Black History Milestones at the Oscars
In honor of Black History Month, Film Fad would like to honor historic moments for African Americans at the Oscars.
The Academy Awards are on their 87th year and a lot has changed over that period of time. Categories have been added and film culture has changed from when the Oscars were first given out. In honor of Black History Month, here are some of the most influential African American Oscar winners and nominees.
Hattie McDaniel – First African American Oscar Win
Hattie McDaniel First African American Oscar Winner
Hattie McDaniel’s win for Best Supporting Actress in “Gone with the Wind” was probably the biggest milestone in African American Oscar history. Not only was she the first African American woman to win an Oscar, she was the first African American person to win. On top of that, she was also the first African American to be nominated for an Oscar and to this day is the oldest African American actress (age 44) to win.
Dorothy Dandridge – First African American Best Actress Nominee
Dorothy Dandridge
Fifteen years after Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar win came the beautiful Dorothy Dandridge. While Hattie was the first Oscar win for African Americans (Best Supporting Actress), Dorothy was the first African American Actress to be nominated for Best Actress. Although she didn’t win, her performance as Carmen in the film “Carmen Jones” was nothing less of iconic.
Dorothy Dandridge was an actress that was anchored by the time period she lived in. In today’s industry with her talent and her timeless, iconic beauty, she would have for sure been an A-List star.
