Celebs Who've Played Civil Rights Icons

These actors stepped into historical shoes.

Jackie Robinson as himself - Three years after joining the Brooklyn Dodgers — breaking Major League Baseball’s long-standing color barrier — Jackie Robinson found himself playing, well, himself in the biographical film The Jackie Robinson Story in 1950. After retiring in ‘57, the baseball Hall of Famer served on the board of the NAACP and co-founded the Freedom National Bank — a Black-owned and operated commercial bank based in Harlem. (Photo: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures, Inc)

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Jackie Robinson as himself

Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz \r - A year before her Oscar nod for playing Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It, Angela Bassett starred in 1992’s Malcolm X as Betty Shabazz, wife of the slain Black nationalist leader. Three years later, she reprised her role — albeit a cameo — as Mrs. Shabazz for the film Panther, about the Black Panther Party.\r\r\r\r(Photo: Courtesy of Largo International)

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Angela Bassett as Betty Shabazz \r - A year before her Oscar nod for playing Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It, Angela Bassett starred in 1992’s Malcolm X as Betty Shabazz, wife of the slain Black nationalist leader. Three years later, she reprised her role — albeit a cameo — as Mrs. Shabazz for the film Panther, about the Black Panther Party.\r\r\r\r(Photo: Courtesy of Largo International)

Denzel Washington as Malcolm X - Playing the role of slain Black nationalist leader Malcolm X wasn’t a stretch for Denzel Washington, having played him on stage in the play When the Chickens Come Home to Roost. In Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, Washington earned an Oscar nomination.\r(Photo: Courtesy of Largo International)

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Denzel Washington as Malcolm X

Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King - In the ‘70s, if any actress was going to play Coretta Scott King, it was going to be Cicely Tyson. In King, the Oscar-nominated actress played the wife of the civil rights icon. The pairing of Tyson and Paul Winfield played off the cinematic magic the two created playing husband and wife in the 1972 film Sounder (for which Tyson garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination).(Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

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Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King - In the ‘70s, if any actress was going to play Coretta Scott King, it was going to be Cicely Tyson. In King, the Oscar-nominated actress played the wife of the civil rights icon. The pairing of Tyson and Paul Winfield played off the cinematic magic the two created playing husband and wife in the 1972 film Sounder (for which Tyson garnered a Best Actress Oscar nomination).(Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

King (1978) - Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had possibly one of the best biopics in history, thanks largely to the project's highly respected and experienced cast. Boasting performances from Paul Winfield (Dr. King), Cicely Tyson (Coretta Scott King), Tony Bennett (himself) and Ossie Davis (Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.), the story, told in the form of a television miniseries, was both thorough and heartfelt. It even earned a Primetime Emmy in 1978 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series. (Photo: NBC)

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King (1978) - Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had possibly one of the best biopics in history, thanks largely to the project's highly respected and experienced cast. Boasting performances from Paul Winfield (Dr. King), Cicely Tyson (Coretta Scott King), Tony Bennett (himself) and Ossie Davis (Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.), the story, told in the form of a television miniseries, was both thorough and heartfelt. It even earned a Primetime Emmy in 1978 for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series. (Photo: NBC)

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Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker - Josephine Baker circumvented the racist restrictions of America by becoming an iconic entertainer in France during the 1920s and ‘30s. Actress Lynn Whitfield portrayed the dancer/singer/actress in the TV movie The Josephine Baker Story in 1991.(Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

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Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker

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Morgan Freeman in Invictus (2009) - The veteran actor earned his fifth Academy Award nomination for his role as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood's drama. It seemed like the role Freeman was born to play, and certainly became the standard-bearer of portrayals of the South African leader on the big screen. (Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

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Morgan Freeman in Invictus (2009) - The veteran actor earned his fifth Academy Award nomination for his role as Nelson Mandela in Clint Eastwood's drama. It seemed like the role Freeman was born to play, and certainly became the standard-bearer of portrayals of the South African leader on the big screen. (Photo: Courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Courtney B. Vance as Bobby Seale \r - Vance (Angela Bassett’s hubby) takes on the role of Bobby Seale, co-founder and chairman of the Black Panther Party, in Panther.\r(Photo: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures)

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Courtney B. Vance as Bobby Seale \r - Vance (Angela Bassett’s hubby) takes on the role of Bobby Seale, co-founder and chairman of the Black Panther Party, in Panther.\r(Photo: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures)

Daniel Sunjata as Langston Hughes - Legendary Harlem Renaissance poet and activist Langston Hughes is portrayed by Daniel Sunjata in the 2004 drama Brother to Brother.(Photo: Miasma Films Production)

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Daniel Sunjata as Langston Hughes - Legendary Harlem Renaissance poet and activist Langston Hughes is portrayed by Daniel Sunjata in the 2004 drama Brother to Brother.(Photo: Miasma Films Production)

Photo By Photo: Miasma Films Production

Salma Hayek in Frida (2002) - Known mainly for her killer body and gorgeous face, Hayek had her Halle Berry moment when she earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Hayek, who also produced the film, had to fight many naysayers to win the role and her performance speaks for itself.  (Photo: REUTERS/HO/Landov)

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Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo

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Ali (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

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Ali (Photo: Columbia Pictures)

 Angela Bassett as Rosa Parks \r - Continuing her streak of playing strong Black women, Angela Bassett stepped into the shoes of Rosa Parks — who helped set off the civil rights movement — in the 2002 TV film The Rosa Parks Story.\r(Photo: CBS/Landov)

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 Angela Bassett as Rosa Parks \r - Continuing her streak of playing strong Black women, Angela Bassett stepped into the shoes of Rosa Parks — who helped set off the civil rights movement — in the 2002 TV film The Rosa Parks Story.\r(Photo: CBS/Landov)