History of Latino Academy Award Nominees & Winners
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- Last Updated: Friday, 25 October 2024 10:19
- Written by Lupe Haas
For the past two years, the Academy Awards has been labeled #OscarsSoWhite, and the controversy has heighted this year with black actors being ignored all together at the 88th Academy Awards. Latinos didn't fare well either in front of thr cameras, but behind the camera, Alejandro G. Iñarritu won back-to-back as Best Director for THE REVENANT and last year for BIRDMAN. THE REVENANT cinematogapher Emmanuel Lubezki also won his third Academy Award. Check out the history of Latino wins in the Academy Awards 88 year history.
Alfonso Cuaron went down in history as the first Mexican and Latino to win an Oscar for Best Director in 2014. The first-ever Oscar winning Latino actor was Oscar nominee George Clooney's uncle, and the first Latina ever nominated for Best Actress didn't occur until 1998. At the 86th Academy Awards, Alfonso Cuaron wasn't the only one representing Mexicans. His Gravity director of photographer Emmanuel Lubeski finally took home the golden statue for his work. He was previously nominated five times before this year. Another big winner at the 86th Academy Awards was 12 Years a Slave's Lupita Nyong'o who was born in Mexico to Kenyan parents.
CineMovie breaks down a list of past Latino nominees and winners over the history of the Oscar Awards.
Best Actor
George Clooney's uncle José Ferrer (married to Clooney's aunt Rosemary) took home the first Oscar statue for a Latino actor for Cyarano de Bergerac. However, he wasn't the first Latino with an Oscar (See Best Direction category). Anthony Quinn was nominated twice in 1957 and 1964 in this category but never won as Best Actor. The Mexican-born Quinn was the last actor to be nominated in that category until 25 years later when Edward James Olmos was up for the award in 1989. It's taken another twenty-three years for another Hispanic to join the ranks with Demian Bichir's nomination.
1950 José Ferrer Cyrano de Bergerac Won
1957 Anthony Quinn Wild Is the Wind Nominated
1964 Anthony Quinn Zorba the Greek (Alexis Zorbas) Nominated
1989 Edward James Olmos Stand and Deliver Nominated
2011 Demian Bichir A Better Life Nominated
Best Supporting Actor
Anthony Quinn had better luck in this category when he was the first Mexican actor to took home two golden statue for Viva Zapata! in 1952 and Lust for Life in 1956. Before winning his first Oscar, Jose Ferrer was nominated two years earlier for his role in Joan of Arc. It wasn't until 2000 when a Latino won the prize. Benicio del Toro became the first Latino actor to win the Supporting Actor category for a Spanish-speaking role.
1948 José Ferrer Joan of Arc Nominated
1952 Anthony Quinn Viva Zapata! Won
1956 Anthony Quinn Lust for Life Won
1990 Andy GarcÌa The Godfather: Part III Nominated
2000 Benicio del Toro Traffic Won
2003 Benicio del Toro 21 Grams Nominated
Best Actress
It wasn't until 1998 that a Latina was nominated in this category. Brazilian-born Fernanda Montenegro was nominated for Central Station and the first ever for a Portuguese-speaking role. Salma Hayek claimed a spot in Oscar history as the first Mexican actress to secure a nomination from the Academy for Frida. Her close friend Penelope Cruz followed with her first-ever nomination for Pedro Almodovar's Volver. Colombia's Catalina Sandino Moreno became the first actress from her country to earn a spot in Hollywood history as well. However, a Latina actress has yet to take home an Oscar.
1998 Fernanda Montenegro Central Station Nominated
2002 Salma Hayek Frida Nominated
2004 Catalina Sandino Moreno Maria Full of Grace Nominated
2007 Penelope Cruz Volver Nominated
Best Supporting Actress
Latinas had better luck in this next category. Two actresses of Hispanic descent won an Academy Award. In 1961, Puerto Rican actress Rita Moreno won for her role in the musical West Side Story. Before Moreno, Katy Jurado was the first Mexican actress in 1954 to be nominated for her supporting role in Broken Lance. It wasn't until Penelope Cruz's win for a Woody Allen movie that another Hispanic woman won the award. The Spanish beauty was nominated the following year as well.
This year, the Argentine-born Bérénice Bejo of The Artist becomes the second actress from Argentina to win a coveted spot on the honorary award list.
1954 Katy Jurado Broken Lance Nominated
1961 Rita Moreno West Side Story Won
1987 Norma Aleandro Gaby: A True Story Nominated
1993 Rosie Perez Fearless Nominated
2006 Adriana Barraza Babel Nominated
2009 Penelope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona Won
2010 Penelope Cruz Nine Nominated
2011 Berenice Bejo The Artist Nominated
Best Director
Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu is breaking records for his back-to-back win.
