In 2002, Halle Berry made history. She was the first black woman to win the lead actress Oscar for her role in Marc Forster’s “Monster’s Ball.” In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the win to “the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett [Smith], Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox.”
“And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened,” she said. “Thank you. I’m so honored.”
But 15 years later, the door allegedly opened that night has not seen another woman of color enter it since. That’s not because lack of talent or nominations.
Since Berry’s win, eight women of color have been nominated in the category, from Salma Hayek (“Frida”) the year following to Gabourey Sidibe (“Precious”) in 2010. This year, Ruth Negga of “Loving,” is the eighth.
In total, in almost 90 years of the Academy Awards, only 16 women of color have been nominated in the lead actress category. See them all below:
- Dorothy Dandridge, “Carmen Jones”
- Diana Ross, “Lady Sings The Blues”
- Cicely Tyson, “Sounder”
- Diahann Carroll, “Claudine”
- Whoopi Goldberg, “The Color Purple”
- Angela Bassett, “What’s Love Got to Do With It”
- Fernanda Montenegro, “Central Station”
- Halle Berry, “Monster’s Ball”
- Salma Hayek, “Frida”
- Keisha Castle-Hughes, “Whale Rider”
- Catalina Sandino Moreno, “Maria Full of Grace”
- Penélope Cruz, “Volver”
- Gabourey Sidibe, “Precious”
- Viola Davis, “The Help”
- Quvenzhané Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
- Ruth Negga, “Loving”