Black Oscar winners: Every actress, actor who won Academy Awards, from Hattie McDaniel to Da’Vine Joy Randolph [PHOTOS]

Since the Academy Awards were first handed out in 1929, only 23 Oscars have been awarded to performances given by Black actresses and actors. Hattie McDaniel made history for Black performers by winning for “Gone With the Wind” (supporting in 1939), while Sidney Poitier was the first male actor to prevail for “Lilies of the Field” (lead in 1963). Denzel Washington became the first two-time Black acting champion when he claimed victory for “Glory” (supporting in 1989) and “Training Day” (lead in 2001), with Mahershala Ali joining him years later for “Moonlight” (supporting in 2016) and “Green Book” (supporting in 2018). Halle Berry was the first, and so far only, Black Best Actress thanks to “Monster’s Ball” (2001). The acting category with the most Black winners is Best Supporting Actress, with 10 including recent champ Da’Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers” (2023). Tour our photo gallery above of every Black actress and actor who won Academy Awards.

Let’s take a closer look at all four Oscar acting categories:

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BEST ACTRESS

So far just Berry (“Monster’s Ball”) has prevailed thanks to her role as a poverty-stricken woman who develops a relationship with a racist prison guard.

BEST ACTOR

Five men have claimed this leading prize through the years: Poitier for “Lilies of the Field” as a gentle handyman, Washington for “Training Day” as a corrupt Los Angeles narcotics officer, Jamie Foxx for “Ray” (2004) as the legendary R&B singer, Forest Whitaker for “The Last King of Scotland” (2006) as the maniacal Ugandan president, and Will Smith as Richard Williams in “King Richard” (2021).

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BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

The 10 champions to date are: McDaniel for “Gone with the Wind” as a strong-willed house slave, Whoopi Goldberg for “Ghost” (1990) as a psychic, Jennifer Hudson for “Dreamgirls” (2006) as the outspoken member of a singing group, Mo’Nique for “Precious” (2009) as an abusive mother, Octavia Spencer for “The Help” (2011) as an opinionated maid, Lupita Nyong’o for “12 Years a Slave” (2013) as a slave girl, Viola Davis for “Fences” (2016) as the wife of a waste collector, Regina King for “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) as a mother trying to clear an innocent man’s name, Ariana DeBose as Anita in “West Side Story” (20201) and now Randolph for “The Holdovers” as a bereaved lunch lady.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

And the following six featured male performers account for seven victories in this category: Louis Gossett Jr. for “An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982) as a brutal drill sergeant, Washington for “Glory” (1989) as a former slave who reluctantly fights for the Union Army, Cuba Gooding Jr. for “Jerry Maguire” (1996) as a flamboyant professional football player, Morgan Freeman for “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) as a janitor and former boxer, Ali for “Moonlight” as a drug dealer and surrogate father, Ali again for “Green Book” as a talented concert pianist, and Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton for “Judas and the Black Messiah” (2020).

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Launch Gallery: Black Oscar winners: Every actress, actor who won Academy Awards

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