List of black Academy Award winners and nominees facts for kids

Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award, in 1940.

The Academy Awards, also known as the Oscars, are super important awards given out every year for amazing work in movies. This list celebrates Black actors, directors, writers, and other talented people who have won or been nominated for an Oscar. It shows how much they've achieved in Hollywood, from the very first Black winner, Hattie McDaniel, to today's stars. This list is up-to-date as of the 95th Academy Awards, which happened on March 12, 2023.

Best Actor in a Leading Role

This award is for the best male actor in a main role in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Role	Status	Cool Facts
Best Actor in a Leading Role
1958	Sidney Poitier	The Defiant Ones	Noah Cullen	Nominated	First Black actor ever nominated for Best Actor.
1963	Sidney Poitier	Lilies of the Field	Homer Smith	Won	First Black man to win a competitive Oscar. He was 37, the youngest Black actor to win Best Actor.
1970	James Earl Jones	The Great White Hope	Jack Jefferson	Nominated
1972	Paul Winfield	Sounder	Nathan Lee Morgan	Nominated	This movie was the first to have Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
1986	Dexter Gordon	Round Midnight	Dale Turner	Nominated	First jazz musician nominated for Best Actor.
1989	Morgan Freeman	Driving Miss Daisy	Hoke Colburn	Nominated
1992	Denzel Washington	Malcolm X	Malcolm X	Nominated
1993	Laurence Fishburne	What's Love Got to Do with It	Ike Turner	Nominated	Second movie with Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
1994	Morgan Freeman	The Shawshank Redemption	Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding	Nominated
1999	Denzel Washington	The Hurricane	Rubin Carter	Nominated
2001	Denzel Washington	Training Day	Alonzo Harris	Won	Second Black actor to win Best Actor. He was the first Black actor to win multiple competitive Oscars.
2001	Will Smith	Ali	Muhammad Ali	Nominated	First time multiple Black actors were nominated for Best Actor in the same year.
2004	Jamie Foxx	Ray	Ray Charles	Won	First Black person to get two acting nominations in the same year.
2004	Don Cheadle	Hotel Rwanda	Paul Rusesabagina	Nominated
2005	Terrence Howard	Hustle & Flow	DJay	Nominated
2006	Forest Whitaker	The Last King of Scotland	Idi Amin	Won
2006	Will Smith	The Pursuit of Happyness	Chris Gardner	Nominated
2009	Morgan Freeman	Invictus	Nelson Mandela	Nominated
2012	Denzel Washington	Flight	William "Whip" Whitaker	Nominated
2013	Chiwetel Ejiofor	12 Years a Slave	Solomon Northup	Nominated	First Black British actor nominated for Best Actor.
2016	Denzel Washington	Fences	Troy Maxson	Nominated	First Black actor to direct himself to an Oscar nomination for acting.
2017	Denzel Washington	Roman J. Israel, Esq.	Roman J. Israel	Nominated	Denzel Washington was the first Black actor nominated two years in a row.
2017	Daniel Kaluuya	Get Out	Chris Washington	Nominated	Second Black British actor nominated for Best Actor.
2020	Chadwick Boseman	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	Levee Green	Nominated	First Black actor to get a nomination after passing away.
2021	Will Smith	King Richard	Richard Williams	Won
2021	Denzel Washington	The Tragedy of Macbeth	Lord Macbeth	Nominated	Denzel Washington has the most nominations for a Black actor (9 total).
2023	Colman Domingo	Rustin	Bayard Rustin	Nominated	First openly gay Black and Afro-Latino actor nominated for Best Actor.
2023	Jeffrey Wright	American Fiction	Thelonious "Monk" Ellison	Nominated	First movie with Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Best Actress in a Leading Role

