Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years
In recent years, more African Americans have nabbed Academy Awards in honor of their accomplishments to the motion picture industry. From film scoring, production, direction and acting, African Americans have touched all facets of the film genre. In celebration of the 81st annual Academy Awards, Black Voices takes a look at the winners – through the years.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Hattie McDaniel
She was the first African American to be nominated for, and win, an Academy Award. For her role in the 1939 epic saga 'Gone With the Wind,' the Kansas native took home the prize for best actress in a supporting role. With her win, she met some criticism for playing a stereotypical black character, but McDaniel caused a stir when she told members of the media that she would rather "play a maid than be one!"

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Peter Ustinov
Ustinov was the first male actor of African descent to win for best actor in a supporting role. Unbeknown to many, this British-born two-time Academy Award winner's father is German, Russian and Ethiopian. Many people know the late great as being of Russian descent, but he was also part Ethiopian. Though he was nominated for best actor in a supporting role for his performance in the 1952 film 'Quo Vadis,' his first win in that category wouldn't come until nearly a decade later in 1961 when he took home the gold statute for his 'Spartacus' performance. He also won in 1965 in the same category for his role in 'Topkapi.'

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Sydney Poitier
He was the first African American to win an Academy Award for best actor in a leading role. His Oscar win for the 1963 drama 'Lilies of the Field' proved that this Bahamian-American thespian was a real box office draw. Four years later, with 'To Sir, With Love,' 'In the Heat of the Night' and 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,' the latter being one of the first movies to positively tackle the complexities of interracial relationships, Poitier became the year's top box office star. In 2002, the 83-year-old was also awarded an honorary Oscar.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Isaac Hayes
Hayes became the first African American to win for best original song and the first African American to win an Oscar in a non-acting category. The theme to the blaxploitation film 'Shaft,' appropriately titled 'Theme from Shaft,' earned this soul singer an Academy Award in 1971. The track, which was written and performed by the late Memphis native, rose to the top of the Billboard charts months after the movie's release. Hayes got to perform the song at the Academy Award ceremony in 1972 and dedicated the win to his grandmother, who joined him on stage to accept the award.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Quincy Jones
He is the first African American nominated for best picture, the first African American to be named musical director/conductor of the Academy Awards ceremony (in 1971), and the first African American to win the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Jones, who has long been known for his talent in the music business, made Academy Award history for his role as a producer on the feature film 'The Color Purple.' The 76-year-old Chicago native, who has amassed 27 Grammys, has also been nominated for his work in scoring. Jones has been nominated three times in the best original score category for 'In Cold Blood,' 'The Wiz,' and 'The Color Purple,' and three times in the best original song category. He is also the first black person, along with Bob Russell, to be nominated for the latter category for 'The Eyes of Love' from the 1967 film 'Banning.' Jones is tied with sound designer Willie D. Burton as the most Oscar-nominated African American with seven nominations.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Louis Gossett Jr.
He was the first African American actor to win for best supporting actor. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native, who had no formal drama training, took home an Oscar for his characterization of Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film 'An Officer and a Gentleman.' Unfortunately, the he did not find Hollywood calling for major motion pictures, something he lamented about publicly. "If I were white, I'd be as rich as Harrison Ford," he told BV.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Irene Cara
She was the first and only African American woman to win a non-acting Academy Award. Cara, who penned the lyrics to 'Flashdance (What a Feeling)' -- while in a cab on the way to the studio to record the song -- took home her Oscar in 1984. The New York native performed the song and later released it as a single. She is also known for creating the Academy Award-nominated theme to the 1980 film 'Fame,' which she performed at the awards ceremony.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Stevie Wonder
Wonder's 'I Just Called to Say I Love You,' remains one of the Michigan native's most commercially successful singles. The track was featured in the 1984 Gene Wilder-directed comedy 'The Woman in Red' and won for best original song in 1984. The soundtrack also featured Dionne Warwick.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years

Name: Prince
Was the first and only African American to win for best original song score. After his 1984 Oscar win, the category was retired, but Prince's seminal album, 'Purple Rain,' made the Minnesota native a household name. The soundtrack album spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. At one point the pint-sized music icon, who starred in the film, had the No. 1 movie, single and album in America.

Black Oscar Winners Through The Years