Dominican-American performer Zoe Saldaña became the fourth Latina to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress this evening for her role in the Spanish-language French film Emilia Pérez. She joins Puerto Rican Rita Moreno, Kenyan-Mexican Lupita Nyong'o, and Afro-Latina Ariana DeBose as the only Latina women to have won the coveted statuette.
In 1962, Puerto Rican actress Moreno became the first Latina to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Anita in West Side Story. Her dynamic performance showcased her versatility and set a precedent for Latina actresses in Hollywood. Moreno's win was a monumental step forward, challenging stereotypes and opening doors for future generations.
Born in Mexico to Kenyan parents, Nyong'o won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2014 for her role in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, making her the first Mexican-born actress to win an Academy Award. In the film, she played Patsey, a young enslaved woman subjected to brutal abuse on a Louisiana cotton plantation.
A few years later, in 2022, DeBose won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Anita—the same role played by Moreno decades earlier—in Steven Spielberg's remake of West Side Story. DeBose, who is of Puerto Rican descent, made history as the first openly queer woman of color to receive this award. Her achievement underscored the evolving landscape of Hollywood and the increasing recognition of diverse narratives.
At the 97th Academy Awards this evening, Zoe Saldaña won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in Emilia Pérez. Portraying a defense attorney in Jacques Audiard’s musical crime film, Saldaña became the first American of Dominican descent to win an Academy Award. In her emotional acceptance speech, she honored her Dominican heritage and immigrant parents, highlighting the resilience of immigrants and the significance of her Spanish-speaking role.
Other Latina actresses nominated in this category include Mexicans Katy Jurado for Broken Lance (1954), Adriana Barraza for Babel (2006), and Marina de Tavira for Roma (2018), as well as Argentines Norma Aleandro for Gaby: A True Story (1987) and Bérénice Bejo for The Artist (2011).
