What Happened to the Careers of These Black Oscar Winners?

When someone wins an Oscar, we expect their careers to take off and reach unthinkable heights, and although this is the case for many of our favorite actors and actresses, being Black in the industry almost always guarantees an extra barrier in the climb to success.

From Hattie McDaniel and Sidney Poitier all the way to Denzel Washington and Halle Berry, we remember all of the 63 Black Oscar winners. But do we ever take a look at what happens to them after they walk off the stage? Well now, The Root is taking a deeper dive into the careers of some of the most notable Oscar winners in history to celebrate Black History Month and to prepare for the 97th annual award show on Sunday (Mar. 2).

More than 20 years after the win, Berry went on to star in several iconic projects. From playing Storm in “X-Men” to recently Jackie Justice in “Bruised,” Berry remains one of the most referenced actresses in recent times. We all remember the Hurricane Chris song named after the Cleveland actress. Berry remains the only Black women to ever win Best Lead Actress, and after 20 years, she says it’s starting to get lonely at the top. “I hope this year, someone stands next to me,” Berry told Trevor Noah on his podcast. “This year, I hope it happens. Because I’m tired of occupying that space alone”

Jamie Foxx joined the Oscar winners list in 2004 after snagging one award for Best Actor in 2005. His portrayal of Ray Charles, one of the most influential songwriters of all time, in “Ray” turned him into one of the only Black actors who have ever won in the category.

Since then, Foxx hasn’t let his fans down! With films like “Django Unchained,” “Just Mercy,” and “Soul,” Foxx has been feeding us with projects spanning genres and going down as classics in the film world. When he first won his Oscar, Foxx remembered feeling like he didn’t deserve it, but now, he admits he has a “better relationship” with his achievement.

We can’t talk about Oscars history without mentioning the first ever Black American to win the award, Hattie McDaniel. In 1939, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress went to McDaniel for her role as Mammy in “Gone With the Wind.” Despite her nomination and eventual win, McDaniel was not allowed to sit next to her co-stars due to segregation at the time. After her death, she gave her Oscar to Howard University, where it remained until the 1970s when it mysteriously disappeared.

Despite her success, her gender and race played a significant part in her later career. Born the daughter of former slaves, McDaniel spent her life barely getting the recognition she deserved. Unlike many of her fellow Oscar winners, McDaniel’s career didn’t take off after the win. In fact, many argue she saw greater success before snagging the Academy Award. In 1947, however, McDaniel made history again as the first Black actor to star in her own American radio program, “The Beulah Show,” which replaced a white male actor.

Who could ever forget the moment when Cuba Gooding Jr. won his 1997 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor? His exuberant acceptance speech after winning for his role in “Jerry Maguire” goes down as one of the best in Oscars history with him even receiving a standing ovation.

After winning his Oscar, Gooding Jr. went on to star in projects like “Selma,” “The Butler,” and “American Gangster.” He even received much praise for his portrayal of one of Americans most controversial figures, OJ Simpson, in “American Crime Story.” Unfortunately, the legacy of Gooding’s Oscar and later career would be tainted when he was accused of rape and pleaded guilty to harassment in 2022. Now, the actor finds himself in hot water again as he’s been linked to Sean “Diddy” Combs’ slew of sexual allegations. Gooding has not been charged in connection to any of these recent allegations.

After three nominations, Viola Davis finally accepted her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2017. Her role as Rose Maxson in the film adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences” solidified her as one of the greatest dramatic actresses of her generation. The film also starred follow Oscar winner Denzel Washington, who also directed the project.

Davis was known as a rockstar way before her Oscar, starring in “The Help” and “Get On Up,” but after the win, Davis’ roles found new spotlight and propelled her forward. Most notably, her role as Annalise Keating in “How to Get Away With Murder” remains one of her most notable contributions to date. In 2023, Davis elevated to EGOT status after securing a Grammy for narrating the audiobook of her memoir “Finding Me.”

No one has had an Oscar run like Mahershala Ali. In 2017, he won for Best Supporting Actor in “Moonlight” and turned around and collected another one in 2019 for “Green Book.” “After acting for 25 years, I got my first opportunity to carry a project,” Ali said according to Vanity Fair. “So, to come around now [on the awards circuit] and be back now for Green Book, it’s unbelievable.”

Now at age 51, Ali is a two-time Oscar nominee and winner with one of the most impressive catalogs of recent time. After his Oscars run, Ali went on to star in projects like “Leave the World Behind” and the animated hit show “Invincible.” He’s also joined the Marvel Universe as his new rumored role as “Blade” has been teased for the last few years.

From being a finalist on “American Idol” to winning an Oscar! In 2007, Jennifer Hudson took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress after her incredible performance in “Dream Girls,” alongside fellow Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Tony winner Anika Noni Rose, and the most awarded person in Grammy history, Beyoncé.

In 1983, Louis Gossett Jr. became only the third Black American in history to win an Oscar and the first to win for Best Supporting Actor. His role as a brutal drill sergeant in the 1982 film “An Officer and a Gentleman” was originally written as a white man, but Gossett took the part and completely reinvented it.

Gossett’s Oscar win propelled him into the spotlight. With roles in “The Punisher,” “Daddy’s Little Girls,” and the “Iron Eagle” trilogy, the New York born actor became a legend in his own right. Eventually, Gossett went on to direct and executive produce many projects over the years until his death in 2024. Now, he goes down in history as a trailblazer and a well-respected and practiced artist.

After the “Oscars so white” campaign called out the Academy for a lack of representation, 2022 marked one of the first years where people of color were rightfully recognized for their contributions to film. That year, Ariana DeBose made history as the first openly queer woman of color and the first Afro-Latina to win an Oscar. She took home the award for a stellar performance in Steven Spielberg’s remake of the one of a kind musical “West Side Story.”

Directly after her win, DeBose was tapped to host the Tony awards and even received an Emmy nod because of it. In 2023, she became an internet sensation after her... interesting opening performance while hosting the 76th British Academy Film Awards. But although she’s been putting in major work post-Oscars, the multi-talented actress, singer, and performer hasn’t seen much commercial success since her 2021 win. Now, she’s expected to play Cordelia in a film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”