This award is for the best female actor in a main role in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Role	Status	Cool Facts
Best Actress in a Leading Role
1954	Dorothy Dandridge	Carmen Jones	Carmen Jones	Nominated	First Black actress nominated for Best Actress.
1972	Diana Ross	Lady Sings the Blues	Billie Holiday	Nominated	First Black actress nominated for her very first movie role.
1972	Cicely Tyson	Sounder	Rebecca Morgan	Nominated	This movie was the first to have Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
1974	Diahann Carroll	Claudine	Claudine	Nominated
1985	Whoopi Goldberg	The Color Purple	Celie Johnson	Nominated	This was her first movie role.
1993	Angela Bassett	What's Love Got to Do with It	Tina Turner	Nominated	Second movie with Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress.
2001	Halle Berry	Monster's Ball	Leticia Musgrove	Won	First Black actress to win Best Actress.
2009	Gabourey Sidibe	Precious	Claireece "Precious" Jones	Nominated	This was her first movie role.
2011	Viola Davis	The Help	Aibileen Clark	Nominated
2012	Quvenzhané Wallis	Beasts of the Southern Wild	Hushpuppy	Nominated	She was 9 years old, the youngest Best Actress nominee ever.
2016	Ruth Negga	Loving	Mildred Loving	Nominated	First Black Irish actress nominated.
2019	Cynthia Erivo	Harriet	Harriet Tubman	Nominated	First Black British actress nominated.
2020	Viola Davis	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	Ma Rainey	Nominated	Most nominated Black actress, with four nominations.
2020	Andra Day	The United States vs. Billie Holiday	Billie Holiday	Nominated

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

This award is for the best male actor in a smaller, but important, role in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Role	Status	Cool Facts
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
1969	Rupert Crosse	The Reivers	Ned	Nominated	First Black actor nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
1981	Howard Rollins	Ragtime	Coalhouse Walker Jr.	Nominated	This was his first movie role.
1982	Louis Gossett Jr.	An Officer and a Gentleman	Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley	Won	First Black actor to win Best Supporting Actor.
1984	Adolph Caesar	A Soldier's Story	Sgt. Waters	Nominated
1987	Morgan Freeman	Street Smart	Fast Black	Nominated	First time multiple Black actors were nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
1987	Denzel Washington	Cry Freedom	Steve Biko	Nominated
1989	Denzel Washington	Glory	Pvt. Trip	Won	First Black actor to get two Best Supporting Actor nominations.
1992	Jaye Davidson	The Crying Game	Dil	Nominated	Youngest Black actor nominated for an Oscar (age 24).
1994	Samuel L. Jackson	Pulp Fiction	Jules Winnfield	Nominated
1996	Cuba Gooding Jr.	Jerry Maguire	Rod Tidwell	Won	Youngest Black male actor to win an Oscar (age 29).
1999	Michael Clarke Duncan	The Green Mile	John Coffey	Nominated
2003	Djimon Hounsou	In America	Mateo	Nominated	First Black actor born in Africa (Benin) nominated for an Oscar.
2004	Morgan Freeman	Million Dollar Baby	Eddie 'Scrap-Iron' Dupris	Won	Oldest Black actor to win an Oscar (age 67).
2004	Jamie Foxx	Collateral	Max	Nominated	First Black person to get two acting nominations in the same year.
2006	Djimon Hounsou	Blood Diamond	Solomon Vandy	Nominated
2006	Eddie Murphy	Dreamgirls	James 'Thunder' Early	Nominated	First movie with Black nominees for both Best Supporting Actor and Actress.
2013	Barkhad Abdi	Captain Phillips	Abduwali Muse	Nominated	This was his first movie role.
2016	Mahershala Ali	Moonlight	Juan	Won	First Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
2018	Mahershala Ali	Green Book	Don Shirley	Won	First Black actor to win two Oscars in the same category.
2020	Daniel Kaluuya	Judas and the Black Messiah	Fred Hampton	Won	First Black British actor to win an acting Oscar.
	Lakeith Stanfield	Judas and the Black Messiah	William O'Neal	Nominated	First movie to have multiple Black actors nominated in the same category.
	Leslie Odom Jr.	One Night in Miami...	Sam Cooke	Nominated	First Black man nominated for both acting and songwriting in the same year.
2022	Brian Tyree Henry	Causeway	James Aucoin	Nominated
2023	Sterling K. Brown	American Fiction	Clifford "Cliff" Ellison	Nominated	First movie with Black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

