The 2024 Oscars has its fair share of firsts, with several actors getting their first Oscar nomination at the 96th Academy Awards. With 20 nominees nominated in the four acting categories, for 10 of them, this will be the first time they have their names in the Academy voting box. Interestingly, most are recognizable names and faces.
The 96th Academy Awards will look to honor the best films and individuals of 2023. The ceremony is scheduled to be held on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, with live broadcast on ABC. With comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosting for the fourth time (2017, 2018, 2023), here are 10 actors to watch out for who received their first Oscar nomination at the 2024 Oscars.
Colman Domingo
American actor Colman Domingo received his first Oscar nomination in 2024 for Best Actor for his performance in George C. Wolfe’s 2023 biographical drama Rustin. In the movie, Domingo portrayed American political activist and social movement leader Bayard Rustin. The historical figure is better known as one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Colman Domingo gave a phenomenal performance portraying Bayard Rustin. Colman Domingo received corresponding nominations at the 2024 BAFTA Awards (first nomination), Golden Globe Awards (first nomination), Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
Cillian Murphy
A decade before the release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Irish actor Cillian Murphy was introduced to television audiences as the iconic Thomas “Tommy” Shelby in the British period crime drama series Peaky Blinders (2013-2022). Although he had appeared in several supporting roles on the big screen, none impacted his career as portraying J. Robert Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy is one of the actors whose first nomination at the 96th Academy Awards surprised many television and film audiences.
Receiving similar nominations across the industry’s major award associations, Cillian Murphy is predicted to win Best Actor at the 96th Academy – joining several actors whose first nomination gave them an Oscar. Cillian Murphy was also nominated at the Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Interestingly, Murphy won all three awards for his leading role in Oppenheimer.
Jeffrey Wright
Before his performance as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in American Fiction (2023), Jeffrey Wright was a Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy, and Tony Award winner. Although he’s one of the actors with their first Oscar nomination at the 96th Academy Awards, Wright’s firs Oscar nomination, which came in 2024, is long overdue. For his performance in American Fiction, Jeffrey Wright was also nominated at the Golden Globe Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Sterling K. Brown
Whether it’s from his Emmy-nominated roles in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016), Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2018), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019), or This Is Us (2016-2022), actor Sterling K. Brown is one of the most recognizable faces in film and television. Sterling K. Brown’s performance as a middle-aged gay man, Clifford “Cliff” Ellison, in American Fiction (2023) finally earned him his first Oscar nomination. Sterling K. Brown is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 96th Academy Awards.
Lily Gladstone
Indigenous American actress Lily Gladstone unsurprisingly joins the list of actors with their first Oscar nomination at the 96th Academy Awards. Gladstone, whose acting career began in 2012, delivered a breathtaking performance portraying Mollie Kyle, an Osage woman who survived the Osage Indian murders. Cast in the lead role of Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (2023), Lily Gladstone is nominated for Best Actress at the 2024 Oscars. Gladstone, who also received her first nomination at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, won in both categories, respectively. Lily Gladstone’s nomination at the 96th Academy Awards made her the first Indigenous American actress to be nominated for an Oscar.
Sandra Hüller
German actress Sandra Hüller is nominated for Best Actress at the 96th Academy Awards for her performance in the French legal drama Anatomy of a Fall (2023). Hüller’s performance as Sandra Voyter earned the actress her first Oscar nomination. However, besides earning a nomination at the BAFTA Awards for her role in Anatomy of a Fall, Sandra Hüller was also nominated for her supporting role in The Zone of Interest (2023).
Emily Blunt
A nomination long overdue, Emily Blunt joins the list of actors who received their first Oscar nomination in 2024 at the 96th Academy Awards. The British actress is one of Hollywood’s A-list actors, having starred in several box-office hits. However, it is her performance as the supporting character, Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, in Oppenheimer (2023) that finally gave her a nod from the Academy. Unsurprisingly, she was also nominated for the performance at the Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Danielle Brooks
Popularly known for playing prison inmate Tasha “Taystee” Jefferson in the comedy-drama Orange Is the New Black (2013-2019), Danielle Brooks gets her first Academy Award nomination at the 2024 Oscars. Whoever says lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice probably never met Danielle Brooks. Brooks made her Broadway debut in 2015, playing Sofia in the musical revival of The Color Purple. Her Broadway performance earned Brooks her first Tony Award nomination and a Grammy Award win. Fast-forward to 2023, Danielle Brooks’ performance as Sofia in the film adaptation of The Color Purple earned the actress her first Oscar nomination. Danielle Brooks was also nominated at the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.
America Ferrera
American actress America Ferrera has had a successful career in television. Known for playing Betty Suarez in the ABC Ugly Betty (2006-2010), she made an impression again on the NBC sitcom Superstore (2015-2021). Over two decades after her film debut, America Ferrera finally got an Academy recognized with an Oscar nomination. Ferrera received her first nomination for her performance as Gloria in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. America Ferrera is nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 96th Academy Awards.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Oscar nomination is one of the most shocking nominations at the 2024 Oscars. Randolph played Barton Academy’s cafeteria manager and bereaved mother, Mary Lamb, in the 2023 comedy-drama The Holdovers. Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s performance also earned her nominations at the BAFTA Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Although considered an underdog when the 2024 Oscar nominees were announced on January 23, 2024, Da’Vine Joy Randolph won all nominations at the other major awards for her supporting role in The Holdovers. If you enjoyed reading about the Actors With Their First Nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, read 10 famous actors who have never been nominated for an Oscar.
