Famous Blacks (African-Americans) From Virginia

This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

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1 Monty Williams

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball coach

Birthdate: October 8, 1971

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States

2 Mike Tomlin

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Football Coach

Birthdate: March 15, 1972

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

3 Shalita Grant

188

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actress

Birthdate: August 28, 1988

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, United States

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4 Michael Vick

145

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: June 26, 1980

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States

Michael Vick is a former American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons during which he represented successful teams like the Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets. Michael Vick is also known for his philanthropic efforts; he has established a couple of nonprofit organizations namely The Vick Foundation and Michael Vick Foundation.

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5 Pharrell Williams

358

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Singer

Birthdate: April 5, 1973

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

Rapper-singer Pharrell Williams began his career with The Neptunes, the record-production duo he had formed with Chad Hugo. He was also part of the band N.E.R.D., as its lead vocalist. He is known for his Academy Award-nominated song Happy from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and his 13 Grammy wins.

6 Allen Iverson

4912

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball Player

Birthdate: June 7, 1975

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

Former professional basketball player, Allen Iverson, is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential basketball players of all time. He retired after playing 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for various teams. At the time of his retirement, he was an 11-time NBA All-Star. A popular star, he has made a few cameo appearances in films.

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7 Julius Jones

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: August 14, 1981

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, United States

8 Henrietta Lacks

163

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: Source of HeLa Cell Line

Birthdate: August 1, 1920

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Roanoke

Died: October 4, 1951

Henrietta Lacks was a woman whose cancer cells were preserved and led to the first immortalized cell line, or the HeLa cell line, that was later used for medical research. Neither Lacks or her family members were compensated, and no consent was sought. Her story later inspired an HBO movie.

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9 Ella Fitzgerald

613

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Jazz Singer

Birthdate: April 25, 1917

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, United States

Died: June 15, 1996

Ella Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer. Referred to as the Queen of Jazz, First Lady of Song, and Lady Ella, Fitzgerald was renowned for her impeccable diction, purity of tone, timing, and intonation. The winner of Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Medal of Arts, Fitzgerald's legacy lives on several years after her death.

10 Dell Curry

181

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: June 25, 1964

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States

Former basketball player Dell Curry, father of NBA players Stephen and Seth Curry, is mostly known for his 10-year stint with the NBA team Charlotte Hornets and became their all-time leader in points and three-point field goals. Curry is now a color commentator for the Hornets’ broadcasts.

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11 Missy Elliott

2511

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Rapper

Birthdate: July 1, 1971

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Portsmouth

Four-time Grammy-winning rapper Missy Elliott, known for her chartbusting tracks such as Get Ur Freak On, was ranked fifth on Billboard’s 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time list. She was initially part of the R&B group Sista and then collaborated with Timbaland in the collective Swing Mob.

12 Booker T. Washington

282

Listed In: Leaders

Birthdate: April 5, 1856

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Westlake Corner, Virginia, United States

Died: November 14, 1915

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery but rose to be an advisor to many U.S. presidents and also became the director of the Tuskegee Institute. His Atlanta Compromise, initially accepted and later rejected by black leaders, urged the blacks to work for their freedom through education and not revolt.

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13 James Avery

251

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Film actor

Birthdate: November 27, 1945

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Suffolk, Virginia, U.S.

Died: December 31, 2013

14 Keldon Johnson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: October 11, 1999

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chesterfield, Virginia, United States

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15 Wanda Sykes

2711

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actress

Birthdate: March 7, 1964

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Portsmouth, Virginia, United States

Wanda Sykes is an American actress, writer, and comedian. In 2004, Sykes was named in Entertainment Weekly magazine's list of 25 funniest people in America. Also known for her role as an activist, Sykes has been emceeing fundraisers and hosting events to tackle issues concerning same-sex marriages. She is also an ardent supporter of the Ruth Ellis Center.

16 Moses Malone

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: March 23, 1955

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Petersburg, Virginia, United States

Died: September 13, 2015

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17 Arthur Ashe

271

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Tennis Player

Birthdate: July 10, 1943

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

Died: February 6, 1993

Tennis player Arthur Ashe is best remembered for his three Grand Slam singles wins. He became the first Black player to be named to the U.S. Davis Cup team. He contracted AIDS from a blood transfusion during a bypass surgery and devoted his final years to AIDS awareness campaigns.

18 Dred Scott

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: American slave

Birthdate: 1799 AD

Birthplace: Southampton County, Virginia

Died: September 17, 1858

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19 Frankie Faison

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: June 10, 1949

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Newport News, Virginia, USA

20 D'Angelo

Listed In: Singers

Famous As: Singer-songwriter

Birthdate: February 11, 1974

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

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21 Alonzo Mourning

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball player

Birthdate: February 8, 1970

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, USA

22 Darren Sharper

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Football player

Birthdate: November 3, 1975

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

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23 Kam Chancellor

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: April 3, 1988

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA

24 Plaxico Burress

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: August 12, 1977

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States

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25 Bruce Smith

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: June 18, 1963

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States

26 Percy Harvin

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: May 28, 1988

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

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27 Bill Robinson

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Dancer

Birthdate: May 25, 1878

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

Died: November 25, 1949

28 Jay Pharoah

123

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: October 14, 1987

Sun Sign: Libra

Birthplace: Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

29 EJ Manuel

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: March 19, 1990

Sun Sign: Pisces

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States

30 Belle da Costa Greene

Listed In: Miscellaneous

Famous As: Librarian

Birthdate: December 13, 1883

Sun Sign: Sagittarius

Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia, United States

Died: May 10, 1950

31 Pernell Whitaker

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Boxer

Birthdate: January 2, 1964

Sun Sign: Capricorn

Birthplace: Norfolk

32 Ronde Barber

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American football player

Birthdate: April 7, 1975

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Blacksburg, Virginia, USA

33 Justin Upton

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Baseball player

Birthdate: August 25, 1987

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, United States

34 Chad Coleman

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: September 6, 1974

Sun Sign: Virgo

Birthplace: Richmond, Virginia, United States

35 Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Player

Birthdate: November 4, 1999

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

36 Mary Jackson

Listed In: Scientists

Famous As: Mathematician

Birthdate: April 9, 1921

Sun Sign: Aries

Birthplace: Hampton, Virginia, United States

Died: February 11, 2005

American mathematician and aerospace engineer Mary Jackson went down in history as the first African-American woman to work as a NASA engineer. Initially a math teacher, she later joined NACA under Dorothy Vaughan and contributed to countless American space programs at a time when racial segregation was the norm.

37 Ralph Sampson

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: Basketball Player

Birthdate: July 7, 1960

Sun Sign: Cancer

Birthplace: Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States

38 Nate Parker

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: November 18, 1979

Sun Sign: Scorpio

Birthplace: Norfolk, Virginia, USA

39 Jason George

Listed In: Film & Theater Personalities

Famous As: Actor

Birthdate: February 9, 1972

Sun Sign: Aquarius

Birthplace: Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

40 Tremaine Edmunds

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: May 2, 1998

Sun Sign: Taurus

Birthplace: Danville, Virginia, United States

41 Thomas Jones

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football player

Birthdate: August 19, 1978

Sun Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Big Stone Gap, Virginia, United States

42 Romeo Crennel

Listed In: Sportspersons

Famous As: American Football Coach

Birthdate: June 18, 1947

Sun Sign: Gemini

Birthplace: Lynchburg, Virginia, United States

Football coach Romeo Crennel is currently serving as the interim head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Even though he played football in college, he has never played in the NFL. As a coach, he has over 40 years of experience and has led his teams to five Super Bowl wins as an assistant coach.