This award is for the best female actor in a smaller, but important, role in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Role	Status	Cool Facts
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
1939	Hattie McDaniel	Gone with the Wind	Mammy	Won	First Black person to win and be nominated for an Academy Award.
1949	Ethel Waters	Pinky	Mrs. Dicey Johnson (Pinky's Granny)	Nominated	Second Black person nominated for an Academy Award.
1959	Juanita Moore	Imitation of Life	Annie Johnson	Nominated
1967	Beah Richards	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner	Mrs. Prentice	Nominated
1983	Alfre Woodard	Cross Creek	Geechee	Nominated
1985	Margaret Avery	The Color Purple	Shug Avery	Nominated	First time multiple Black actresses from the same movie were nominated.
1985	Oprah Winfrey	The Color Purple	Sofia	Nominated	This was her first movie role.
1990	Whoopi Goldberg	Ghost	Oda Mae Brown	Won	First Black actress to get two acting nominations.
1996	Marianne Jean-Baptiste	Secrets & Lies	Hortense Cumberbatch	Nominated	First Black British actress nominated for an Oscar.
2002	Queen Latifah	Chicago	Matron Mama Morton	Nominated	First female hip hop artist nominated for an Oscar.
2004	Sophie Okonedo	Hotel Rwanda	Tatiana Rusesabagina	Nominated	Second Black British actress nominated for an Oscar.
2006	Jennifer Hudson	Dreamgirls	Effie White	Won	This was her first movie role. She was 25, the youngest Black person to win an Oscar.
2007	Ruby Dee	American Gangster	Mama Lucas	Nominated	At 83, the oldest Black actress nominated for an Oscar.
2008	Viola Davis	Doubt	Mrs. Miller	Nominated
2008	Taraji P. Henson	The Curious Case of Benjamin Button	Queenie	Nominated
2009	Mo'Nique	Precious	Mary Lee Johnston	Won
2011	Octavia Spencer	The Help	Minny Jackson	Won
2013	Lupita Nyong'o	12 Years a Slave	Patsey	Won	This was her first movie role. First Black African (Kenyan) actress to win an Oscar.
2016	Viola Davis	Fences	Rose Maxson	Won
	Naomie Harris	Moonlight	Paula	Nominated	Third Black British actress nominated for an Oscar.
	Octavia Spencer	Hidden Figures	Dorothy Vaughan	Nominated	First Black actress nominated after already winning an Oscar.
2017	Octavia Spencer	The Shape of Water	Zelda Fuller	Nominated	First Black actress nominated two years in a row.
2017	Mary J. Blige	Mudbound	Florence Jackson	Nominated	First Black woman to get multiple Oscar nominations in the same year.
2018	Regina King	If Beale Street Could Talk	Sharon Rivers	Won
2021	Ariana DeBose	West Side Story	Anita	Won	First Black, African-American, Afro-Latina queer actress to win an acting Oscar.
2021	Aunjanue Ellis	King Richard	Oracene "Brandy" Price	Nominated
2022	Angela Bassett	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Queen Ramonda	Nominated	First actor nominated for a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
2023	Da'Vine Joy Randolph	The Holdovers	Mary Lamb	Won
2023	Danielle Brooks	The Color Purple	Sofia	Nominated

Best Animated Feature

This award is for the best full-length animated movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature
2018	Peter Ramsey	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	Won	First Black person nominated for and to win for Animated Feature.
2023	Kemp Powers	Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse	Nominated

Best Costume Design

This award is for the best costumes in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Costume Design
1992	Ruth E. Carter	Malcolm X	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Costume Design.
1997	Ruth E. Carter	Amistad	Nominated
2004	Sharen Davis	Ray	Nominated
2006	Sharen Davis	Dreamgirls	Nominated
2018	Ruth E. Carter	Black Panther	Won	First Black person to win for Best Costume Design.
2021	Paul Tazewell	West Side Story	Nominated	First Black male costume designer nominated for Best Costume Design.
2022	Ruth E. Carter	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Won	First Black woman to win two competitive Academy Awards.

