Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor

This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. The award recognized an actor who delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role within the given eligible period.

Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor
The 2023 recipient: Jeremy Pope
Awarded forOutstanding Actor
CountryUnited States
Presented byBlack Reel Awards (BRAs)
First awarded2000
Last awarded2023
Final winnerJeremy Pope
The Inspection
Most awardsDenzel Washington (5)
Most nominationsDenzel Washington (15)
Websiteblackreelawards.com

Denzel Washington received the first award for The Hurricane at the 1st Annual Black Reel Award. Since its inception, the award has been given out to 17 actors. Denzel Washington holds the record for most wins and nominations in this category with 5 wins and 15 nominations, respectively. Other multiple winners include Chiwetel Ejiofor & Chadwick Boseman. Washington also became the first person to earn multiple nominations in the same year for The Book of Eli & Unstoppable at the 11th Annual Black Reel Awards. Samuel L. Jackson & Don Cheadle are tied as the most nominated actors in this category without a win.

At the 21st Annual Black Reel Awards, Chadwick Boseman became the first posthumous acting winner in Black Reel Awards History for his performance in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. At age 18, Dev Patel became the youngest actor to win this award for Slumdog Millionaire and at age 72, Morgan Freeman became the oldest winner in this category for Invictus.

The award was discontinued at the 24th Black Reel Awards and merged with Outstanding Actress in favor of a single gender-neutral award, Outstanding Lead Performance.[1]

Winners and nominees

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Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.

2000s

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Year Actor Film Ref
2000
Denzel Washington The Hurricane [2]
Taye Diggs The Best Man
Laurence Fishburne The Matrix
Eddie Murphy Bowfinger
Sean Nelson The Wood
2001
Denzel Washington Remember the Titans [3]
Omar Epps Love and Basketball
Morgan Freeman Nurse Betty
Cuba Gooding Jr. Men of Honor
Samuel L. Jackson Shaft
2002
Denzel Washington Training Day [4]
Vin Diesel The Fast and the Furious
Tyrese Gibson Baby Boy
Samuel L. Jackson The Caveman's Valentine
Will Smith Ali
2003
Derek Luke Antwone Fisher [5]
Ice Cube Barbershop
Samuel L. Jackson Changing Lanes
Wesley Snipes Undisputed
Denzel Washington John Q
2004
Chiwetel Ejiofor Dirty Pretty Things [6]
Cuba Gooding Jr. Radio
LL Cool J Deliver Us from Eva
Wentworth Miller The Human Stain
Denzel Washington Out of Time
2005 Drama [7]
Jamie Foxx Ray
Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda
Mario Van Peebles BAADASSSSS!
Comedy / Musical
Bernie Mac Mr. 3000
Jamie Foxx Breakin' All the Rules
Ice Cube Barbershop 2: Back in Business
2006
Terrence Howard Hustle & Flow [8]
Don Cheadle Crash
Idris Elba The Gospel
Samuel L. Jackson Coach Carter
Will Smith Hitch
2007
Forest Whitaker The Last King of Scotland [9]
Jamie Foxx Dreamgirls
Derek Luke Catch a Fire
Will Smith The Pursuit of Happyness
Denzel Washington Inside Man
2008
Dev Patel Slumdog Millionaire [10]
Don Cheadle Traitor
Mos Def Be Kind Rewind
Chiwetel Ejiofor Redbelt
Derek Luke Miracle at St. Anna

