List of Black Academy Award Winners and Nominees - Best Actor in A Leading Role

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

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