Denzel Washington just broke his own Oscar nominations record

ByLeah Asmelash, CNN, CNNWire
Tuesday, February 8, 2022
'Power of the Dog' tops Oscar noms with 12; 'Dune' nabs 10
Jane Campion's gothic western "The Power of the Dog" led nominations for the 94th Oscars. Here are the nominees in key categories.

LOS ANGELES -- Denzel Washington keeps making history.

The iconic actor, known for his roles in movies like "Training Day" and "Malcolm X," just picked up his tenth Academy Award nomination, this time for best actor in "The Tragedy of Macbeth" -- making him the most nominated Black actor in Oscar history and breaking his own record.

Even before Tuesday's nominations were announced, Washington was the most nominated Black actor in history, receiving his ninth nod in 2018 for his work in "Roman J. Israel, Esq."

But even with this accomplishment, Washington hasn't actually won the award in 20 years. He only has two Oscar statues to show for his work -- the first for "Glory," at the 1990 awards, and the second for "Training Day," in 2002.

SEE ALSO: 2022 Oscar nominations announced; 'Power of the Dog' tops with 12 nods, 'Dune' scores 10

2022 Oscars (1 of 33)

Still, he is prolific. With this year's nomination, Washington has now been nominated for the Academy Awards in every decade since the 1980s. His first was a supporting actor nod in 1988 for "Cry Freedom."

The Oscars historically have not been kind to Black actors. Though Sidney Poitier became the first Black man to win the best actor award in 1964, Washington was only the second in 2002. And only one Black woman has ever won the best actress award -- Halle Berry, in 2002 for her work in "Monster's Ball."

Meanwhile, Meryl Streep, whose feature film debut preceded Washington's by four years, continues to hold the most acting Oscar nominations of all time with 21 nods. Following Streep is Katharine Hepburn, who received 12 nominations and four wins, the most of all time.

Mark your calendars: March 27 is Oscar Sunday. Live coverage begins Sunday morning and continues all day with special "On The Red Carpet" coverage leading up to the 94th Academy Awards ceremony. After the last award is handed out, stay with "On The Red Carpet" for continuing coverage. Be sure to follow @OnTheRedCarpet on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok for all your Oscar news and information.

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