The first Black actor to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1940 for her role as Mammy in “Gone with the Wind” (1939).

However, if you specifically mean the first Black man to win an acting Oscar, that was Sidney Poitier, who won Best Actor in 1964 for “Lilies of the Field.”

Quick Scoop

  • First Black Oscar winner (overall): Hattie McDaniel – Best Supporting Actress, “Gone with the Wind” (12th Academy Awards, 1940).
  • First Black man to win an acting Oscar: Sidney Poitier – Best Actor, “Lilies of the Field” (36th Academy Awards, 1964).

A common point of confusion in forum discussions is that many people say “Sidney Poitier was the first Black actor to win an Oscar,” but historically, Hattie McDaniel broke the barrier first in the supporting category, while Poitier was the first in the lead acting category.

So, if someone on a forum asks “who was the first black actor to win an oscar?” the most historically precise answer is Hattie McDaniel , with a clarification that Sidney Poitier was the first Black man and the first Black winner of Best Actor.

TL;DR:

  • First Black Oscar winner: Hattie McDaniel , Best Supporting Actress, 1940.
  • First Black male acting winner: Sidney Poitier , Best Actor, 1964.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.