News Americas Now Black History Month Magazine

12 Black Actors With

Caribbean Roots

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: You may have seen her in the highly successful film version of

‘Think Like a Man,’ where she played Joanna Locasto, the lead character on the NBC drama series

‘Deception.’

She is Meagan Monique Good who was born in Panorama City, Los Angeles, California but who

roots stretch to Puerto Rico and Barbados, thanks to her dad, Leondis "Leon" Good. Mr. Good’s

mother was Puerto Rican his father was from Barbados.

Good began her career at the age of four, appearing in numerous commercials, television shows,

feature films, and music videos.

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In the early stages of her career, Good started out doing work as an extra on television

shows such as Doogie Howser, M.D. and Amen. When she was thirteen, Good was cast

in her first film, the 1995 hit Friday.

Good first began to gain recognition for her performance as troubled teen Cisely Batiste

in Kasi Lemmons' critically acclaimed 1997 film Eve's Bayou, which earned Good two

award nominations, including her first NAACP Image Award nomination. Good has also

made appearances in many music videos, by artists such as 50 Cent, Imajin, Isyss (of

which Good's sister La'Myia Good is a member), Lil' Johnny, Memphis Bleek, Tyrese,

and Will Smith. She has also started her own production company, Freedom Bridge

Entertainment, with Marlon Olivera, and fellow actors Tamara Bass and Ty Hodges.

Good is now heading for Babylon Fields.The Deception alum has been tapped to star in

NBC's regeneration drama pilot, which centers on the dead rising again in Babylon, N.Y.

Meagan Good’s Roots Stretch

To Barbados And Puerto Rico


News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Bronx-

born, Cuba Gooding, Jr. is known globally

for his acting roles such as A Few Good Men

(1992), Lightning Jack (1994) and Outbreak

(1995) but did you know Acaademy Award-

winning actor Gooding, Jr. has roots to

Barbados?

That’s right. Gooding’s paternal grandfather

was Afro-Bajan. Cuba’s paternal

grandparents were Dudley MacDonald

Gooding and Addie Pearl Alston (the

daughter of Robert Alston and Mattie May

Edwards). Dudley was born in Barbados.

His father, Cuba Gooding, was the lead

vocalist for the R&B group The Main

Ingredient, which had a hit with the song

"Everybody Plays The Fool.” His mother,

Shirley, was a backup singer for The

Sweethearts. His father moved the family to

Los Angeles in 1972, only to leave them a

few years later.

In 1996, Cuba was cast as an arrogant but

loyal football player in the Tom Cruise-

Cameron Crowe film Jerry Maguire (1996).

The film became a huge box office smash

and earned Cuba an Academy Award for Best

Supporting Actor. His "Show Me The

Money" line in the movie became a

nationwide catchphrase. The role elevated

him to superstar status, as many of

Hollywood's top producers began to "show

him the money" to appear in their films. In

2002, he was given a star on the Hollywood

Walk of Fame. In 2003 he won critical

support for his portrayal of a mentally

handicapped man in the heartwarming film

Radio (2003), another movie about football.

Gooding, Jr. this week narrated Red Tails,

Men of Honor on the Smithsonian Channel.

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Cuba Gooding, Jr.’s Heritage

Runs Back To Barbados

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: She is

best known for starring alongside Annie

Potts in Any Day Now but did actress

Lorraine Toussaint can proudly boost of the

twin-island that’s given the world steel-pan

and soca music.

Toussaint was born in Trinidad on born

April 4, 1960 but moved to Brooklyn with

her mother at the age of 10.

She graduated from Manhattan's High

School of Performing Arts in 1978 and went

to attend the Juilliard School's drama

division as a member of Group 11 (1978–

1982).

She was a featured recurring guest-star in

the first few seasons of the legal drama Law

& Order as defense lawyer Shambala Green

and has also appeared on fims such as

Breaking In, Hudson Hawk, Dangerous

Minds and Soloist, TheThe Soloist.

In 1993, Toussaint appeared in Point Of No

Return, starring Bridget Fonda. From 2007

to 2010, Toussaint starred as Captain Kate

Perry in Saving Grace, which aired on TNT.

