20 Black Actors and Actresses Who Have Won Oscars

 

Since the Academy Awards’ inception in 1929, only 22 Oscars have been given to Black actors and actresses. With her portrayal in “Gone with the Wind,” Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Oscar and the first Black actress to win Best Supporting Actress (1939).

Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to win Best Actor for his performance in “Lilies of the Field” in 1963. Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali, and Anthony Quinn have all won many times, but Halle Berry is the first and only Black Best Actress winner, for her work in “Monster’s Ball” (2001).

In January this year when the Oscars released its 2023 candidates, just two Black performers garnered nominations: Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and Brian Tyree Henry for “Causeway” as James Aucoin.

Concerns have been raised concerning the lineup of nominated actors and actresses over the years, as white performers continue to dominate the categories and black actors remain marginalized. According to analysts, huge wins by Black singers such as Regina King and Daniel Kaluuya may usher in some changes. In the midst of all the debate about diversity, here are all the Black Oscar winners:

 

Hattie McDaniel

McDaniel was the first African American woman to receive an Academy Award for her performance as an enslaved maid in the hit film “Gone with the Wind” (1939). McDaniel described earning the prize as “one of the happiest days of my life” at the time. “I genuinely hope I will always be a credit to my race and to the film business; my heart is too full to express how I feel.”

 

Sidney Poitier

Poitier was the first Black actor to win Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Horner Smith in the 1963 classic “Lillies of the Field”. In 2002, Poitier got a Lifetime Achievement Academy Award.

 

Louis Gossett Jr

Louis Gossett Jr.

With his work as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett Jr. became the first Black actor to receive a Best Supporting Actor award (1982). He was only the third African-American performer in history to win an Oscar.

 

Denzel Washington

Washington won his first Oscar for his role as Private Silas Tripp in “Glory” (1989). He won a Best Supporting Actor award.

 

Whoopi Goldberg

Goldberg took home Best Supporting Actress owing to her portrayal as a psychic in the 1990 movie “Ghost”. She was the second African-American actress to win an Oscar.

 

Cuba Gooding Jr.

In “Jerry Maguire,” Gooding Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as football star Rod Tidwell (1996). He was the youngest Black actor to win Best Supporting Actor at the age of 29.

 

Halle Berry

Berry remains the only Black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the 2001 film “Monster’s Ball”.

 

Morgan Freeman

Freeman earned the award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris in the film “Million Dollar Baby” (2004). After multiple nominations, it was his first Oscar triumph.

 

Jamie Foxx

Foxx won Best Actor award in 2005 for playing R&B icon Ray Charles in the biopic “Ray” (2004).

 

Forest Whitaker

Whitaker received Best Actor for playing Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in “The Last King of Scotland” (2006).

 

Jennifer Hudson

Hudson won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Effie White in “Dreamgirls” (2006). The award was the first ever given to a Black actress in a musical film.

 

Mo’Nique

She received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Lee Johnston in “Precious” (2009).

 

Octavia Spencer

Spencer won Best Supporting Actress for her role as a maid in “The Helper” (2011).

 

Lupita Nyong’o

For her role as enslaved girl Patsey in “12 Years A Slave” (2013), Nyong’o won Best Supporting Actress.

 

Viola Davis

She won Best Supporting Actress for “Fences” (2006) where she plays the wife of a waste collector.

 

Mahershala Ali

Ali won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as a heroin dealer and surrogate father in “Moonlight” (2016).

He received his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a concert pianist in “Green Book” (2018).

 

Regina King

King won her first Oscar award for Best Supporting Actress following her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018).

 

Daniel Kaluuya

For portraying civil rights activist Fred Hampton in “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2020), Kaluuya took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

 

Will Smith

Smith earned an Oscar for Best Actor for his role in “King Richard” (2021) where he plays the dad of Serena and Venus Williams.

 

Ariana DeBose

Ariana DeBose

DeBose made history as the first openly queer, Afro-Latina actress to win in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Anita in “West Side Story” (2021).

 

Leave a Reply