Denzel and Quvenzhané Are The Only Actors of Color Nominated for Oscars

Only two actors of color made the cut for Oscar nominations.

By Jorge Rivas Jan 10, 2013

Out of the twenty Oscar nominations for actors announced this morning, only two went to actors of color. Denzel Washington was nominated in the best performance by an actor in a leading role category for playing the boozy airline pilot in "Flight." Quvenzhané Wallis star of the widely acclaimed "Beasts of the Southern Wild," earned a best-actress Oscar nomination on Thursday morning. This is Denzel’s sixth career Academy Award nomination, making him the most honored black actor in history, according to [TheGrio.](http://thegrio.com/2013/01/10/denzel-washington-scores-4th-best-actor-oscar-nomination-with-flight/) He’s won twice before: supporting actor for 1989?s Glory and best actor for his villainous role in 2001?s Training Day. Neither Jamie Foxx or Kerry Washington were nominated for their roles in "Django Unchained." However, Christoph Waltz, who played the man who saved them from the slave trade, earned a nomination in the supporting actor category. [A 2012 L.A. Times investigation found](https://colorlines.com/archives/2012/02/who_picks_the_oscars_94_of_academy_voters_are_white_77_male.html) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the group that votes for the Oscars, is nearly 94 percent white and 77 percent male, Blacks made up about 2 percent of the academy, and Latinos made up less than 2 percent.