She has also appeared on the several other

television series, such as Crossing Jordan,

Frasier, The Closer, Ugly Betty, Friday

Night Lights, NCIS, Grey's Anatomy, and

Scandal. In 2012 Toussaint was nominated

on Independent Spirit Award for Best

Supporting Female for performance of

Middle of Nowhere.

In 2013 she had recurring roles on season 3

of Dana Delany's Body of Proof as Angela

Martin, new police chief., and on ABC

Family's The Fosters, as Sherri Saum's

mother. Toussaint also was cast for second

season of Netflix original series Orange Is

the New Black. Toussaint is also now in the

mix as former drug runner Vee.

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Lorraine Toussaint – A Trini To The Bone

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Featuring Top Caribbean, Caribbean Americans & Central & South Americans

In The U.S. Diaspora who have made it BIG in all sectors

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News Americas, NEW YORK: He is an

actor, known for The Fresh Prince of Bel-

Air (1990).

Joseph Marcell was born on August 18,

1948 in St. Lucia. He grew up in London, in

Peckham and Bermondsey. His parents

came from St Lucia to the UK to give their

children a better future, and were not

impressed when he decided to give up his

engineering studies to be an actor.

Marcell was best known for his role as

Geoffrey the English butler on the NBC

sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

He has also starred in A Beautiful Life

(2004) and Empire Road (1978).

He currently resides in Southall, Ealing in

London.

Marcell recently told the Salibury Journal

he is happiest on the stage or in his garden,

and is a little taken aback at the reaction he

still gets to a role he played 20 years ago in

the show that proved a platform into

superstardom for Will Smith, currently the

most bankable movie star in the world.

He says he still keeps in touch with his co-

stars, although their last reunion was sadly

at the memorial service for James Avery,

the actor who played Uncle Phil and who

died in December, according to the

Salisbury Journal.

St. Lucia’s Joseph Marcell

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Anna Maria

Horsford is perhaps best known for her roles as

Thelma Frye on the NBC sitcom Amen, as Dee

Baxter on the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros., and

as Craig Jones' mother Betty in the comedy films

Friday and Friday After Next.

Horsford was born in Harlem, New York, the

daughter of Lillian and Victor A. Horsford, an

investment real estate broker. Her parents are

from Antigua and the Dominican Republic.

She attended Manhattan's School of Performing

Arts, where she studied and perfected her acting

abilities.

Though she is known today for her work in front

of the cameras, her first major role in television

was as a producer for the PBS show, Soul!,

hosted by Ellis Haizlip, which aired between

1967 and 1973.

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Horsford made guest appearances on such

sitcoms as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,

Sparks, Moesha, The Bernie Mac Show,

The Shield, Girlfriends, and Everybody

Hates Chris.

She had a prominent role on the sitcom The

Wayans Bros. as "Dee Baxter" and also

appeared on the drama Judging Amy. More

recently, she was seen in the first season of

Grey's Anatomy.

Horsford returned to the big screen in the

2013 film A Madea Christmas, from Tyler

Perry, playing Madea's relative.

She recently hosted the 25th Anniversary of

the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta

Georgia. The program saluted Pam Grier,

Carmen DeLavendar, Woodie King, Cat

Coore of third world and Faith Reigold.


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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Romany

Malco has been nominated for several awards,

including an NAACP Image Award, MTV Movie

Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award.

Malco portrayed Conrad Shepard on the

Showtime series Weeds. He most recently played

George St. Cloud on the ABC primetime one-

hour drama No Ordinary Family.

Malco was born in Brooklyn, New York but his

family is from Trinidad, with extended relatives

in Venezuela.

As a teen, he moved to Texas and attended Ross

S Sterling High School. After graduation, he

formed the rap group R.M.G., and upon

relocating to Los Angeles, the crew signed a deal

with Virgin Records. The group's name was

changed to College Boyz and "Victim of the

Ghetto” off their album Radio Fusion Radio

went to #2 on the rap charts.

Malco was working as a music producer on The

Pest when John Leguizamo, impressed by his

dynamic personality, encouraged Romany to

pursue acting. He went on to perform in roles as

Jay in Judd Apatow’s 2005 film The 40 Year Old

Virgin and as Conrad Shepard in the Showtime

television series Weeds. He played supporting

roles in films such as Blades of Glory, The Love

Guru, and Baby Mama.

