20 times the Oscars dropped the ball with a Black actor’s movie role
The history of the Academy Awards is fraught with instances where Black actors delivered groundbreaking, unforgettable performances but were unjustly overlooked. One glaring example is Angela Bassett's portrayal of Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It. Bassett's transformation into the iconic singer was nothing short of mesmerizing, capturing the strength, vulnerability, and resilience of Turner. Her performance garnered widespread acclaim and a nomination for Best Actress, but she ultimately lost to Holly Hunter in The Piano.
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Another notable snub occurred with Denzel Washington's portrayal of Malcolm X in the eponymous film, which was directed by Spike Lee. The iconic role offered an in-depth and powerful depiction of the civil rights leader's life — one that lost to Al Pacino for Scent of a Woman. In The Color Purple, Whoopi Goldberg delivered an extraordinary performance as Celie. Once again, the Oscar-worthy performance took a backseat to Geraldine Page's The Trip to Bountiful. Notably, The Color Purple didn't win any of its 11 nominations at that time.
These represent just a few instances where the Academy failed to honor Black actors for their exceptional work. Including the aforementioned, you can find 20 unfortunate examples below.
1. Denzel Washington in Malcolm X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx4sEvhYeVE
Denzel Washington brought Malcolm X to life in hair-raising fashion for Spike Lee’s biographical drama, which took viewers through the civil rights leader’s early upbringing in Michigan to his tragic assassination in New York. The film received universal acclaim and earned two Academy Award nominations – including a Best Actor nod for Washington’s iconic performance. Unfortunately, he would lose to Al Pacino for his role in Scent of a Woman.
2. Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h-efLS7VV4
Based on Alice Walker’s novel of the same name, The Color Purple (the one directed by Steven Spielberg, not its musical successor) was a period piece about Celie Harris-Johnson, a Black woman who’s overcome a wealth of challenges in her troubled life. Even with performances from the likes of Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, and Laurence Fishburne, Whoopi Goldberg’s breakthrough portrayal of Celie earned her unanimous praise from critics and moviegoers. Overall, the film earned a whopping 11 Oscar nominations, which one that went to Goldberg for Best Actress. Shockingly, The Color Purple and its cast left completely empty-handed.
3. Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGpTpVyI_OQ
Throughout his career, Samuel L. Jackson has played every type of character one could think of, but few were as captivating as the Jheri curl-wearing Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Alongside John Travolta’s Vincent Vega, Winnfield was a bible-quoting hitman who, through a series of wild events, found himself turning a new leaf by the end of the film. While Tarantino and Roger Avery scored an Academy Award for Best Screenplay, Jackson did not with his Supporting Actor nomination.
4. Aldis Hodge in The Invisible Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO_FJdiY9dA
The Invisible Man was a genius reimagining of the iconic book and film of the same name. What helped to make the updated movie a classic was Aldis Hodge, who played the role of James Lanier, a police detective and close friend of the main protagonist, Cecilia Kass. While The Invisible Man earned high scores from cinephiles and the media (as well as a wealth of awards), it unfortunately did not make the cut for an Oscar in any category.
5. Angela Bassett in What’s Love Got to Do with It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YMzT2Uelts
To say that Angela Bassett brought Tina Turner’s life to the big screen in amazing fashion would be an incredible understatement. For What’s Love Got to Do with It, the actress put herself in the heels of the queen of rock and roll and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress as a result (notable, Laurence Fishburne, who played Ike Turner, also got one for Best Actor). Unfortunately, Bassett lost to The Piano’s Holly Hunter, but – perhaps as a sign of redemption – she was later awarded an honorary trophy via the Academy’s Board of Governors.
6. Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5RDTPfsLAI
Along with amazing veteran actors like Delroy Lindo, Chadwick Boseman earned critical acclaim for his contribution to Da 5 Bloods, a war drama directed by Spike Lee. In the film, Boseman starred as "Stormin" Norman Earl Holloway, a soldier who was killed in the Vietnam War and whose remains were retrieved by his former battalion. Even in a supporting role, the late actor earned universal praise for his bittersweet portrayal – Da 5 Bloods was the last movie to be released prior to his tragic passing. Sadly, the Oscars did not acknowledge his blockbuster performance.
7. Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x8UzELvKlY
Hotel Rwanda was a fictional account of the horrific Rwandan genocide, and Don Cheadle brought the life and actions of hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina to the big screen. The film, which received unanimous praise (as well as some controversy, which is common for such subject matter), earned three nominations Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress (Sophie Okonedo), and Best Actor for Cheadle’s role. Hotel Rwanda didn’t win any Oscars, with Cheadle losing out to Jamie Foxx for his acclaimed portrayal of Ray Charles.
8. Viola Davis in The Help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOTkNsxhECY
The Help cast a spotlight on Black domestic workers and the racism that they experienced from white families during the Civil Rights era. Specifically, the story centered around two maids, Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson, played by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, respectively. The incomparable actresses earned Oscar nominations for their performances, with Spencer winning a well-deserved trophy for Best Supporting Actress. Not only did Davis lose her Best Actress nod to The Iron Lady’s Meryl Streep, but she also later expressed sincere regret over starring in The Help.
9. Lupita Nyong’o in Us
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNCmb-4oXJA
Us was Jordan Peele’s second horror film after the wildly successful Get Out. Lupita Nyong’o showcased some serious range as both mother and wife Adelaide Wilson and “tethered” doppelg?nger, Red. While she didn’t earn an Academy Award (or even a nomination) for her appearance in the movie, Nyong’o (and cast member Winston Duke) received more than her share of flowers from the Hollywood Critics Association, the NAACP Image Awards, the African-American Film Critics Association, and a wealth of other organizations.
