Oscar-winning LGBTQ characters: Who made history in 1986?
When the late William Hurt (“Kiss of the Spider Woman”) won Best Actor at the 1986 Oscars, he opened a door that had been shut for 57 years. Till then, no performer had ever been honored at the Academy Awards for playing a clearly-defined LGBTQ character. Nearly two decades after the first such performance was even nominated — Daniel Massey as Noel Coward in 1968’s “Star!” — Hurt proved that it could be done. Toward the end of his brief, unrehearsed acceptance speech, he appropriately encapsulated the moment by saying “I am very proud to be an actor.”
Since Hurt made history, a lucky 13 actors and actresses have followed in his footsteps. Each of the lead categories has produced five such wins to date, while four victories have come for supporting performances (three actors and one actress). Overall, four of these performances have been in the last decade.
We’ve gathered together all 14 Oscar-winning LGBTQ characters in order from oldest to most recent, including the acting category, character description and competition.
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?