20 Favorite Actresses: Now With 100% More Diversity!

I was very surprised/a little disappointed in myself that my list of 20 favorite actresses was composed completely of white, straight, able-bodied females. The list was made only slightly diverse in that it included seven non-American women (eight if you include Natalie Portman), two of whom speak English as a second language. A couple of women of color almost made it onto the list but didn't make the cut mostly because I didn't feel like I had seen a large enough chunk of their body of work.

So I decided to adjust my criteria a bit and have another go at it, this time including only women who belong to one or more, er, non-dominant groups. (You know, "minorities" only not that word because I hate that word.) Although I may not have seen most or even much of these women's oeuvres, their work has made an impression on me and I'm always pleased to see them.

Rosario Dawson
(Death Proof, Sin City, RENT, Kids)



America Ferrera
(Ugly Betty, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Real Women Have Curves)



Jodie Foster
(Silence of the Lambs, Nell, The Brave One, A Very Long Engagement, Taxi Driver)



Leisha Hailey
(The L Word, All Over Me)



Irma P. Hall
(Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Collateral, The Lady Killers)



Salma Hayek
(Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Fools Rush In)



Marianne Jean-Baptiste
(Secrets & Lies, Without a Trace)



Lucy Liu
(Ally McBeal, Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2, Charlie's Angels)



Marlee Matlin
(Picket Fences, The L Word, Law & Order: SVU)



Parminder Nagra
(Bend It Like Beckham, ER)



Sandra Oh
(Sideways, Under the Tuscan Sun, Grey's Anatomy)



Michelle Rodriguez
(Girlfight, Lost)



Grace Park
(Battlestar Galactica)



Queen Latifah
(Living Out Loud, Chicago, Set It Off)



Tracie Thoms
(Wonderfalls, Cold Case, Death Proof, RENT)



Gina Torres
(Serenity, The Matrix Reloaded, Angel, I Think I Love My Wife)



Gabrielle Union
(Cadillac Records, Bring It On, 10 Things I Hate About You)



Ethel Waters
(Pinky, The Member of the Wedding)



Vanessa L. Williams
(Ugly Betty, Eraser, Soul Food)



Michelle Yeoh
(Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Tomorrow Never Dies, Memoirs of a Geisha)