Born: September 23, 1979
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana

After appearing as Eminem's foe in 8 Mile in 2002, actor Anthony Mackie got his first major role in the 2003 film Brother to Brother, where he played a young African-American artist. Mackie attended the New Orleans School for Creative Arts and later graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School. Considered one of the most talented young actors in the business, Mackie has the following films to his credit: 8 Mile (2002), Crossing (2003), Hollywood Homicide (2003), Brother to Brother (2003), The Manchurian Candidate (2004), She Hate Me (2004), Sucker Free City (200), Haven (2004), Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Man (2005), Freedomland (2006), Half Nelson (2006), Heavens Fall (2006), We Are Marshall (2006), Crossover (2006), Ascension Day (2007), Eagle Eye (2008), The Hurt Locker (2009), Notorious (2009), Desert Flower (2009), The Adjustment Bureau (2011), Bolden! (20 11), and coming soon, Real Steel (2011), The Great Observer (2012), Man On A Ledge (2012).

Born: September 11, 1977
Birthplace: Champaign, Illinois

Born Christopher Brian Bridges, rapper Ludacris wrote his first rap song at age nine after moving to Atlanta, GA. He briefly studied music management at Georgia State University, but became a household name after teaming up with Timbaland back in the late 1990s. His first album, Back for the First Time (2000), featured the two hit singles with singles such as "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy," which made Luda a household name. Subsequent albums have sold millions and Ludacris has also starred in several movies and television shows including The Wash (2000), 2 Fast 2 Furious (2000), Paper Chasers (2003), Crash (2004), Hustle & Flow (2005), The Heart of the Game (2006), American Hustle (2006), Fred Claus (2007), RocknRolla (2008), Max Payne (2009), Gamer (2009), Repo Men (2010), Fast Five (2011) and No Strings Attached (2011).

Born: September 6, 1972
Birthplace: Hackney, London, England

Idris Elba is a television, theatre, and film actor who has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London and quickly got into acting and DJ-ing. Among his achievements include a 2010 BET Award, and nominations for Black Reel Awards, Image Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Film roles include Absolutely Fabulous, Family Affairs, Buffalo Soldiers, The Wire (television), Sometimes in April, The Gospel, Daddy's Little Girls, The Reaping, American Gangster, This Christmas, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, The Unborn, Obsessed, and Takers. Watch for Elba in The Big C (2010), Luther (2010), The Losers (2010), Thor (2011) and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012).

Born: March 8, 1973
Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Actor and former fashion model Boris Kodjoe has become one of the most successful young black actors in the business. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University on a tennis scholarship where he excelled as a collegiate tennis star. Kodjoe is perhaps best known as a regular cast member from the Showtime drama Soul Food, which aired from 2000 to 2004. Kodjoe had short-lived lead role in NBC's Undercovers, which premiered in September 2010 and was cancelled in November 2010. But Boris has many other roles and appearances to his credit including Chosen Ones (1999–2006), Love & Basketball (2000), Brown Sugar (2002), Second Time Around TV series (2004), Doing Hard Time (2004), The Gospel (2005), America's Next Top Model, Cycle 4 (2005), Madea's Family Reunion (2006), All About Us (2007), Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008), Surrogates (2009), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Underco vers (2010), The Confidant (2010), and in 2011, Take The Stand.

Born: November 18, 1970
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana

True funny man Michael Epps has been keeping it real for over a decade. Best known for playing Day-Day Jones in the 2000 hit Next Friday and Friday After Next, Epps has become a respected stand-up comedian, actor, writer and rapper. Epps began performing stand-up during his teen years and moved to Atlanta where he worked at the Comedy Act Theater. He later moved to New York City and secured a spot in Def Comedy Jam in 1995. Mike Epps stays busy and to his credit, he has appeared in: Strays (1997), Next Friday (2000), 3 Strikes (2000), Bait (2000), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), How High (2001), All About the Benjamins (2002), Friday After Next (2002), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), The Fighting Temptations (2003), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Guess Who (2005), The Honeymooners (2005), Roll Bounce (2005), Something New (2006), Talk to Me (2007), Resident Evil: Extincti on (2007), Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Hancock (2008), Soul Men (2008), Open Season 2 (2008), Next Day Air (2009), The Hangover (2009), The Janky Promoters (2009), Lottery Ticket (2010), Ghetto Stories: The Movie (2010), Faster (2010), Jumping the Broom (2011) and Last Friday (2012).