Academy Awards History

African Americans and the Oscars

Since today is the start of Black History Month I think it is appropriate to start off our countdown to the Oscars with a list of the past African American Oscar winners. Here are the winners along with their films. I have included the links to our DVDs but many of these movies are also available in the Blu-Ray format. All information is from the Wikipedia article List of black Academy Award winners and nominees .

  1. Hattie McDaniel in Gone With The Wind. Best Supporting Actress 1940.
  2. Sidney Poitier in Lillies of the Field . Best Actor 1963
  3. . Isaac Hayes for the song "Theme from Shaft" from the movie Shaft 1971.
  4. Louis Gossett Jr. in An Officer and a Gentleman. Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1982.
  5. Irene Cara for Flashdance...What A Feeling from the movie Flashdance . Best Music, Original Song 1983.
  6. Prince for Purple Rain f rom the movie Purple Rain . Best Music, Original Score 1984.
  7. Stevie Wonder for I Just Called To Say I Love You from the movie The Woman in Red . Best Music, Original Song 1984.
  8. Lionel Ritchie for Say You Say Me from the movie White Nights . Best Music, Original Song
  9. Herbie Hancock for Round Midnight . Best Music, Original Score 1986.
  10. Willie D. Burton for the movie Bird . Best Sound Mixing 1988.
  11. Denzel Washington in Glory .  Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1989.
  12. Russell Williams for Glory . Best Sound Mixing 1989.
  13. Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1990.
  14. Russell Williams for Dances With Wolves . Best Sound Mixing 1990.
  15. Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire . Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1996.
  16. Halle Berry in Monster's Ball . Best Actress 2001.
  17. Denzel Washington in Training Day . Best Actor 2001.
  18. Jamie Foxx in Ray . Best Actor 2004.
  19. Morgan Freeman in Million Dollar Baby . Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2004.
  20. Frayser Boy, Juicy J and DJ Paul for It's Hard Out Here For A PImp from the movie Hustle & Flow . Best Music, Original Song 2005.
  21. Forest Whitaker in The Last King of Scotland . Best Actor 2006.
  22. Jennifer Hudson in Dreamgirls . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2006.
  23. Willie D. Burton for Dreamgirls . Best Sound Mixing 2006.
  24. Mo'Nique in Precious . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2009.
  25. Roger Ross Williams for Music by Prudence . Best Documentary Short Subject 2009.
  26. Geoffrey Fletcher for Precious . Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 2009.
  27. Octavia Spencer in The Help . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2011.
  28. T.J. Martin, director, for Undefeated . Best Documentary Film 2012.
  29. Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave . Best Picture 2013.
  30. Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years A Slave . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2013.
  31. John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave . Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay 2013.
  32. Common and John Legend for Glory from the movie Selma . Best Music, Original Song 2014.
  33. Viola Davis in Fences . Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2016.
  34. Mahershala Ali in Moonlight . Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2016.
  35. Barry Jenkins and Terrell Alvin McCraney for Moonlight . Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) 2016.
  36. Ezra Edelman, director and producer, for O.J. Made in America . Best Documentary Film 2016.
  37. Jordan Peele for Get Out . Best Writing (Original Screenplay) 2017.
  38. Kobe Bryant for Dear Basketball . Best Short Film (Animated) 2017.

Created by Julia Churchill on Jan 25th, 2019 @ 10:28 AM.
Updated on Feb 1st, 2019 @ 1:29 PM.