Who was the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award?

Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award.

McDaniel won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Mammy in Gone with the Wind. The ceremony took place in 1940, making her the first Black performer to receive an Oscar. Her win was a major milestone in American film history, although the roles available to Black actors were heavily restricted by racism and segregation.

McDaniel was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1893 and worked as a singer, comedian, and actress before becoming a major Hollywood performer. Her performance in Gone with the Wind brought her the industry’s highest recognition, but she was barred from attending the film’s Atlanta premiere because of segregation laws. At the Hollywood premiere, she was seated separately from her white co-stars.

The question refers specifically to an actor, not to the first African-American person nominated in every possible Academy category. Dorothy Dandridge later became the first Black woman nominated for Best Actress, while Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win an acting Oscar, in 1964. McDaniel’s achievement came earlier and was in the supporting-actress category.