And the Oscar goes to...
From http://www.indiana.edu/~bfca/features/oscars.html
Feature Presentation:
African American Oscar Winners
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, considered the most prestigious annual award ceremony for film in the United States, has a long and distinguished history of recognizing outstanding achievement in film. Unfortunately, their recognition of African American actors, actresses, and filmmakers has been few and far between.
The first African American to win an Academy Award was Hattie McDaniel for her performance as "Mammy" in Gone With the Wind (1939). Despite this breakthrough fairly early in the history of the Academy Awards, it would be another twenty-four years before another African American was once again honored (with the exception of the Honorary Award given to James Baskett in 1948 for his performance as "Uncle Remus" in Disney's Song of the South). When Sidney Poitier (who was born in Miami and later moved to the U.S. at the age of 15, but is Bahamian and thus also considered a Caribbean black) won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Lilies of the Field (1963) in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement in 1964, many hoped that the playing field was finally becoming more level. Unfortunately, it would be nineteen more years before another black actor won an Academy Award.
Several black actors and one black actress won Oscars for supporting roles in the 1980s and 1990s, however none won for a leading role again until the 2002 Academy Awards. In that year, African Americans actually won both of the top acting awards. Halle Berry became the first African American woman to win the Best Actress award for her performance in Monster's Ball (2001), and after being nominated twice before for a leading role, Malcolm X (1992) and The Hurricane (1999), Denzel Washington finally won for his portrayal of a dirty cop in Training Day (2001).
The 2002 Academy Awards also featured an Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award given to Sidney Poitier. With three Oscars awarded to black actors, some declared that discrimination in the movie industry was a thing of the past and that African Americans had finally made it, while others maintained that progress was being made but there were still too many obstacles for people of color to overcome.
Is Hollywood still conducting business in black and white, or is green the predominant color of the Film Industry? In other words, does the image of African Americans that Hollywood most frequently presents reflect what makes the most money with national and international audiences? If so, what can be done to combat this problem in order to secure more worthwhile roles for black actors and actresses and projects for black filmmakers?
We encourage you to make up your own mind by taking a look at the articles, books, websites, and films listed at the bottom of this web page.
Black Academy Award Winners:
1. Hattie McDaniel, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Gone With the Wind (1939).
2. James Baskett, Honorary Award "for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and story teller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South" (1946). [awarded at the 1948 Academy Awards Ceremony]
3. Sidney Poitier, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Lilies of the Field (1963).
4. Isaac Hayes, Best Music, Original Song for "Theme from Shaft" from Shaft (1971).
5. Louis Gossett, Jr., Best Actor in a Supporting Role for An Officer and a Gentleman (1982).
6. Irene Cara, Best Music, Original Song for "Flashdance...What a Feeling" from Flashdance (1983).
7. Prince, Best Music, Original Song Score for Purple Rain (1984).
8. Stevie Wonder, Best Music, Original Song for "I Just Called to Say I Loved You" from The Woman in Red (1984).
9. Lionel Richie, Best Music, Original Song for "Say You, Say Me" from White Nights (1985).
10. Herbie Hancock, Best Music, Original Score for 'Round Midnight (1986).
11. Denzel Washington, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Glory (1989).
12. Whoopi Goldberg, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Ghost (1990).
13. Cuba Gooding, Jr., Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Jerry Maguire (1996).
14. Halle Berry, Best Actress in a Leading Role for Monster's Ball (2001).
15. Denzel Washington, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Training Day (2001).
16. Sidney Poitier, Honorary Lifetime Achievement Award "for his extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence." [awarded at the 2002 Academy Awards Ceremony]
17. Jamie Foxx, Best Actor in a Leading Role for Ray (2004).
18. Morgan Freeman, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Million Dollar Baby (2004)
19. Jordan Houston, Cedric Coleman, and Paul Beauregard [aka Three 6 Mafia], Best Music, Original Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" from Hustle & Flow (2005).
20. Jennifer Hudson, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Dreamgirls
21. Forestt Whitiker, Best Actor in a Lead Role for the Last King of Scotland.