He appeared in 2011's A Little Bit Of Heaven

and the Gulliver's Travels adaptation. In the fall

of 2010, Malco appeared as a member of the

ABC primetime one-hour drama No Ordinary

Family.

Malco was recently tapped to star in the semi-

autobiographical comedy based on Kevin Hart's

life and stand-up act, lifting the cast contingency

on the pilot, according to The Hollywood

Reporter.

Romany Malco – A Trini-American

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeds_(TV_series)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Broadcasting_Company

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Ordinary_Family






News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Stacey

Lauretta Dash became known for starring in

the 1995 feature film Clueless and the

television spinoff of the same name.

She was born in the Bronx to a Bajan father

and a Mexican and Native American

mother. Her brother is Darien Dash, the

CEO of DME Interactive Holdings, and her

first cousin is Damon Dash, the former

CEO and co-founder of Roc-A-Fella

Records.

She has also appeared in films such as

Moving, Mo' Money, Renaissance Man and

View from the Top while her television

work has included appearances in series

such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,

Single Ladies and the reality television

show Celebrity Circus. She has also

appeared in music videos for Carl Thomas'

"Emotional" and Kanye West's "All Falls

Down.“ Dash made her first TV appearance

in Farrell for the People starring Valerie

Harper and a yet-unknown Ed O'Neill in

1982, which did not make it past its pilot

episode. Her first notable appearance was as

'Michelle' in the 1985 The Cosby Show

episode "Denise's Friend" alongside Lisa

Bonet, and in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Dash's first substantial television role was

in the 1988 television series TV 101, which

also featured Matt LeBlanc and Sam

Robards. The series was canceled after 13

episodes.

Dash is now in VH1’ “Single Ladies,” a

new comedic drama series that asks the

question: What do women really want in a

relationship? She plays Val one of three best

friends with different philosophies on sex

and relationships.

BIM Heritage = Stacey Dash



News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Actress

Roxanne Beckford made her big film debut

with a role in Father of the Bride Part II

(1995).

She was born in Kingston Jamaica in 1969

before moving to the U.S. after her parents

divorced in 1976.

Beckford also appeared in Something's Gotta

Give (2003) and Bewitched (2005).

Her television credits include appearances in

Dexter, The New Adventures of Old

Christine, Hannah Montana, Bewitched, and

The Bernie Mac show, among many others.

Her husband is Bob Hoge who is also an

actor. Beckford and Hoge married in 2001.

They have four children, two of whom are

girl twins April Christene and Georgia Alice

who were on episode 1 of TLC's Bringing

Home Baby in 2005 their two older children

named Cameron and Lila.

Meet Jamaica’s Roxanne Beckford

Investcaribbeannow.com


News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Jacqueline Yvonne

"Jackée" Harry, best known for her roles as Sandra

Clark, the sexy neighbor on the TV series 227, and as

Lisa Landry, on the sitcom, ‘Sister, Sister,’ was born to a

Trinidadian mother in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,

and raised in Harlem, New York.

She is noted for being the first African American to win

an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in

a Comedy Series.

Harry began studying acting at the Herpolscheimer

School of the Performing Arts on the Lower East Side in

New York City. She was an American History teacher at

Brooklyn Technical High School before beginning a

career on the New York stage.

She made her Broadway debut in A Broadway Musical,

playing a chorine. Throughout the 1980s she starred in

numerous productions both on and off Broadway, and in

national touring productions. In 1994, Harry made her

return to the theater by starring as Billie Holiday in the

play Lady Day at Emersons Bar and Grill.

Following that stage production, she fulfilled the role of

"madam who runs a bordello" in the Broadway musical

The Boys from Syracuse, a play based on William

Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors. In the mid-2000s,

she appeared in stage productions of The Sunshine

Boys, Damn Yankees, and A Christmas Carol. She also

toured nationally in JD Lawrence's The Clean Up

Woman.

In 1983, she made her acting debut in Another World as

Lily Mason, a role she continued until 1986. In 2003,

she was a surprise guest on the Another World Reunion

that SOAPnet coordinated and aired. In 1985, Harry

began a co-starring role opposite Marla Gibbs as the

apartment building vamp, "Sandra Clark," on the NBC

sitcom 227. Her mother, Flossie, celebrated her getting

the part but died before the show aired.

