In honor of Black History Month

Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of equality and representation resonates with the strides Black Hollywood has made in recent decades. This year’s Golden Globes saw Viola Davis awarded the Cecil B. DeMille honor for her outstanding work, which includes a Golden Globe Best Supporting Actress win for Fences (2016), plus another five nominations. One of the highlights of this year’s show was when an emotional Zoe Saldana took to the stage to receive her Best Supporting Female Actor award for her electrifying performance in Emilia Perez. 

Several other actors were nominated during this year’s voting, including Quinta Brunson’s performance in Abbott Elementary, Colman Domingo in Sing Sing, Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo, The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Foxx for his standup performance, Donald Glover for Mr & Mrs Smith; Gladiator II’s Denzel Washington and Zendaya for her work in Challengers. At the same time, the film Nickel Boys earned a nod in the Best Motion Picture Drama category.

Viola Davis gave an inspiring speech when she was awarded the DeMille, which put her in the company of such illustrious talent as Sidney Poitier (1981), Morgan Freeman (2011), Denzel Washington (2015), Oprah Winfrey (2018), and Eddie Murphy (2023).

Breakout performances over the years include Jennifer Hudson, who earned a Best Supporting Actress win at the Golden Globes for Dreamgirls (2006).  Little-known actor Mahershala Ali took home Golden Globe nod for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Moonlight (2016). Ali followed up with Green Book (2018), which earned him another win at the Golden Globes for Supporting Actor. He was also nominated for Best Actor for Swan Song (2021) at the Golden Globes. Additionally, Lupita Nyong’o’s heart-rendering turn in 12 Years a Slave (2013) earned her a Golden Globe nomination which led to other notable roles, such as the Star Wars sequel trilogy, Us, and the film Black Panther and its sequel.

An historic win of a different kind, Golden Globe-nominated filmmaker Ryan Coogler co-wrote and directed Black Panther, which took in $1.344 billion marking it the highest-grossing film directed by a Black filmmaker. Coogler’s follow-up, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, saw Angela Bassett taking home a Supporting Actress trophy at the Golden Globes while also earning an Oscar nomination. Bassett previously won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It. 

Other filmmakers include Jordan Peele, whose Get Out (2017) earned a Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes, while Daniel Kaluuya earned a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for the film.  Peele was also a producer on BlackKklansman, which earned a Best Motion Picture Drama nomination at the Golden Globes, a film that shed light on racial issues, and a Best Picture nod at the Oscars. Spike Lee directed and co-wrote BlackKklansman, for which he earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Director and Best Picture nominations and an Oscar win for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film starred John David Washington, who earned a Best Actor Drama nomination at the Golden Globes.

Prolific screenwriter-producer Shonda Rhimes is best known for the hit TV series Scandal, Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, How to Get Away with Murder, and Bridgerton. Other talent behind the cameras include Barry Jenkins who earned a Best Director nomination at the Golden Globes and at the Academy Awards for Moonlight. At the same time, the film won Best Picture Drama. Jenkins also earned Adapted Screenplay nominations at the Golden Globes for both Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk.

On the small screen, Tracey Ellis Ross won a Golden Globe for Black-ish, and Issa Rae has earned three Golden Globe nominations for Insecure.

Other critically acclaimed heavyweights in front of and behind the camera include Chadwick Boseman, who received a Golden Globe win for Best Actor for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Ava DuVernay was nominated for directing Selma (2014).

An elite club of actors who have been awarded trophies at both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards include Forest Whitaker, Will Smith, Don Cheadle, Daniel Kaluuya, and Regina King (who also flexed her directorial muscles and earned a Golden Globe nod for One Night in Miami).  Other notable Hollywood heavyweights include filmmakers Steve McQueen, Tyler Perry and Antoine Fuqua, as well as four-time Golden Globe nominated Samuel L. Jackson, who won an honorary Oscar, and Golden Globe-winning Jeffrey Wright, who was also nominated in 2023 for Best Actor at both the Oscars, and the Golden Globes for American Fiction.  He also won a Golden Globe in 2004 for Angels in America for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.

Music artists who have been awarded Golden Globes in the Original Song category include Prince (“The Song of the Heart”), Steve Wonder (“I Just Called To Say I Love You”), Lionel Richie (“Say You, Say Me”), John Legend and Common (“Glory”).  Nominated artists in this category include and H.E.R (“Fight For You”), Beyonce, Andra Day, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey.

Jon Batiste, who collaborated with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, won Best Original Score for Soul (2020). Other nominations in this category include Quincy Jones (The Color Purple), Terrence Blanchard (25th Hour), and Kris Bowers (King Richard).

On the subject of Martin Luther King Jr., there have been many stellar performances by actors who have taken on the challenge of playing the great visionary. These include Kelvin Harrison Jr.,  Aml Ameen, Anthony Mackie,  Malik Yoba, LeVar Burton, Nelsan Ellis, Raymond St. Jacques, Jeffrey Wright, Dexter Scott King, Clifton Powell, Robert Guillaume, Jason Bernard. Dr. King has also been played by Golden Globe nominated actors: James Earl Jones, Courtney B. Vance, Paul Winfield, David Oyelowo, Samuel L. Jackson

While there’s still work to be done to achieve Dr. King’s hopes for the future, much progress has been made to honor his ideals of equality, opportunity and representation. His legacy continues to serve as a guiding light for these endeavors.