Oscars 2024
How many Floridians have won an Oscar Award and who has won the most?
The Academy Awards and its statuetes are the ultimate recognition in the film industry, and Florida has only had a few of them in individual possession.
When it comes to the film industry, there is no award that comes close to the Oscars in terms of the prestige and significance it bestows upon winners. Even the most glittering of careers is afforded an extra sparkle after an Academy Award success, and it can elevate the winners to the true Hollywood elite.
Of the 3,000 people to have won an Oscar over the past century, the vast majority, although not all, are Americans. New York is the state that claims the most Oscar winners, with California in a close second.
But what about the Sunshine State? Here’s the lowdown on Florida’s Oscars credentials…
How many Academy Award winners come from Florida?
According to a report published by Wanderu, Florida has only two winners in the four acting categories (best actress, best actor, best supporting actress, and best supporting actor).
Sidney Poitier, who was born in Miami, Florida, is one of the most iconic names in Hollywood and a hugely significant figure. Poitier won the Oscar Award for Best Actor for ‘Lilies of the Field’ in 1964, becoming the first African-American to win an Oscar for Best Actor.
In 2002, thirty-eight years after receiving that award, Poitier was chosen by the Academy to receive an Honorary Oscar for his services to the industry. In accepting that award, Poitier paid tribute to those who had gone before him.
“I accept this award in memory of all the African-American actors and actresses who went before me in the difficult years, on whose shoulders I was privileged to stand to see where I might go,” he said.
The second Floridian to have picked up an Oscar was Dorothy Faye Dunaway, born in Bascom, Florida. Dunaway won an Oscar award for Best Actress thanks to her performance in ‘Network’ in 1977.
Outside of the acting categories, Barry Jenkins, born in Liberty City, Miami, was honoured at the 2017 Oscars where he won Best Adapted Screenplay for ‘Moonlight’.
Further afield, this animated map shows the birthplaces of the winners of some of the main categories: Best Actor and Best Actress and Best Director.