List of Indigenous Academy Award winners and nominees

This is a list of Indigenous people who have won or been nominated for Academy Awards. It includes those of provable Indigenous descent regardless of whether they passed as white at the time of their nomination, such as Merle Oberon.^[1]

[1]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
1999 (72nd)	Russell Crowe	Māori	The Insider	Nominated	First Māori of Ngāti Porou descent to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]
2000 (73rd)			Gladiator	Won	First Pacific Islander to win an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to win Best Actor. First Indigenous person to receive multiple nominations. First Māori of Ngāti Porou descent to win an Academy Award.	^[3]^[4]^[5]^[7]
2001 (74th)			A Beautiful Mind	Nominated	First Indigenous person to receive three consecutive Academy nominations.	^[8]
2018 (91st)	Rami Malek	Coptic	Bohemian Rhapsody	Won	First Copt to be nominated for and to win an Academy Award.	^[9]^[10]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2003 (76th)	Keisha Castle-Hughes	Māori	Whale Rider	Nominated	Debut performance. First Māori of Tainui and Ngāpuhi descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. At the time of nomination, she was the youngest ever nominee in the category. She is the now the second youngest after Quvenzhané Wallis.	^[11]
2018 (91st)	Yalitza Aparicio	Mixtec & Trique	Roma	Nominated	Debut performance. First North American Indigenous woman to receive an Academy Award nomination for acting.	^[10]
2023 (96th)	Lily Gladstone	Piegan Blackfeet & Nez Perce	Killers of the Flower Moon	Nominated	First Native American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[12]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestones/Notes	Ref.
1970 (43rd)	Chief Dan George	Tsleil-Waututh	Little Big Man	Nominated	First North American Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[13]
1987 (60th)	Sean Connery	Irish Traveller	The Untouchables	Won	First European Indigenous person to be win an Academy Award	^[14]^[15]
1990 (63rd)	Graham Greene	Oneida	Dances With Wolves	Nominated	First Oneida to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[16]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
1987 (60th)	Jonas Gwangwa		Northern Ndebele	Cry Freedom	Nominated	First African Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for two Academy Awards in a single year, for Original Score and Original Song. Shared with George Fenton.	^[19]^[15]
2023 (96th)	Robbie Robertson		Cayuga & Mohawk	Killers of the Flower Moon	Nominated	First Cayuga and first Mohawk to be nominated for an Academy Award. Posthumous release.	^[12]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Song	Status	Milestones/Notes	Ref.
1987 (60th)	Jonas Gwangwa		Northern Ndebele	Cry Freedom	"Cry Freedom"	Nominated	First African Indigenous person to be nominated for an Academy Award. First Indigenous person to be nominated for two Academy Awards in a single year, for Original Score and Original Song. Shared with George Fenton.	^[19]^[15]
2023 (96th)	Scott George		Osage Nation	Killers of the Flower Moon	"Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)"	Nominated	First member of the Osage Nation to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[12]^[21]

List of Indigenous Academy Award winners and nominees

Best Picture

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Adapted Screenplay

Best Original Score

Best Documentary Feature Film

Best Original Song

Best Production Design

Best Sound

Best Short Film, Live Action

Best Foreign Language Film

Honorary Award

References

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Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2012 (85th)	Ra Vincent		Māori	The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	Nominated	Shared with Dan Hennah and Simon Bright.	^[22]^[23]
2019 (92nd)	Ra Vincent		Māori	Jojo Rabbit	Nominated	Shared with Nora Sopková.	^[22]^[2]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2001 (74th)	Hammond Peek	Māori	The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	Nominated	First Māori of Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Gethin Creagh.	^[24]^[25]
2002 (75th)			The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Nominated	Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	^[24]^[26]
2003 (76th)			The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Won	First Māori of Ngāi Tahu and Te Āti Awa descent to win an Academy Award. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	^[24]^[11]
2005 (78th)			King Kong	Won	First Indigenous person to win multiple Academy Awards. Most nominated Indigenous person, with four nominations. Shared with Christopher Boyes, Michael Semanick and Michael Hedges.	^[24]^[27]

Year (Ceremony)	Name	Country	Ethnic group(s)	Film	Status	Milestone / Notes	Ref.
2004 (77th)	Taika Waititi Ainsley Gardiner		Māori	Two Cars, One Night	Nominated	First Māori of Te Whānau-ā-Apanui descent to be nominated for an Academy Award. Gardiner is also the first Māori of Ngāti Pikiao and Ngāti Awa descent to be nominated for an Academy Award.	^[28]
2023 (96th)	Misan Harriman		Itsekiri	The After	Nominated	First Itsekiri to be nominated for an Academy Award. Shared with Nicky Bentham.	^[29]^[30]