Denzel Washington extends record as most-nominated Black actor in Oscars history

Denzel Washington has turned The Tragedy of Macbeth into a record-extending Oscars victory.

After scoring his 10th overall nomination Tuesday morning for his leading performance in Joel Coen's Shakespeare adaptation, the 67-year-old continued his record as the most-nominated Black actor in Academy Awards history.

Washington's 10 career nominations have come for various roles in front of and behind the camera, with two wins (Glory, Training Day) from eight acting nominations, plus one Best Picture nomination as a producer of the 2016 film Fences.

Last year, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom star Viola Davis — who previously won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Washington's Fences — became the most-nominated Black woman in Oscars history. In scoring a nod for her work in Ma Rainey, Davis became the only Black woman with two overall Best Actress nominations to her name.

Washington's latest nod lands as the only above-the-line nomination for Macbeth, Apple's ambitious black-and-white retelling of the classic Shakespeare drama, with the actor portraying the titular role and Oscar winner Frances McDormand costarring as Lady Macbeth.

See the full list of 2022 Oscar nominations here, before winners are announced Sunday, March 27, across ABC's broadcast.

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring Oscars analysis, exclusive interviews, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's movies and performances.

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