This article lists the winners and nominees for the Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. The award recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role within the given eligible period.
Nia Long received the first award for The Best Man at the 1st Annual Black Reel Awards in 2000. Since its inception, the award has been given out to 21 actresses. With 6 nominations, Viola Davis hold the record for most nominations and tied with Sanaa Lathan for most wins with 2. Rosario Dawson is the most nominated actress in this category without a win. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is the only actress to earn multiple nominations in the same year for Belle & Beyond the Lights at the 14th Annual Black Reel Awards.
At age 9, Quvenzhané Wallis became the youngest actress to win this award for Beasts of the Southern Wild and at age 69, Irma P. Hall became the oldest winner in this category for The Ladykillers.
The award was discontinued at the 24th Black Reel Awards and merged with Outstanding Actor in favor of a single gender-neutral award, Outstanding Lead Performance.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
2000s Year Actress Film Ref 2000 Nia Long The Best Man 2000 Black Reel Awards Rosario Dawson Light It Up Thandiwe Newton Besieged Rosie Perez The 24 Hour Woman Malinda Williams The Wood 2001 Sanaa Lathan Love & Basketball 2001 Black Reel Awards Angela Bassett Boesman and Lena Jada Pinkett Smith Bamboozled Michelle Rodriguez Girlfight Alfre Woodard What's Cooking 2002 Halle Berry Monster's Ball 2002 Black Reel Awards Vivica A. Fox Two Can Play That Game Pam Grier Bones Taraji P. Henson Baby Boy Regina King Down to Earth 2003 Angela Bassett Sunshine State 2003 Black Reel Awards Kimberly Elise John Q Aunjanue Ellis Undercover Brother Sanaa Lathan Brown Sugar Thandiwe Newton The Truth About Charlie 2004 Sanaa Lathan Out of Time 2004 Black Reel Awards Halle Berry Gothika Beyoncé The Fighting Temptations Queen Latifah Bringing Down the House Gabrielle Union Deliver Us from Eva 2005 Drama 2005 Black Reel Awards Sophie Okonedo Hotel Rwanda Regina King Ray Kerry Washington Comedy / Musical Irma P. Hall The Ladykillers Angela Bassett Mr. 3000 Gabrielle Union Breakin' All the Rules 2006 Kimberly Elise Diary of a Mad Black Woman 2006 Black Reel Awards Rosario Dawson Rent Nona Gaye The Gospel Queen Latifah Last Holiday Zoe Saldaña Guess Who 2007 Keke Palmer Akeelah and the Bee 2007 Black Reel Awards Beyoncé Dreamgirls Sanaa Lathan Something New 2008 Queen Latifah The Secret Life of Bees 2008 Black Reel Awards Jennifer Hudson The Secret Life of Bees Sanaa Lathan The Family That Preys Keke Palmer The Longshots Alfre Woodard The Family That Preys
2010s
Year Actress Film Ref 2010 Gabourey Sidibe Precious 2010 Black Reel Awards Nicole Beharie American Violet Taraji P. Henson I Can Do Bad All By Myself Sophie Okonedo Skin Maya Rudolph Away We Go 2011 Kerry Washington Night Catches Us 2011 Black Reel Awards Kimberly Elise For Colored Girls Queen Latifah Just Wright Thandiwe Newton For Colored Girls Anika Noni Rose 2012 Viola Davis The Help 2012 Black Reel Awards Naomie Harris The First Grader Nia Long Mooz-lum Adepero Oduye Pariah Zoe Saldaña Colombiana 2013 Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild Halle Berry Cloud Atlas Emayatzy Corinealdi Middle of Nowhere Viola Davis Won't Back Down Rashida Jones Celeste and Jesse Forever 2014 Danai Gurira Mother of George Halle Berry The Call Rosario Dawson Trance Lisagay Hamilton Go for Sisters Nia Long The Best Man Holiday 2015 Gugu Mbatha-Raw Belle 2015 Black Reel Awards Rosario Dawson Top Five Gugu Mbatha-Raw Beyond the Lights Tessa Thompson Dear White People Quvenzhané Wallis Annie 2016 Teyonah Parris Chi-Raq Viola Davis Lila & Eve Kitana Kiki Rodriguez Tangerine Zoe Saldaña Infinitely Polar Bear Karidja Touré Girlhood 2017 Ruth Negga Loving 2017 Black Reel Awards Taraji P. Henson Hidden Figures Royalty Hightower The Fits Sasha Lane American Honey Madina Nwalanga Queen of Katwe 2018 Natalie Paul Crown Heights Get Out Dominates the Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards. 13 December 2017.Get Out “Sinks” the Competition at The Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards. 23 February 2018. Amandla Stenberg Everything, Everything Carmen Ejogo It Comes at Night Jessica Williams The Incredible Jessica James Simone Baker Gook 2019 KiKi Layne If Beale Street Could Talk Black Reel Awards. 13 December 2017. Black Reel Awards. 9 February 2019. Viola Davis Widows Regina Hall Support the Girls Amandla Stenberg The Hate U Give Zoe Renee Jinn
2020s Year Actress Film Ref 2020 Lupita Nyong’o Us Cynthia Erivo Harriet Jodie Turner-Smith Queen & Slim Gugu Mbatha-Raw Fast Color Alfre Woodard Clemency 2021 Viola Davis Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Nicole Beharie Miss Juneteenth Andra Day The United States vs. Billie Holiday Tessa Thompson Sylvie's Love Zendaya Malcolm & Marie 2022 Tessa Thompson Passing Zazie Beetz The Harder They Fall Halle Berry Bruised Jennifer Hudson Respect Taylour Paige Zola 2023 Danielle Deadwyler Till Viola Davis The Woman King Anna Diop Nanny Regina Hall Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Letitia Wright Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Multiple nominations and wins Multiple wins 2 Wins Viola Davis Sanaa Lathan
Multiple nominations
6 Nominations Viola Davis
5 Nominations Halle Berry Sanaa Lathan
4 Nominations Rosario Dawson Queen Latifah
3 Nominations Angela Bassett Kimberly Elise Taraji P. Henson Nia Long Gugu Mbatha-Raw Thandiwe Newton Zoe Saldaña Tessa Thompson Alfre Woodard
2 Nominations Nicole Beharie Beyoncé Regina Hall Jennifer Hudson Regina King Sophie Okonedo Keke Palmer Amandla Stenberg Gabrielle Union Quvenzhané Wallis Kerry Washington
Multiple nominations from the same film Kerry Washington and Regina King in Ray (2005) Queen Latifah (winner) and Jennifer Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard in The Family That Preys (2008) Kimberly Elise, Thandiwe Newton & Anika Noni Rose in For Colored Girls (2011)
Age superlatives
Record Actress Film Age (in years) Oldest winner Irma P. Hall The Ladykillers 69 Oldest nominee Irma P. Hall The Ladykillers 69 Youngest winner Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild 9 Youngest nominee Quvenzhané Wallis Beasts of the Southern Wild 9
References