Best Director

This award is for the person who guides the making of a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Director
1991	John Singleton	Boyz n the Hood	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Director. He was 24, the youngest ever nominated in this category.
2009	Lee Daniels	Precious	Nominated	First Black director whose film was nominated for Best Picture.
2013	Steve McQueen	12 Years a Slave	Nominated	First Black director whose film won an Oscar for Best Picture.
2016	Barry Jenkins	Moonlight	Nominated	Second Black director to direct a Best Picture-winning film.
2017	Jordan Peele	Get Out	Nominated	First Black person to get a Best Director and Best Picture nomination for their first movie.
2018	Spike Lee	BlacKkKlansman	Nominated

Best Documentary Feature

This award is for the best full-length documentary movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
1987	Callie Crossley (director/producer)	Eyes on the Prize: America's Civil Rights Years/Bridge to Freedom 1965	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Documentary Feature.
1990	Yvonne Smith (producer)	Adam Clayton Powell	Nominated
1993	William Miles (director/producer)	Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II	Nominated
1997	Spike Lee (director/producer) Samuel D. Pollard (producer)	4 Little Girls	Nominated
2004	Karolyn Ali (producer)	Tupac: Resurrection	Nominated
2012	T. J. Martin (director)	Undefeated	Won	First Black person to win in this category.
2016	Ava DuVernay (director/producer)	13th	Nominated
	Roger Ross Williams (director/producer)	Life, Animated	Nominated
	Raoul Peck (director/producer) Hébert Peck (producer)	I Am Not Your Negro	Nominated	First Haitians nominated in this category.
	Ezra Edelman (director/producer)	O.J.: Made in America	Won
2017	Yance Ford (director/producer)	Strong Island	Nominated	First openly transgender man nominated for any Academy Award.
2018	RaMell Ross (director/producer)	Hale County This Morning, This Evening	Nominated
2020	Garrett Bradley (director/producer) Lauren Domino (producer)	Time	Nominated
2021	Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (director)	Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)	Won
2021	Stanley Nelson (director/producer) Traci A. Curry (director/producer)	Attica	Nominated
2023	Moses Bwayo (director)	Bobi Wine: The People's President	Nominated

Best Documentary Short Subject

This award is for the best short documentary movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject
2000	Leelai Demoz	On Tiptoe: Gentle Steps to Freedom	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject.
2009	Roger Ross Williams	Music by Prudence	Won	First Black person to win Best Documentary Short Subject.
2020	Kris Bowers	A Concerto Is a Conversation	Nominated
2020	Sophia Nahli Allison Janice Duncan	A Love Song for Latasha	Nominated	First Black women nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject.
2023	Kris Bowers	The Last Repair Shop	Won	First Black person nominated twice for Best Documentary Short Subject.
2023	Christine Turner	The Barber of Little Rock	Nominated

Best Film Editing

This award is for the best editing of a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Film Editing
1969	Hugh A. Robertson	Midnight Cowboy	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Editing.
2016	Joi McMillon	Moonlight	Nominated	First Black woman nominated for Best Editing.

Best International Feature Film

This award is for the best movie made outside the United States, with most of its dialogue not in English. The award goes to the country, but the director accepts it.

Year	Director	Country	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
1995	Rachid Bouchareb	Algeria	Dust of Life	Nominated	First Black director whose film was nominated for this award.
2006			Days of Glory	Nominated	First African director to have multiple films nominated.
2010			Outside the Law	Nominated	First African director whose films received three nominations.
2013	Abderrahmane Sissako	Mauritania	Timbuktu	Nominated
2019	Ladj Ly	France	Les Miserables	Nominated	First non-African film directed by a Black director to be nominated.