The former 227 star and her adopted son Frank appears

on Oprah Where Are They Now tonight, Friday, Feb.

21st at 9 p.m. on OWN.

Read more at

Trini Roots Run Deep For "Jackée" Harry

Of Sister Sister


News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Dawnn

Lewis is best known for her roles on

sitcoms such as "A Different World" and

"Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.“

She was born to Guyanese parents, Carl and

Joyce Lewis.

Lewis has also appeared as Dr. Knapp on

Days of our Lives and on other numerous

TV series (including Futurama and

LaBarbara) and portrayed Deloris Van

Cartier in Peter Schneider's Sister Act the

Musical, which opened at the Pasadena

Playhouse on October 24, 2006 and was in

Melba Early in the film adaptation of

Dreamgirls.

She also voiced Granny Grim on The Grim

Adventures of Billy and Mandy, voiced the

female Shokan (Sheeva) in Mortal Kombat:

Defenders of the Realm, and co-starred as

Gail DeBarge in the Disney Channel

Original Movie Let It Shine.

But her musical career has also taken off.

She co-wrote the theme song to "A

Different World."

In 2006, Lewis released her debut CD,

entitled Worth Waiting For.

Lewis recently attended the 13th Annual

Movies for Grownups Awards Gala.

Lewis is part of Don B. Welch’s stage play

production of “The Divorce” that was

released on Feb. 4 on DVD. Lewis plays a

successful TV anchorwoman celebrating

her recent divorce by throwing herself a

divorce party with her closest sorority

girlfriends.

"A Different World’s” Dawnn

Lewis Is Guyanese-American


Tia Dashon Mowry-Hardrict portrayed medical

student Melanie Barnett Davis on the CW/BET

comedy-drama series The Game from 2006 until

2012, she portrayed medical student Melanie Barnett

Davis on the CW/BET comedy-drama series The

Game. She is also notable for starring in the

television movie Twitches and its sequel Twitches

Too. In 2013, Mowry became the main subject of the

Nickelodeon's Nick at Nite show Instant Mom.

Tia and Tamera recently cancelled participating in

the reality television show business. The 35-year-old

twin actresses had starred in the Style Network

television series for before the network was

dismantled last year. While some of the network's

shows were moved to other channels, the Mowry

twins recently revealed that the series about their

sisterhood, families and careers would not return for

a fourth season.

While Mowry-Housely will return to "The Real" talk

show as a co-host on the panel of five women,

Mowry-Hardrict is producing and acting in the

Nickelodeon show, "Instant Mom."

Tia & Tamara Mowry Trace Their

Roots To The Bahamas

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Tia

Mowry and her identical twin sister Tamera

Mowry first gained for their teen roles on

the ABC/WB sitcom ‘Sister, Sister.’

The two were born to Darlene Renee

Mowry (née Flowers), who was born in the

Bahamas. She managed her children's

careers even when they were in the group

Voices.

Tamera Darvette Mowry-Housley starred

in the Disney Channel Original Movie

Twitches and its sequel, Twitches Too. She

has also made a break into dramatic

television, and is also known for her role as

Dr. Kayla Thornton on the medical drama

Strong Medicine. Beginning August 2011,

the Style Network began airing Tia &

Tamera.

She is one of the hosts of The Real talk

show along with Tamar Braxton, Jeannie

Mai, Adrienne Bailon, and Loni Love,

which premiered on July 15, 2013.


News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: He is an actor and producer, known for Raiders of the Lost Ark

(1981), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) and Layer Cake (2004).

George Harris was born on October 20, 1949 in Grenada, West Indies and has worked with the likes of

Lord Olivier, who was an early mentor, Harold Pinter and film directors Ridley Scott and Steven

Spielberg.

He played Britain's first-ever black TV detective in the ITV series Wolcott in 1981.

His notable roles include Kingsley Shacklebolt in the Harry Potter film series, Captain Simon Katanga

in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Clive King in popular medical drama Casualty, where he was one of the

original cast members.

He also played real-life Somali warlord Osman Ali Atto in the 2001 film Black Hawk Down.

In 2013, he played the Abbot of the Black Friars in a BBC radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's London

fantasy Neverwhere.

Grenada’s Own George Harris

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