Lily Gladstone makes history as first Native American best actress Oscar nominee
With the historic nomination, the "Killers of the Flower Moon" star is poised to become the first Native performer to win an acting Oscar.
Lily Gladstone makes history as first Native American best actress Oscar nominee
Oscars
Jen YamatoWith today's historic best actress Academy Award nomination, Lily Gladstone is one step closer to notching a significant
win on Oscars night for her performance in Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon."
Gladstone, who is of Siksikaitsitapi and Niimiipuu heritage, is now the first Native American actress to be nominated for an Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, and the fourth Indigenous actress to ever earn a nomination in the category.
The actor portrays real -
life figure Mollie Kyle opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the 1920s Oklahoma-set crime drama, about the murders of Osage tribe members committed
by white men to steal oil rights.
Earlier this month, Gladstone
becoming the first Indigenous actor to win best female actor
in a motion picture drama, dedicating the award to "every little rez kid" and speaking Blackfeet in their
acceptance speech.
The late "Killers" composer Robbie Robertson, who died in August, also became the first Indigenous person to be nominated for original score. Killers was nominated for a total of 10 Oscars including picture, director, supporting actor, cinematography, editing, production design, song and costume.
Born in Montana and raised in the Blackfeet Nation, Gladstone made her film debut in Arnaud Desplechin's 2013 drama
"Jimmy P." and earned Indie Spirit and Gotham Award nominations for her turn in Kelly Reichart's 2016 drama "Certain Women."
[T]his is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little Native kid out there who has a dream, who is seeing themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other, Gladstone
said in their
Golden Globes acceptance speech, acknowledging the historic win.
Three Indigenous women
have previously been nominated for the Academy Award for best actress: Merle Oberon in 1935 for "The Dark Angel," Keisha Castle-Hughes in 2003 for "Whale Rider" and Yalitza Aparicio in 2018 for "Roma."
Two Indigenous men
, "Little Big Man" star Chief Dan George in 1970 and "Dances with Wolves" star Graham Greene in 1990, were nominated in the best actor category. O
ne Indigenous performer, "Hawaii" star Jocelyne LaGarde, was nominated for supporting actress in 1966. No Indigenous actor has yet won the Academy Award in any category.
The 2024 Oscars will be held March 10 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood with returning emcee Jimmy Kimmel hosting.