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

This award is for the best makeup and hairstyles in a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling
2020	Mia Neal Jamika Wilson	Ma Rainey's Black Bottom	Won	First Black people nominated for and to win Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
2021	Carla Farmer Stacey Morris	Coming 2 America	Nominated
2022	Camille Friend	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	Nominated

Best Music, Original Score

This award is for the best original music written for a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Original Score
1961	Duke Ellington	Paris Blues	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Original Score.
1964	Calvin Jackson	The Unsinkable Molly Brown	Nominated
1967	Quincy Jones	In Cold Blood	Nominated
1972	Isaac Hayes	Shaft	Nominated
1972	Gil Askey	Lady Sings the Blues	Nominated
1978	Quincy Jones	The Wiz	Nominated
1984	Prince	Purple Rain	Won	First Black winner of Best Original Song Score (a category that no longer exists).
1985	Quincy Jones Andrae Crouch Caiphus Semenya	The Color Purple	Nominated	Semenya was the first Black South African nominated for an Oscar.
1986	Herbie Hancock	Round Midnight	Won	First Black winner of Best Original Score.
1987	Jonas Gwangwa	Cry Freedom	Nominated
2018	Terence Blanchard	BlacKkKlansman	Nominated
2020	Terence Blanchard	Da 5 Bloods	Nominated	First Black person to get multiple solo nominations for Best Original Score.
2020	Jon Batiste	Soul	Won

Best Music, Original Song

This award is for the best original song written for a movie.

Year	Name	Film	Song	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Original Song
1967	Quincy Jones Bob Russell	Banning	"The Eyes of Love"	Nominated	First Black people nominated for Best Original Song.
1968	Quincy Jones Bob Russell	For Love of Ivy	"For Love of Ivy"	Nominated	First Black people nominated twice for Best Original Song.
1972	Isaac Hayes	Shaft	"Theme from Shaft"	Won	First Black winner for Best Original Song.
1981	Lionel Richie	Endless Love	"Endless Love"	Nominated
1983	Irene Cara	Flashdance	"Flashdance... What a Feeling"	Won	First Black woman to win a non-acting Academy Award.
1984	Stevie Wonder	The Woman in Red	"I Just Called to Say I Love You"	Won
1984	Ray Parker Jr.	Ghostbusters	"Ghostbusters"	Nominated
1985	Lionel Richie	White Nights	"Say You, Say Me"	Won
1985	Quincy Jones Lionel Richie	The Color Purple	"Miss Celie's Blues"	Nominated	Richie is the only Black person to get multiple Best Original Song nominations in the same year.
1987	Jonas Gwangwa	Cry Freedom	"Cry Freedom"	Nominated	First Black South African nominated in this category.
1988	Lamont Dozier	Buster	"Two Hearts"	Nominated
1993	Janet Jackson Jimmy Jam Terry Lewis	Poetic Justice	"Again"	Nominated
1993	James Ingram	Beethoven's 2nd	"The Day I Fall In Love"	Nominated
1994	James Ingram	Junior	"Look What Love Has Done"	Nominated
2005	Frayser Boy Juicy J DJ Paul	Hustle & Flow	"It's Hard out Here for a ..."	Won	First Black rappers to win an Academy Award.
2006	Siedah Garrett	Dreamgirls	"Love You I Do"	Nominated
2007	Jamal Joseph Charles Mack Tevin Thomas	August Rush	"Raise It Up"	Nominated
2011	Carlinhos Brown Siedah Garrett	Rio	"Real in Rio"	Nominated	Garrett is the most nominated Black female songwriter (two nominations).
2013	Pharrell Williams	Despicable Me 2	"Happy"	Nominated
2014	Common John Legend	Selma	"Glory"	Won
2015	DaHeala The Weeknd	Fifty Shades of Grey	"Earned It"	Nominated	The Weeknd & DaHeala are the first Black Canadians nominated for Best Original Song.
2017	Mary J. Blige Raphael Saadiq Taura Stinson	Mudbound	"Mighty River"	Nominated	Blige was also the first Black woman to get multiple Oscar nominations in the same year.
2017	Common	Marshall	"Stand Up for Something"	Nominated
2018	Kendrick Lamar Sounwave SZA Anthony Tiffith	Black Panther	"All the Stars"	Nominated
2019	Cynthia Erivo Joshuah Brian Campbell	Harriet	"Stand Up"	Nominated	Second Black woman to get multiple Oscar nominations in the same year.
2020	H.E.R. D'Mile Tiara Thomas	Judas and the Black Messiah	"Fight For You"	Won
	Leslie Odom Jr.	One Night in Miami...	"Speak Now"	Nominated	First Black man nominated for acting and music in the same year.
	Celeste	The Trial of the Chicago 7	"Hear My Voice"	Nominated
2021	Beyoncé DIXSON	King Richard	"Be Alive"	Nominated
2022	Ryan Coogler Rihanna Tems	Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	"Lift Me Up"	Nominated
2023	Jon Batiste	American Symphony	"It Never Went Away"	Nominated

