Academy Award Firsts: A Century of Historic Milestones
The Oscars are not just about who wins in a given year — they are about the moments that change what the Academy looks like and what kinds of films and people it celebrates.
This guide collects some of the most important “firsts” in Academy Awards history, from groundbreaking Best Picture winners to barrier-breaking artists across countries, acting categories, and women behind the camera.
Each section below focuses on a different kind of Oscar milestone. The first part looks at film and category firsts, followed by historic breakthroughs by people from different countries and communities, then acting milestones, and finally landmark firsts for women across the Academy.
Some of these records feel like the product of their time, while others still feel shockingly recent, reminding us how slowly — and how quickly — the Academy can change.
First Best Picture Winner
Wings (1927) was the very first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture (then called Outstanding Picture), setting the template for epic Hollywood filmmaking at the Oscars.
First Best Picture Winning Sound Film
The Broadway Melody (1929) became the first sound film to win Best Picture, marking the transition from the silent era to the age of talkies at the Oscars.
First Best Picture Winning Color Film
Gone with the Wind (1939) was the first color film to win Best Picture, signalling how quickly Technicolor epics could dominate the Academy’s top race.
First Animated Film to Win Both Music Categories
Pinocchio (1940) became the first animated film to win both Best Original Score and Best Original Song, showing how seriously the Academy could take music in animation.
First Short Film to Win Outside the Short Categories
The Red Balloon (1956) became the first short film to win an Academy Award outside of the short-film categories when it took Best Original Screenplay.
First Film to Win Both an Oscar and a Razzie
Wall Street (1987) has the dubious distinction of being the first film tied to both an Oscar win and a Golden Raspberry win: Michael Douglas won Best Actor, while Daryl Hannah was “honoured” with Worst Supporting Actress.
First Animated Film to Win Best Animated Feature
Shrek (2001) made history as the first winner in the newly created Best Animated Feature category, formalizing an Oscar home for feature-length animation.
First Non-English Language Film to Win Best Animated Feature
Spirited Away (2001), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, became the first non-English language film to win Best Animated Feature, cementing Studio Ghibli’s global prestige.
First Hip-Hop Song to Win Best Original Song
“Lose Yourself” by Eminem, from 8 Mile (2002), became the first hip-hop track to win Best Original Song, expanding what genres the Academy could embrace in its music categories.
First Stop-Motion Animated Film to Win Best Animated Feature
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) became the first stop-motion feature to win in the animated category, showcasing the Academy’s appreciation for handcrafted animation.
First Film with an Entirely Non-White Cast to Win Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) was widely cited as the first Best Picture winner with an entirely non-White cast, a major symbolic step in how global stories could win Hollywood’s top prize.
First Film with an All-Black Cast to Win Best Picture
Moonlight (2016) became the first Best Picture winner with an all-Black cast, landmark queer cinema, and one of the most important wins of the 21st century.
First Non-English Language Film to Win Best Picture
Parasite (2019), in Korean, made history as the first non-English language film ever to win Best Picture, as well as Best International Feature Film and Best Director.
First Streaming-Service Film to Win Best Picture
CODA (2021), distributed by Apple TV+ Original Films, became the first streaming-service release to win Best Picture, confirming how far the industry had shifted toward streaming platforms.
First Song from an Indian Film to Win Best Original Song
“Naatu Naatu” from RRR (2022) became the first song from an Indian film to win Best Original Song, marking a huge moment for Indian cinema on the Oscar stage.
First PG‑13 Rated Film to Win Best Animated Feature
The Boy and the Heron (2023) was the first PG‑13 film to win Best Animated Feature, highlighting how the category increasingly embraces mature, complex animation.
First Latvian Film to Win an Oscar
Flow (2024) became the first Latvian production ever to win an Academy Award when it took Best Animated Feature, giving Latvia its historic first Oscar.
First Black Person to Win an Oscar
Hattie McDaniel became the first Black Oscar winner with her Best Supporting Actress win for Gone with the Wind (1939), a breakthrough that came in the middle of a segregated Hollywood.
First Black Person to Receive an Honorary Award
James Baskett received a Special Award in 1946 for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, making him the first Black performer to receive an honorary Oscar.
First Asian Person to Receive an Honorary Award
Akira Kurosawa of Japan received an Honorary Award in 1989, recognizing his towering influence on world cinema and generations of filmmakers.
First Canadian to Win Best Director
James Cameron, born in Canada, became the first Canadian to win Best Director with Titanic (1997).
First Black Woman to Win Best Actress
Halle Berry made history with her Best Actress win for Monster’s Ball (2001), the first time a Black woman had ever taken the category.
First Asian Person (and Non‑Caucasian) to Win Best Director
Ang Lee, from Taiwan, became the first Asian person — and the first non‑Caucasian — to win Best Director with Brokeback Mountain (2005).
First People from India to Win in a Music Category
A. R. Rahman and Gulzar won Best Original Song for “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire (2008), with Rahman also winning Best Original Score, marking the first Indian wins in Oscar music categories.
First Black Writer to Win for Screenwriting
Geoffrey S. Fletcher became the first Black writer to win an Oscar for screenwriting when he took Best Adapted Screenplay for Precious: Based on the Novel “Push” by Sapphire (2009).
First Black Person (and Non‑Caucasian) to Win Best Picture
Steve McQueen, for 12 Years a Slave (2013), became the first Black producer — and the first non‑Caucasian — to win Best Picture.
First Latin American to Win Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón, from Mexico, became the first Latin American Best Director winner for Gravity (2013), opening the door to the “Three Amigos” era of Mexican auteur dominance.
