson - While Pam Grier was slaying drug traffickers as a concerned citizen, actress Tamara Dobson emerged as a special agent battling them internationally (and with karate chops) in the blaxploitation hit Cleopatra Jones (1973). Two years later Dobson, who died in 2006, reprised her role for the sequel Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold.  (Photo: Warner Bros Pictures)

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While Pam Grier was slaying drug traffickers as a concerned citizen, actress Tamara Dobson emerged as a special agent battling them internationally (and with karate chops) in the blaxploitation hit Cleopatra Jones (1973). Two years later Dobson, who died in 2006, reprised her role for the sequel Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold. (Photo: Warner Bros Pictures)

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