Paramount+

The 11 Best Black Cowboy Characters From TV and Film

It's estimated that 25 percent of cowboys in the Wild West were Black, but that hasn't always been properly represented in Hollywood. Western films are most closely associated with the likes of John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, with very few Black actors thrown into the mix. Over the past few decades, more and more realistic stories have been making their way to the big screen, and it's been really wonderful to get a glimpse of what the period actually looked like. We all know Wyatt Earp and Billy the Kid, but countless famous Black heroes and outlaws also deserve to have their stories told.

Notably, the real-life lawman Bass Reeves — who racked up an estimated 3,000 arrests during his legendary career — is finally getting his own series, "Lawmen: Bass Reeves," on Paramount+. The Taylor Sheridan "Lawmen" project will home in on a different Wild West lawman each season. But the first is dedicated to Bass, a criminally underrated figure who was beloved by his community and feared by outlaws, and risked his life constantly to uphold justice for all — regardless of skin color.

In anticipation of "Lawmen: Bass Reeves," let's look at 11 of the best Black cowboys from TV shows and cowboy movies, from fictional characters to real gunslingers.

READ MORE: 5 African-American Cowboys Who Shaped the American West