This year’s #OscarsSoWhite controversy has sparked a lot of conversation about actors and actresses (past and present) who should have received acknowledgement from the prestigious award show.
Although you can count on one hand the number of African-Americans who have won Academy Awards, the list of those who should have won (or even been nominated) is endless. Check out our list of Black actors and actresses who don’t have Oscars, but should.
Actor: Will Smith
Film: Ali, Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith is arguably one of the most successful actors of our time, so for him not to have an Academy Award is pretty unfathomable. Will’s wife Jada vowed to boycott this year’s award show because of the lack of diversity, and the fact that her husband wasn’t nominated for his role in Concussion probably had something to do with it.
Actress: Angela Bassett
Film: What’s Love Got To Do With It
Angela Bassett has a string of hit films under her belt, but she is probably most known for her captivating role as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It. She was nominated for the role in 1994, but lost to Holly Hunter.
Actor: Samuel L. Jackson
Film: Pulp Fiction
Samuel L. Jackson starred in one of the most famous movies in pop culture history, Pulp Fiction. Although he snagged a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Jules Winnfield, the award ultimately went to Martin Landau.
Actor: Derek Luke
Film: Antwone Fisher
Derek Luke may not have been a familiar face back in 2002 when Antwone Fisher hit theaters, but he gave a standout performance in that film, which put him on another radar in the acting world. He told a real story with conviction and should have at least been nominated.
Actor: Michael Clarke Duncan
Film: The Green Mile
Anytime you work alongside Tom Hanks, you have to bring it, and Michael Clark Duncan definitely did with his role as John Coffey in The Green Mile. Bruce Willis once revealed that it was he who encouraged the late Duncan to take the touching role. Although he was nominated at the 2000 Academy Awards, he lost to Michael Caine.
Actor: Laurence Fishburne
Film: What’s Love Got To Do With It
Laurence Fishburne has been acting for over 40 years and has a catalogue that any actor should be jealous of. But when he portrayed Ike Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It, he gained a wider variety of fans and supporters. He lost the Oscar for Best Actor to Tom Hanks that year.
Actress: Oprah
Film: The Color Purple
Who doesn’t remember Miss Sophia from the classic film The Color Purple? Oprah transformed from daytime talk show queen to a badass southern woman in her debut film. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress that year, but lost to Anjelica Huston.
Actor: Don Cheadle
Film: Hotel Rwanda
Don Cheadle was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the 2004 hit film Hotel Rwanda, but lost to Jamie Foxx. Cheadle is very aware of the diversity issue that is happening in Hollywood. So much so, that the actor tweeted this year’s Oscar host Chris Rock: “@chrisrock Yo, Chris. Come check me out at #TheOscars this year. They got me parking cars on G level.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Still No Oscar? 8 Black Actors Who Should Have Won An Academy Award By Now was originally published on globalgrind.com