Michael B. Jordan Wins Best Actor Oscar for "Sinners"

Mar 15, 2026 7:31pm PT Michael B. Jordan Wins the Oscar and Shouts Out Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and More: ‘I Stand Here Because of the People Who Came Before Me’ By Rebecca Rubin Plus Icon Rebecca Rubin Senior Film and Media Reporter rebeccaarubin Latest Michael B. Jordan Wins the Oscar and Shouts Out Denzel Washington, Halle Berry and More: ‘I Stand Here Because of the People Who Came Before Me’ 4 minutes ago Oscars Surprise: Live-Action Short Results in Seventh Tie in Academy Awards’ History 2 hours ago Box Office: ‘Scream 7’ Becomes Franchise’s Highest-Grossing Release With $176 Million, ‘Hamnet’ Surpasses $100 Million Milestone 10 hours ago See All Getty Images Michael B. Jordan has won the first Oscar of his career, taking home the lead actor statue for playing twin brothers Smoke and Stack in the supernatural thriller “Sinners.” He’s the sixth Black performer to win best actor at the Academy Awards. “I stand here because of the people that came before me,” Jordan said before shouting out the six prior Black acting Oscar winners: Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. ” To be amongst those giants, those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys… Related Stories Vince Gilligan Considered Making 'Pluribus' Cast Naked, but 'We're Not Working for HBO' and 'We Can't Do That to All These Extras' He continued, “Thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home for supporting me over my career. I feel it. I know you guys want me to do well, and I want to do that because you guys bet on me. So thank you for keeping betting on me. I’m going to keep stepping up, and I’m going to keep being the best version of myself I can be.” Popular on Variety Jordan became the late, breaking frontrunner in the category — he was nominated against Timothee Chalamet (“Marty Supreme”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“One Battle After Another”) Ethan Hawke (“Blue Moon”) and Wagner Moura (“The Secret Agent”) — after scoring a key victory at the Actor Awards, formerly known as the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Prior to that ceremony, he had lost the BAFTA to Robert Aramayo of “I Swear,” the Golden Globe to Moura and the Critics’ Choice to Chalamet. “Sinners” is the fifth collaboration between Jordan and director Ryan Coogler following “Fruitvale Station,” “Creed” and two “Black Panther” movies. Jordan pulls off double duty in the 1930s-set “Sinners,” playing identical twins Smoke and Stack who return home to the South after World War I and open a juke joint… only for vampires to descend on the small town. In addition to box office glory (“Sinners” has grossed $370 million globally), the film is the most-nominated in Oscar history with 16 nods, including director for Coogler and best picture. Jump to Comments Kerry Washington, Zinzi Coogler, Chase Infiniti and LaTanya Richardson Jackson Named Essence Black Women in Hollywood Honorees Wagner Moura on Brazilian Soccer, His Next Directorial Feature and Why the Oscar Rule That Shut Out ‘The Secret Agent’ Director Needs to Change BAFTA Winners Predictions: ‘Hamnet,’ ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Sinners’ in an Unpredictable Three-Horse Race ‘Bridesmaids’ Reunion Set for Oscars With Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne (EXCLUSIVE) Oscars: The Case For and Against Every Acting Nominee Why I’m Predicting Ryan Coogler Will Win the Best Director Oscar: If 16 Nominations for ‘Sinners’ Aren’t Enough, What Will Be? JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...