Black History Milestones at the Oscars
Sidney Poitier – First African American Best Actor
Sidney Poitier First African American Best Actor
Sidney Poitier is a name that many cinephiles know. Outside of being the first Best Actor nomination and win at the Oscars, he’s been a growing film icon since then. Although many may recognize him for his role as Virgil Tibbs in the film “In the Heat of the Night,” this was not a film for which he received Oscar recognition.
Sidney Poitier received his first Best Actor nomination for “The Defiant Ones” in 1958 but didn’t win until 1963 for his role in “Lillies of the Field.” Since his win, he continued forth with his career and broke down racial barriers transcending all the way into the early 2000s with his work in the industry. He may have not been the first African American to win, but he was one of the most recognized due to the advancements in media technology and communications. Many would say that he paved the way for many African American actors’ careers.
Denzel Washington & Halle Berry – Best Actor and Best Actress
Denzel Washington and Halle Berry win for Best Actor and Actress in the same year
Both Halle Berry and Denzel Washington won their Oscars for Best Actor and Best Actress in 2001. Despite being the first African American duo to take both wins, there were many more aspects of significance for their win.
Halle Berry was the first African American woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress despite many others being nominated since 1954. To this day, she is the only African American Best Actress winner with there not being another winner since her 2001 win for “Monster’s Ball.”
This was not Denzel Washington’s first Oscar (he won Supporting Actor for “Glory” in 1989), but it was his first win for the film “Training Day.” Many (including myself) found this to be surprising that he would win for “Training Day” but not for his lead role in “Malcom X” or even as Rubin Carter in “The Hurricane.” Outside of that, he was the only African American actor to win an Oscar for Best Actor since Sidney Poitier in 1963.
