| Best Actor in a Leading Role | |||||
| Year | Name | Film | Role | Status | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Sidney Poitier | The Defiant Ones | Noah Cullen | Nominated | First black actor to be nominated for Best Actor. |
| 1963 | Sidney Poitier | Lilies of the Field | Homer Smith | Won | First black actor to win Best Actor; First black actor to receive two acting nominations (Best Actor); Youngest black actor to win Best Actor (age 37). |
| 1970 | James Earl Jones | The Great White Hope | Jack Jefferson | Nominated | |
| 1972 | Paul Winfield | Sounder | Nathan Lee Morgan | Nominated | First film to feature black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress. |
| 1986 | Dexter Gordon | Round Midnight | Dale Turner | Nominated | |
| 1989 | Morgan Freeman | Driving Miss Daisy | Hoke Colburn | Nominated | |
| 1992 | Denzel Washington | Malcolm X | Malcolm X | Nominated | |
| 1993 | Laurence Fishburne | What's Love Got to Do with It | Ike Turner | Nominated | Second film to feature black nominees for both Best Actor and Best Actress. |
| 1994 | Morgan Freeman | The Shawshank Redemption | Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding | Nominated | |
| 1999 | Denzel Washington | The Hurricane | Rubin Carter | Nominated | |
| 2001 | Denzel Washington | Training Day | Alonzo Harris | Won | First black actor to receive five acting nominations overall; First black actor to receive three Best Actor nominations; Second black actor to win Best Actor; First time that multiple black actors received Best Actor nominations; Oldest black actor to win Best Actor (age 47); First black actor to win two acting awards. |
| Will Smith | Ali | Muhammad Ali | Nominated | First male hip hop artist to be nominated for an Academy Award; First time that multiple black actors received Best Actor nominations. |
|
| 2004 | Jamie Foxx | Ray | Ray Charles | Won | First black actor to receive two acting nominations in the same year; |
| Don Cheadle | Hotel Rwanda | Paul Rusesabagina | Nominated | ||
| 2005 | Terrence Howard | Hustle & Flow | DJay | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Forest Whitaker | The Last King of Scotland | Idi Amin | Won | |
| Will Smith | The Pursuit of Happyness | Chris Gardner | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Morgan Freeman | Invictus | Nelson Mandela | Nominated | Freeman ties with Denzel Washington as the most nominated black actor (5 nominations) & most nominations in this category (3 nominations). |
Read more about this topic: List Of Black Academy Award Winners And Nominees
Famous quotes containing the words actor, leading and/or role:
“The actor can be compared to the soldier. The former dazzled by his triumphs, sighs continually for the struggles of stage- life; the latter filled with the glory he has acquired on the battlefield, cannot resign himself to peace.”
—Adelaide Ristori (1822–1906)
“What do you do in the Grand Hotel? Eat, sleep, loaf around, flirt a little, dance a little. A hundred doors leading to one hall. No one knows anything about the person next to them. And when you leave, someone occupies your room, lies in your bed. That’s the end.”
—William A. Drake (1900–1965)
“The most puzzling thing about TV is the steady advance of the sponsor across the line that has always separated news from promotion, entertainment from merchandising. The advertiser has assumed the role of originator, and the performer has gradually been eased into the role of peddler.”
—E.B. (Elwyn Brooks)