Colman Domingo’s Oscar nomination for his portrayal of civil rights
Colman Domingo’s Oscar nomination for his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in “Rustin” made him the second openly gay man to be nominated for playing a gay character.
Ian McKellen was the first, in 1999, in Gods and Monsters and his portrayal of James Whale, the real-life director of the iconic 1930s horror films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.
Andrew Scott was also considered a possible nominee for his heartbreaking role as a gay screenwriter on “All of Us Strangers,” but he was not recognized.
Colman Domingo, 54, received his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Bayard Rustin in the Netflix film Rustin. Bayard Rustin was a gay black civil rights leader who helped organize the March on Washington, but his legacy within the movement was largely erased.
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Straight actor Oscar nominations for playing LGBTQ people
Over the decades, many straight actors have earned Oscar nominations for playing LGBTQ people. characters and quite a few of them won a statuette:
- William Hurt won in 1986 for playing a transgender woman in “Kiss of the Spider Woman”
- Tom Hanks in 1994 for his role as a lawyer dying of AIDS in “Philadelphia”
- Sean Penn in 2009 for playing Harvey Milk in “Milk”
- Jared Leto in 2014 for playing a transgender woman in “Dallas Buyers Club”
- Rami Malek in 2019 for his role as Freddie Mercury in “Bohemian Rhapsody”
- Brendan Fraser for playing a 600-pound gay man in “The Whale,”