Academy Awards

ACADEMY AWARDS. A gala awards ceremony held each year in Hollywood, California, by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Awards of merit are presented to film artists and technicians to recognize exceptional work within the industry. Up to five nominees in each specialty area are selected by members of 13 art and craft branches. Actors choose actors, directors choose directors, cinematographers choose cinematographers, etc. The nominees are voted on in a secret ballot by the entire 5,000 Academy membership. The ceremony is telecast around the world and reaches over one billion viewers. The coveted award is represented by a 13-1/2-inch-high gold-plated statuette and known as an Oscar. African American Oscar winners include Hattie McDaniel, Best Supporting Actress, Gone with the Wind , 1939; Sidney Poitier, Best Actor, Lilies of the Field , 1963; Louis Gossett Jr., Best Supporting Actor, An Officer and a Gentleman , 1982; Denzel Washington, Best Supporting Actor, Glory , 1989; Whoopi Goldberg, Best Supporting Actress, Ghost , 1990; Cuba Gooding Jr., Best Supporting Actor, Jerry Maguire , 1996; Halle Berry, Best Ac tress, Monster’s Ball , 2001; Denzel Washington, Best Actor, Training Day , 2001.