10. Jamie Foxx in Collateral
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlcX_GXtf40
Collateral was a thriller that starred Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise as a cab driver and his rider, respectively. Upon watching, it didn’t take long to reveal that Cruise’s character, Vincent, was a hitman-for-hire, and the roller coaster twists and turns effectively kicked off from there. Foxx’s portrayal of an ordinary man who found himself in the wrong situation received scores of praise and earned him an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor. Ultimately, he lost to Morgan Freeman for his role in Million Dollar Baby.
11. Cicely Tyson in Sounder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPbP0g65ui8
Sounder was about an African American sharecropping family facing struggles during the Great Depression. It received critical acclaim and box office success, with Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Actress – the last of which was thanks to the late Cicely Tyson’s convincing portrayal of matriarch Rebecca Morgan. Unfortunately, Liza Minnelli bested all the nominees in that category thanks to her appearance in Cabaret.
12. Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHkKUPHn8TE
Before he became an A-lister in films like Black Panther, Fantastic Four, and Creed, Michael B. Jordan took on the role of Oscar Grant in the Ryan Coogler-directed Fruitvale Station. In real life, Grant was a Black man who was senselessly killed by Oakland authorities at a train station. While the Academy Awards failed to recognize Jordan for his exceptional display of acting, others did – including the Gotham Awards, the Hollywood Film Festival, the National Board of Review, and the Satellite Awards.
13. Idris Elba in Beasts of No Nation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xb9Ty-1frw
Despite receiving praise from a wealth of critics and outlets, Beasts of No Nation wasn’t recognized by the Academy Awards. The war drama starred Idris Elba as the Commandant, and his brutal portrayal of a civil war in Africa earned accolades. Ghanaian actor Abraham Attah also received praise for his role as a child soldier and the movie’s central character.
14. Forest Whitaker in The Butler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuojHqfe4Vk
The Butler boasted an all-star cast that included Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, David Banner, Mariah Carey, Terrence Howard, and more. Despite the celebrity firepower, it was Forest Whitaker’s spin on a butler who worked at the White House for decades that made the film so well-received. Oscars ignorance aside, Whitaker earned an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal.
15. Tessa Thompson in Sorry to Bother You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UAYfgd3F0Q
Naturally, LaKeith Stanfield earned plenty of positive reviews for his depiction of telemarketer Cassius "Cash" Green in the black comedy Sorry to Bother You – a film with an ensemble cast that included Omari Hardwick, Terry Crews, Danny Glover, Forest Whitaker, and more. The largely underrated production also featured decorated actress Tessa Thompson, who wowed viewers as the supporting character Detroit, Cash’s girlfriend.
16. Alfre Woodard in Passion Fish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsugtjWFMeQ
Alfre Woodard absolutely killed in the drama Passion Fish, which starred Mary McDonnell as paralyzed soap opera star May-Alice Culhane, who struggled with her unexpected life in a wheelchair. Eventually, she was met by Woodard’s character, Chantelle Blades, a nurse who took on caregiver duties and formed a bond with Culhane over time. Woodard shined in the role, a complex character that juggled sincerity and toughness while tackling work and personal challenges.
17. Jeffrey Wright in Basquiat
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsWZyvtX5tU
Before JAY-Z spread the word for those not familiar, Jeffrey Wright took on the persona of late artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the eponymous film. The actor’s take on the neo-expressionist icon earned rave reviews among critics yet went virtually unnoticed by the Academy and other award shows. Fortunately, Wright would eventually score an Oscar nomination for Best Actor thanks to his role in American Fiction – a nod that he lost to Oppenheimer’s Cillian Murphy.
18. Jurnee Smollett in Eve’s Bayou
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXU9qVFRpM
Amidst a hard-hitting cast that included the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Debbi Morgan, Lynn Whitfield, and Diahann Carroll, then-child actress Jurnee Smollett made huge waves as Eve Batiste in the Southern drama Eve’s Bayou. The independent film – one of the most commercially successful of its time – earned a place in the National Film Registry and Smollett won a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award and a San Diego Film Critics Society Award.
19. Eddie Murphy in Dreamgirls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTgGuFOh2M0
Dreamgirls, an adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, boasted a megastar cast largely inspired by the Diana Ross-led Supremes. While Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Danny Glover, Loretta Divine, and more played amazing roles, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson effectively stole the show for their emotionally charged portrayals of James "Thunder" Early and Effie White, respectively. While Hudson scored her well-deserved Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Murphy inexplicably lost his Best Supporting Actor nomination to Little Miss Sunshine’s Alan Arkin.
20. Will Smith in Ali
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STuHQ5HpmEE
Will Smith took on the persona of the legendary Muhammad Ali in the Michael Mann-directed biographical drama. Centering on a specific period in the boxer’s life, viewers watched as Smith and his talented co-stars recreated Ali’s title win over Sonny Liston, his conversion to Islam, and his iconic matches against Joe Frazier and George Foreman. While the film wasn’t as commercially successful, the Philly star’s depiction of the late athlete earned praise from fans and critics. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to score a Best Actor Oscar, which went to Denzel Washington for his role in Training Day. Although amid controversy, Smith eventually got one for King Richard.
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