By Reference Librarian Anne R.Viola Davis
At the Screen Actors Guild Award ceremony last month, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who both appeared in the movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s popular novel The Help, made history together. They were the first pair of African American actresses to win both the Best Actress and the Best Supporting Actress awards.
Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Oscar®When the Academy Awards event airs on Sunday, Feb. 26, this milestone may be repeated. That’s an encouraging sign, since the history of African Americans and the Oscar® is a troubling one. In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win, taking home the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance as housemaid Mammy in Gone with the Wind. It would be an astonishing 23 years before another African American actor took home an Oscar®.
In 1963, Sidney Poitier won the Best Actor award for his portrayal of Homer Smith, an unemployed construction worker who stumbles across a remote farm being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns in Lilies of the Field. Although he never won again for an individual performance, the Academy gave him an Honorary Oscar® in 2002, citing his “extraordinary performances and unique presence on the screen and for representing the industry with dignity, style and intelligence.”
Following these wins, only a handful of other African American actresses were nominated, and these few took home the prize: Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost in 1991, Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls in 2006, and Mo’Nique for Precious in 2009, all in the supporting category. Only one has taken home the Best Actress prize: Halle Berry for her fearless performance in 2001’s Monster’s Ball.<http://opac.cadl.org/record=b1407445%7ES15> In her acceptance speech she tearfully acknowledged Hattie McDaniel for being first to break down the color barrier.
Four supporting actors have won the award: Louis Gossett Jr. in 1982’s An Officer and a Gentleman, Denzel Washington for 1990’s Glory<http://opac.cadl.org/record=b1313041%7ES15> , Cuba Gooding Jr. in 1996 for Jerry Maguire, and Morgan Freeman for 2004’s Million Dollar Baby. In the 21st century, African American actors in leading roles finally found success at the Oscars®, with awards going to Denzel Washington in 2002 for Training Day, Jamie Foxx in 2004 for “Ray,” and Forest Whitaker in 2006 for The Last King of Scotland.
Performances that I felt were Oscar®-worthy—but never even nominated—include Samuel L. Jackson in the courtroom drama A<http://opac.cadl.org/record=b1390505%7ES15> Time to Kill (1996) and Whoopi Goldberg for her wonderfully understated performance in The Long Walk Home<http://opac.cadl.org/record=b1544225%7ES15> (1990).
If you missed any of the award-winning performances mentioned above, they are available on DVD. Place a hold in our online catalog at cadl.org/catalog, and we’ll ship them to the CADL branch of your choice. All you’ll need to add is the popcorn!
The Capital Area District Library Reference Department is located at 401 S. Capitol Avenue in Lansing, MI. Contact them at 517-367-6346 or by e-mail at reference@cadl.org.
This was printed in the February 26, 2012 – March 10, 2012 Edition