2010s

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Year Actor Film Ref
2010
Morgan Freeman Invictus [11]
Quinton Aaron The Blind Side
Jamie Foxx The Soloist
Souléymane Sy Savané Goodbye Solo
Denzel Washington The Taking of Pelham 123
2011
Anthony Mackie Night Catches Us [12]
Don Cheadle Brooklyn's Finest
Jaden Smith The Karate Kid
Denzel Washington The Book of Eli
Unstoppable
2012
John Boyega Attack the Block [13]
Laz Alonso Jumping the Broom
Demián Bichir A Better Life
Oliver Litundo The First Grader
Evan Ross Mooz-lum
2013
Denzel Washington Flight [14]
Jamie Foxx Django Unchained
Nate Parker Red Tails
Chris Rock 2 Days in New York
Omar Sy The Intouchables
2014
Chiwetel Ejiofor 12 Years a Slave [15]
Idris Elba Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Michael B. Jordan Fruitvale Station
Isaiah Washington Blue Caprice
Forest Whitaker The Butler
2015
David Oyelowo Selma [16]
Chadwick Boseman Get on Up
Nate Parker Beyond the Lights
Chris Rock Top Five
Denzel Washington The Equalizer
2016
Michael B. Jordan Creed [17]
Abraham Attah Beasts of No Nation
Chiwetel Ejiofor Z for Zachariah
Samuel L. Jackson The Hateful Eight
Will Smith Concussion
2017
Denzel Washington Fences [18]
Don Cheadle Miles Ahead
Nate Parker The Birth of a Nation
Parker Sawyers Southside with You
Denzel Washington The Magnificent Seven
2018
Daniel Kaluuya Get Out [19][20]
Chadwick Boseman Marshall
Algee Smith Detroit
Lakeith Stanfield Crown Heights
Denzel Washington Roman J. Israel, Esq.
2019
Chadwick Boseman Black Panther [21][22]
John David Washington BlacKkKlansman
Stephan James If Beale Street Could Talk
Lakeith Stanfield Sorry to Bother You
Michael B. Jordan Creed II

2020s

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Year Actor Film Ref
2020
Eddie Murphy Dolemite Is My Name [23][24]
Jimmie Fails The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Daniel Kaluuya Queen & Slim
Kelvin Harrison Jr. Waves
Luce
2021
Chadwick Boseman (posthumous) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom [25][26]
Kingsley Ben-Adir One Night in Miami...
Delroy Lindo Da 5 Bloods
Rob Morgan Bull
Lakeith Stanfield Judas and the Black Messiah
2022
Will Smith King Richard [27]
Mahershala Ali Swan Song
Winston Duke Nine Days
Jonathan Majors The Harder They Fall
Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth
2023
Jeremy Pope The Inspection [28]
John Boyega Breaking
Sterling K. Brown Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
Daniel Kaluuya Nope
Jonathan Majors Devotion

Multiple nominations and wins

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Multiple wins

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5 Wins
2 Wins

Multiple nominations

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Age superlatives

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Record Actor Film Age (in years)
Oldest winner Morgan Freeman Invictus 72
Oldest nominee Morgan Freeman Invictus 72
Youngest winner Dev Patel Slumdog Millionaire 18
Youngest nominee Jaden Smith The Karate Kid 12


References

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  1. ^ Siler, Brenda C. (January 23, 2024). "'The Color Purple' at the Top in 2024 Black Reel Awards". The Washington Informer. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  2. ^ 2000 Black Reel Awards
  3. ^ 2001 Black Reel Awards
  4. ^ 2002 Black Reel Awards
  5. ^ 2003 Black Reel Awards
  6. ^ 2004 Black Reel Awards
  7. ^ 2005 Black Reel Awards
  8. ^ 2006 Black Reel Awards
  9. ^ 2007 Black Reel Awards
  10. ^ 2008 Black Reel Awards
  11. ^ 2010 Black Reel Awards
  12. ^ 2011 Black Reel Awards
  13. ^ 2012 Black Reel Awards
  14. ^ "Critics Wild About Beasts". Black Reel Awards. February 8, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  15. ^ "2014 Black Reel Awards - Nominees". Black Reel Awards. December 11, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  16. ^ 2015 Black Reel Awards
  17. ^ 2016 Black Reel Awards
  18. ^ 2017 Black Reel Awards
  19. ^ Get Out Dominates the Black Reel Awards Archived December 19, 2017, at the Wayback Machine Black Reel Awards. 13 December 2017.
  20. ^ Get Out “Sinks” the Competition at The Black Reel Awards Archived February 28, 2018, at the Wayback Machine Black Reel Awards. 23 February 2018.
  21. ^ [1] Archived April 26, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Black Reel Awards. 13 December 2017.
  22. ^ [2] Archived October 23, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Black Reel Awards. 9 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Black Reel Awards (2020)". IMDb.
  24. ^ ""The Great Eight . . . Dolemite is Dynomite!"". February 7, 2020. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  25. ^ "Black Reel Awards (2021)". IMDb.
  26. ^ "A Special "Night in Miami!"". February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  27. ^ "'The Harder They Fall' Sets Record with 20 Nominations from the Black Reel Awards". Black Girl Nerds. BGN Staff. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  28. ^ Complex, Valerie (February 6, 2023). "'The Woman King' Wins Big at the 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2023.