In 2002, Halle Berry made history as the first, and to date only, Black woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. She won for her raw performance as Leticia Musgrove in 'Monster’s Ball.' Her acceptance speech became one of the most famous in Oscar history; visibly overwhelmed, she dedicated the win to 'every nameless, faceless woman of color that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened.' While Black women had won in the Supporting Actress category previously (starting with Hattie McDaniel in 1939), Berry’s win broke a 74-year glass ceiling for lead roles. Despite many subsequent nominations for actresses like Viola Davis and Andra Day, as of the 2025 ceremony, Berry remains the sole Black woman to hold the Best Actress title.