Best Picture

This award is for the best movie of the year.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Picture
1985	Quincy Jones	The Color Purple	Nominated	First Black producer whose film was nominated for Best Picture.
2009	Lee Daniels	Precious	Nominated	First Black director whose film was nominated for Best Picture.
2009	Broderick Johnson	The Blind Side	Nominated	First time two films with Black producers were nominated for Best Picture.
2012	Reginald Hudlin	Django Unchained	Nominated
2013	Steve McQueen	12 Years a Slave	Won	First Black director and producer to win Best Picture.
2014	Oprah Winfrey	Selma	Nominated	First Black female producer nominated for Best Picture.
2016	Denzel Washington	Fences	Nominated	First time three films with Black producers were nominated for Best Picture.
	Pharrell Williams	Hidden Figures	Nominated
	Kimberly Steward	Manchester by the Sea	Nominated
2017	Jordan Peele	Get Out	Nominated
2018	Spike Lee Jordan Peele	BlacKkKlansman	Nominated	First Best Picture nominee with more than one Black producer.
2020	Shaka King Charles D. King Ryan Coogler	Judas and the Black Messiah	Nominated	First Best Picture nominee with all Black producers.
2021	Will Smith	King Richard	Nominated
2023	Cord Jefferson Jermaine Johnson	American Fiction	Nominated

Best Production Design

This award is for the best overall look and feel of a movie's sets and locations.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Production Design
2018	Hannah Beachler	Black Panther	Won	First Black person nominated for and to win Best Production Design.

Best Short Film (Animated)

This award is for the best short animated movie.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
2017	Kobe Bryant	Dear Basketball	Won	First Black person to win Short Film (Animated). First former professional athlete to win an Oscar.
2019	Matthew A. Cherry Karen Rupert Toliver	Hair Love	Won	Toliver is the first Black woman to win Short Film (Animated).

Best Short Film (Live Action)

This award is for the best short movie with real actors.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
1991	David Massey	Last Breeze of Summer	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Short Film (Live Action).
1995	Dianne Houston	Tuesday Morning Ride	Nominated	First Black woman nominated for Short Film (Live Action).
2014	James Lucas	The Phone Call	Won	First Black person to win in this category.
2017	Kevin Wilson Jr.	My Nephew Emmett	Nominated
2020	Travon Free	Two Distant Strangers	Won	First Black-American to win in this category.
2023	Misan Harriman	The After	Nominated

Best Sound

This award is for the best sound in a movie, including dialogue, music, and sound effects.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Sound
1978	Willie D. Burton	The Buddy Holly Story	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Sound.
1980		Altered States	Nominated	First Black person nominated multiple times for Best Sound.
1983		WarGames	Nominated
1988		Bird	Won	First Black person to win Best Sound.
1989	Russell Williams II	Glory	Won	Second Black person to win Best Sound.
1990	Russell Williams II	Dances with Wolves	Won	First Black person to win multiple Oscars in any category.
1994	Willie D. Burton	The Shawshank Redemption	Nominated
1999		The Green Mile	Nominated
2006		Dreamgirls	Won	Third Black person to win two competitive Academy Awards.
2023		Oppenheimer	Nominated

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

This award is for the best movie script based on another work, like a book or play.