1985 Héctor Babenco Kiss of the Spider Woman Nominated
2003 Fernando Meirelles City of God (Cidade de Deus) Nominated
2006 Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu Babel Nominated
2015 Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu Birdman Won
2016 Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu The Revenant Won
Best Cinematography
Mexican nationals seem to dominate in this field. Gabriel Figueroa was the first to be nominated in this category in 1964 for John Huston's The Night of the Iguana. It wasn't until decades later that Mexican-born Emmanuel Lubezki was nominated for his first film in colloboration with two-time Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuaron (see below) in A Little Princess. He has gone on to be nominated 4 more times including this year for Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. Mexican cinematographer Guillermo Navarro won in 2006 for his work on Pan's Labyrinth.
1964 Gabriel Figueroa The Night of the Iguana Nominated
1995 Emmanuel Lubezki A Little Princess Nominated
1999 Emmanuel Lubezki Sleepy Hollow Nominated
2003 Cesar Charlone City of God Nominated
2005 Emmanuel Lubezki The New World Nominated
2006 Rodrigo Prieto Brokeback Mountain Nominated
2006 Emmanuel Lubezki Children of Men Nominated
2006 Guillermo Navarro Pan's Labyrinth Won
2008 Claudio Miranda The Curious Case/Benjamin Button Nominated
2011 Emmanuel Lubezki The Tree of Life Nominated
2014 Emmanuel Lubezki Gravity Won
2015 Emmanuel Lubezki Birdman Won
2016 Emmanuel Lubezki The Revenant Won
Best Art Direction
The first Latino to be nominated in the history of the Academy Awards was an Art Director. The Mexican-born Emile Kuri holds the record for most Oscar nomination as a 7 times nominee and 2 wins. He was nominated twice in the same year for two different films.
1942 Emile Kuri* Silver Queen Nominated *
1949 Emile Kuri* The Heiress Won *
1952 Emile Kuri Carrie Nominated *
1954 Emile Kuri 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Won*
Executive Suite Nominated*
1961 Emile Kuri The Absent-Minded Professor Nominated *
1964 Emile Kuri Mary Poppins Nominated*
1971 Emile Kuri Bedknobs and Broomsticks Nominated
1995 Eugenio Zanetti Restoration Won
1996 Brigitte Broch Romeo + Juliet Nominated
1998 Eugenio Zanetti What Dreams May Come Nominated
2001 Brigitte Broch Moulin Rouge! Won
2002 Felipe Fernandez del Paso & Hania Robledo Frida Nominated
2006 Eugenio Caballero & & Pilar Revuelta Pan's Labyrinth Won
Latinos have also made strides in other categories including the best known directors out of Mexico like Guillermo del Toro and Alfonso Cuaron. Check out who else has been nominated below.
Best Music - original Song
2000 Jorge Calandrelli Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Nominated
2004 Jorge Drexler The Motorcycle Diaries Won
2011 Sergio Mendes & Carlinhos Brown RIO Nominated
Adapted Screenplay
2003 Br·ulio Mantovani City of God (Cidade de Deus) Nominated
2006 Alfonso CuarÛn Children of Men Nominated
Original Screenplay
1985 AÌda Bortnik & Luis Puenzo La historia oficial Nominated
2002 Alfonso Cuaron & Carlos Cuaron Y tu mama también Nominated
2006 Guillermo Arriaga Babel Nominated
2006 Guillermo del Toro Pan's Labyrinth Nominated
Original Score
1966 Luis Bacalov The Gospel According to St. Matthew Nominated
1985 Jorge Calandrelli The Color Purple Nominated with 11 others
1995 Luis Bacalov The Postman Won
2005 Gustavo Santaolalla Brokeback Mountain Won
2006 Gustavo Santaolalla Babel Won
Best Editing
2003 Daniel Rezende City of God (Cidade de Deus) Nominated
2007 Alfonso Cuaron & Alex Rodriguez Children of Men Nominated
Best Sound or Mixing
2006 Fernando C·mara Apocalypto Nominated
Best Visual Effects
2002 Pablo Helman Saving Private Ryan Nominated
2005 Pablo Helman War of the Worlds Nominated
Best Make-up
2002 Beatrice De Alba Frida Won
2006 Mike Elizalde Hellboy II: The Golden Army Nominated
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*Nominated with others
source: Wikipedia, IMDB
