Daniel Kaluuya Wins His First Oscar

Daniel Kaluuya paid tribute to Fred Hampton, the late Black Panther founder and activist, after winning his first Oscar for portraying the historical figure in 'Judas and The Black Messiah'.

British actor Daniel Kaluuya dressed in black

Daniel Kaluuya, winner of the "Best Actor in a Supporting Role" award in the film "Judas and the Black Messiah", poses in the press room during the 93rd Annual Academy Awards at Union Station on April 25, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Photo by Chris Pizzello-Pool/Getty Images

Daniel Kaluuya walked away with the "Best Supporting Actor" award for his role in the critically acclaimed movie Judas and The Black Messiah. This Oscar nod follows a strew of 2021 film award wins, for his Fred Hampton portrayal, which include the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAGAs) and the British Academy Film and Telvision Awards (BAFTAS).


Read: 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Added to 2021 Sundance Film Festival

Judas and The Black Messiah has been met with an outstanding reception, making Shaka King's directorial debut a huge success. The film details the story of how Black Panther chairman Fred Hampton, played by Kaluuya, was assassinated by William O'Neal, a mole played by Lakeith Stanfield. In a moving tribute, the British actor — born to Ugandan parents — thanked Black Panther's Fred Hamption for the works that the civil rights group has achieved.

"What a man. How blessed we are that we lived in a lifetime where he existed. You know what I mean? Thank you for your light. He was on this earth for 21 years, and he found a way to feed kids breakfast. Educate kids, give free medical care, against all the odds. He showed me, he taught me, him, Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, the Black Panther party, they showed me how to love myself, and with that love, they overflowed it to the Black community and other communities"

This is Kaluuya's first Oscar win after his 2018 nomination for "Best Actor" in Jordan Peele's groundbreakingpsychoanalytic horror movie Get Out. Kaluuya, reportedly, first caught Peele's attention when he played Bingham "Bing" Madsen in the first season of the British dystopian sci-fi series Black Mirror. Since then, he has starred in Marvel's blockbuster Black Panther andQueen and Slim, a nuanced film on American police brutality. Kaluuya beat fellow co-star and nominee Lakeith Stanfield in the "Best Supporting Actor" category.

In other related news, Nomadland dominated the 93rd Oscars with six nominations, and bagged three highly coveted awards — "Best Director", "Best Actress" and "Best Picture". Nomadland's director Chloé Zhao's is reportedly the first woman of colour to win the "Best Director" category, and the second woman to clinch the award in the Oscars' 93-year history.

Judas and the Black Messiah is currently in South African cinemas.

Below is the full list of the 2021 Oscar nominations and winners:

BEST PICTURE
The Father
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins, The Father
Gary Oldman, Mank
Steven Yeun, Minari

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

BEST DIRECTOR
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman
David Fincher, Mank
Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman, The Father
Amanda Seyfried, Mank
Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr., One Night in Miami
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Lakeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Another Round
Better Days
Collective
The Man Who Sold His Skin
Quo Vadis, Aida?

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Onward
Over the Moon
Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Collective
Crip Camp
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Time

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
News of the World
Soul

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Fight for You," Judas and the Black Messiah
"Hear My Voice," The Trial of the Chicago 7
"Husavik," Eurovision Song Contest
"Io Si (Seen)," The Life Ahead
"Speak Now," One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Minari
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
The Father
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
The White Tiger

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Judas and the Black Messiah
Mank
News of the World
Nomadland
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
Emma
Hillbilly Elegy
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Pinocchio

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Emma
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
Mulan
Pinocchio

BEST FILM EDITING
The Father
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST SOUND
Greyhound
Mank
News of the World
Soul
Sound of Metal

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
Feeling Through
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
White Eye

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Opera
Yes-People

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Colette
A Concerto is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
A Love Song for Latasha

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Love and Monsters
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Tenet

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
The Father
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
News of the World
Tenet

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