Chadwick Boseman was officiallynominated for Best Actorat the Academy Awards this year for his role inMa Rainey’s Black Bottom. Along with the announcement marking Boseman’s first-ever Oscar nomination, this also makes the late actor the seventh performer to be posthumously nominated in either the Best Actor or Supporting Actor categories in Academy Award history.
In the past, Peter Finch posthumously won the Best Actor award for his role in the 1976 movieNetwork.The Dark Knightstar Heath Ledger also posthumously won Best Supporting Actor for his memorable performance as the Joker. Finch had previously been nominated forSunday Bloody Sundaywhile Ledger was up forBrokeback Mountain, but neither had took in the win on those occasions.
Hollywood legend James Dean was also nominated twice for Best Actor following his death in 1955, with one forEast of Edenand another forGiant. Two-time Oscar winner Spencer Tracy was later nominated forGuess Who’s Coming to Dinnerafter his death in 1967. The other posthumouslyOscarsnominated actors include Ralph Richardson forGreystroke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apesand Massimo Troisi forIl Postino.
Boseman died after a four-year battle with colon cancer in August of last year. At the time, the news was a tremendous shock as Boseman had kept his illness private. He had been so optimistic about beating the disease that he had even signed on to appear inBlack Panther 2. The firstBlack Pantherhad made Boseman an international superstar, though while it earned him award recognition elsewhere, he wasn’t up for any Oscars based on that movie.
Many would say that Boseman’s Oscar nomination has been a long time coming. He has also been celebrated for acclaimed performances in other movies like42,Get on Up, andMarshall, any of which should have also put him in the Oscar conversation.
Directed by George C. Wolfe,Ma Rainey’s Black Bottomstars Viola Davis as blues singer Ma Rainey with Boseman co-starring as band member Levee Green. A universally-praised movie, it’s up for five awards at the Oscars, including Best Actress for Davis alongside Best Actor for Boseman. The American Film Institute also namedMa Rainey’s Black Bottomas one of the top ten movies of 2020.
For the same role,Chadwick Bosemanalso won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama last month. At the time, the actor’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward, accepted the award on his behalf. In her acceptance speech, Taylor said of Chadwick: “He would thank God. He would thank his parents. He would thank his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices. He would say something beautiful. Something inspiring.”
Additionally, Boseman won the Best Actor award at the Critics' Choice Awards earlier this month. Based on this trajectory, it would seem that his odds are very high of winning the prestigious Oscar at theAcademy Awardsthis year as well. We can see who wins when the Oscars air starting at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT on August 05, 2025, on ABC andABC.com.