Year	Name	Film	Adapted From	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
1972	Lonne Elder III	Sounder	Sounder by William H. Armstrong	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
1984	Charles Fuller	A Soldier's Story	A Soldier's Play by Fuller	Nominated
2009	Geoffrey Fletcher	Precious	Push by Sapphire	Won	First Black person to win a screenplay Oscar.
2013	John Ridley	12 Years a Slave	Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup	Won	First Black writer to write a film that won Best Picture.
2016	Barry Jenkins Tarell Alvin McCraney	Moonlight	In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue by McCraney	Won	First film with two Black screenwriters nominated and to win.
2016	August Wilson	Fences	Fences by Wilson	Nominated	First Black writer to get a nomination after passing away.
2017	Virgil Williams Dee Rees	Mudbound	Mudbound by Hillary Jordan	Nominated	Rees is the first Black woman nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
2018	Kevin Willmott Spike Lee	BlacKkKlansman	Black Klansman by Ron Stallworth	Won	Lee is the first Black filmmaker to win a competitive Oscar after receiving an Honorary Academy Award.
2018	Barry Jenkins	If Beale Street Could Talk	If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin	Nominated	First Black person to have two nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay.
2020	Kemp Powers	One Night in Miami...	One Night in Miami by Powers	Nominated
2023	Cord Jefferson	American Fiction	Erasure by Percival Everett	Won

Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

This award is for the best movie script that was not based on another work.

Year	Name	Film	Status	Cool Facts
Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
1972	Suzanne de Passe	Lady Sings the Blues	Nominated	First Black person nominated for Best Original Screenplay. First Black woman nominated for screenwriting.
1989	Spike Lee	Do the Right Thing	Nominated	First Black man nominated for Best Original Screenplay.
1991	John Singleton	Boyz n the Hood	Nominated	Youngest person nominated in this category (age 24).
2017	Jordan Peele	Get Out	Won	First Black person to win Best Original Screenplay.
2020	Shaka King Kenny Lucas Keith Lucas	Judas and the Black Messiah	Nominated	First film with multiple Black screenwriters nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Special Awards

These are awards given for a person's entire career or for their special contributions to movies or society.

Year	Name	Award
Special Awards
1947	James Baskett	Academy Special Award, for his character in Song of the South. First Black man to receive an Oscar.
1995	Quincy Jones	Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (for helping others through film)
2001	Sidney Poitier	Academy Honorary Award, for his amazing acting and for representing the film industry with dignity.
2011	James Earl Jones	Academy Honorary Award, for his consistently excellent and versatile acting.
2011	Oprah Winfrey	Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
2014	Harry Belafonte	Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
2015	Spike Lee	Academy Honorary Award, for being a filmmaker, teacher, and inspiration to young filmmakers.
2017	Charles Burnett	Academy Honorary Award, for being an independent film pioneer who showed the lives of Black Americans.
2018	Cicely Tyson	Academy Honorary Award, for her unforgettable performances and inspiring many.
2020	Tyler Perry	Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
2021	Danny Glover	Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
2021	Samuel L. Jackson	Academy Honorary Award, for being a cultural icon whose work has touched many generations.
2022	Euzhan Palcy	Academy Honorary Award, for being a groundbreaking filmmaker in international cinema.
2023	Angela Bassett	Academy Honorary Award, for her amazing performances that set new standards in acting.

Nominees by Decade (Acting Categories)

This table shows how many Black actors and actresses have been nominated for Oscars in leading and supporting roles over the decades.

Decade	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
Lead Actor	0	0	1	1	2	2	4	8	5	5
Lead Actress	0	0	1	0	3	1	1	2	4	2
Supp. Actor	0	0	0	1	0	6	4	5	3	5
Supp. Actress	1	1	1	1	0	3	2	7	8	5
Total	1	1	3	3	5	12	11	22	20	17

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List of black Academy Award winners and nominees Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.