Richard Roundtree
He has been called "the first Black action hero". Roundtree was seen to have an impact on the rise of African American leading actors in Hollywood projects, thanks to his successful roles in the blaxploitation genre. His role as Shaft was seen as a bold, confident, and charismatic person that also inspired cinematic roles of Black men and Black masculinity, whereas before Black men in movies before Shaft were seen as gentle and aimed to please others.