First Icelander to Win an Academy Award
Hildur Guðnadóttir became the first Icelander to win an Oscar when she took Best Original Score for Joker (2019).
First Asian People to Win Best Picture
Bong Joon-ho and Kwak Sin-ae, both from South Korea, became the first Asian producers to win Best Picture for Parasite (2019).
First Asian Woman to Be Nominated for and Win Best Director
Chloé Zhao, for Nomadland (2020), became the first Asian woman — and only the second woman overall — to win Best Director.
First Woman of Filipino Descent to Win an Oscar
H.E.R. became the first woman of Filipino descent to win an Academy Award with her Best Original Song win for “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah (2021).
First Asian Woman to Win Best Actress
Michelle Yeoh, from Malaysia, made history as the first Asian woman to win Best Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).
First Irish‑Born Person to Win Best Actor
Cillian Murphy became the first Irish‑born performer to win Best Actor with his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer (2023).
First Person Born in the 20th Century to Be Nominated for and Win an Oscar
Janet Gaynor became the first performer born in the 20th century to be nominated for and win an Academy Award when she took Best Actress for a combination of 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise (1928).
First Person to Direct Themselves to an Acting Win
Laurence Olivier won Best Actor for Hamlet (1948), which he also directed, produced, and adapted, making him the first person to direct themselves to an Oscar-winning performance.
First Best Director Co‑Winners
Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins shared Best Director for West Side Story (1961), the first time the category had co‑winners for the same film.
First Actress to Win for a Non‑English‑Language Performance
Sophia Loren became the first actor to win an Oscar for a performance entirely in a language other than English when she won Best Actress for Two Women (1961), in Italian.
First Actor to Win for a Non‑English‑Language Performance
Robert De Niro became the first male actor recognized for a predominantly non‑English performance when he won Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II (1974), speaking mainly Italian.
First Posthumous Acting Win
Peter Finch became the first performer to win an acting Oscar posthumously when he took Best Actor for Network (1976).
First Acting Win for a Portrayal of a Character of the Opposite Gender
Linda Hunt won Best Supporting Actress for The Year of Living Dangerously (1982), playing a male character and becoming the first performer to win an Oscar for such a role.
First Actress with Dwarfism to Win in an Acting Category
Linda Hunt’s win for The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) is also recognized as the first acting Oscar for a performer with dwarfism, a major visibility milestone.
First Deaf Actress to Be Nominated for and Win an Acting Award
Marlee Matlin became the first Deaf performer nominated for and to win an acting Oscar when she took Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God (1986).
First Person Identified as Autistic to Win an Acting Oscar (Claimed)
Anthony Hopkins’ Best Actor win for The Silence of the Lambs (1991) has since been discussed in the context of his later comments about being on the autism spectrum, though this framing is debated and not an official Academy category milestone.
First Person to Win for Acting and Producing in the Same Year
Frances McDormand won Best Actress and, as a producer on Nomadland (2020), shared in the Best Picture win, becoming the first person to win for acting and producing in the same ceremony.
First Person Born in the 21st Century to Win an Oscar
Billie Eilish became the first Oscar winner born in the 21st century when she won Best Original Song for “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die (2021).
First Deaf Actor to Be Nominated for and Win an Acting Award
Troy Kotsur became the first Deaf male actor to win an acting Oscar with his Best Supporting Actor win for CODA (2021).]
First Portrayals of Living Persons to Win in Each Acting Category
Best Actor: Spencer Tracy as Father Edward J. Flanagan in Boys Town (1938).
Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker (1962). (Earlier, Joanne Woodward’s role in The Three Faces of Eve was based on a real person whose identity was not public at the time.)
Best Supporting Actor: Jason Robards as Ben Bradlee in All the President’s Men (1976).
Best Actress: Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980).
First Woman to Win Best Documentary
Nancy Hamilton became the first woman to win in the documentary field with the Oscar for Helen Keller in Her Story (1955).
First Woman to Be Nominated for and Win Best Picture
Julia Phillips became the first woman producer to be nominated for — and win — Best Picture with The Sting (1973).
First Woman to Be Nominated Twice for Best Director
Jane Campion became the first woman nominated twice for Best Director, first for The Piano (1993) and again for The Power of the Dog (2021).
First Woman to Win Best Original Score
Rachel Portman became the first woman to win Best Original Score for her work on Emma (1996).
First Woman to Win Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win Best Director for The Hurt Locker (2009), a landmark moment that came more than 80 years into Oscar history.
First Woman to Win Best Animated Feature
Brenda Chapman became the first woman to receive the Oscar for Best Animated Feature for co-directing Brave (2012).
Women’s Firsts Across the Honorary Awards
Across the Academy’s special and honorary prizes, a handful of women broke new ground:
Academy Juvenile Award: 6-year-old Shirley Temple received a Juvenile Award in 1934 for her outstanding contributions as a child performer.
Honorary Award: Greta Garbo received an Honorary Award in 1954 for her unforgettable screen performances.
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Martha Raye received this humanitarian honour in 1969.
Special Achievement Award: Kay Rose received a Special Achievement Oscar for sound effects editing on The River (1985).
Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award: Kathleen Kennedy received the Thalberg Award in 2018, recognizing her extraordinary work as a producer.
From early milestones like Wings and Hattie McDaniel to recent breakthroughs like Parasite, Michelle Yeoh, and Flow, Oscar firsts chart how slowly — and sometimes suddenly — the Academy catches up with the wider world.
They reveal not only who wins trophies, but whose stories, identities, and art forms finally break through to Hollywood’s biggest stage.
Which Academy Award “first” blows your mind the most — the first non-English Best Picture, the first Black acting win back in 1939, or one of the very recent milestones? Share your pick in the comments.
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