Halle Berry

African-American actress Berry is not only beautiful enough to have once been the Revlon Girl (other recent ones were Salma Hayak and Andie McDowell), but has also won an Oscar for best actress. This is my favorite photo of her (left), a work of art by itself and one I've used as my desktop wallpaper.

I've heard her name pronounced "holly" and "halley", but it doesn't matter, "a rose by any other name..", to quote Shakespeare. Don't you wish this shirt was unbuttoned completely? That's one lucky tie..

Lena Horne

One of the most striking African-Americans stars ever, Lena was so lightly-complected that she first passed for white in order to get work, then starred in the all-black A Cabin in the Sky for Vincente Minnelli, the first big director to make such a film. Lena had the looks and especially the voice, sultry and smooth, to be a star in films or music, so she combined the two. I’m sure she actually helped break racial boundaries by appealing to fans of all races; I loved her right away when I was a white kid in Georgia. You can tell from her smile that she would be a person you’d like to just hang with, she epitomizes “black is beautiful”, and was apparently ageless, just as gorgeous past middle age. "Goodness knows, honeysuckle rose" (!)

Photos from her website:
Lena Horne