With today's historic Academy Award nomination for lead actress, Lily Gladstone is one step closer to scoring a significant win on Oscar night for her performance in Martin Scorsese's “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Gladstone, of Siksikaitsitapi and Niimiipuu descent, is now the first Native American actress nominated for an Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, and the fourth Indigenous actress to earn a nomination in the category.
The actor plays real-life figure Mollie Kyle alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro in the crime drama set in 1920s Oklahoma, about the murders of members of the Osage tribe committed by white men to steal oil rights. .
Earlier this month, Gladstone made Golden Globes history by becoming the first Indigenous person to win the award for actress in a dramatic motion picture, dedicating it to “every little rez kid” and speaking Blackfeet in her acceptance speech.
The late “Killers” composer Robbie Robertson, who died in August, also became the first Indigenous person nominated for original score. “Killers” was nominated for a total of 10 Oscars, including best picture, director, supporting actor, cinematography, editing, production design, song and costumes.
Born in Montana and raised in the Blackfeet Nation, Gladstone made her film debut in Arnaud Desplechin's 2013 drama “Jimmy P.” and she earned Indie Spirit and Gotham Award nominations for her role in Kelly Reichardt's 2016 drama “Certain Women.”
“This is for every little rez kid, every little urban kid, every little native kid who has a dream, who sees themselves represented and our stories told by ourselves in our own words, with tremendous allies and tremendous trust with and from each other,” Gladstone said in his Golden Globes acceptance speech, acknowledging the historic victory.
Three Indigenous women have previously been nominated for an Academy Award for lead actress: Merle Oberon in 1936 for “The Dark Angel,” Keisha Castle-Hughes in 2003 for “Whale Rider” and Yalitza Aparicio in 2019 for “Roma.”
Two Indigenous men, “Little Big Man” star Chief Dan George in 1971 and “Dances With Wolves” star Graham Greene in 1991, were nominated in the supporting actor category.
An Indigenous performer, “Hawaii” star Jocelyne LaGarde, was nominated for supporting actress in 1967. No Indigenous actor has yet won the Academy Award in any category.
The 2024 Oscars will take place on March 10 at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood with Jimmy Kimmel returning as host.
