Lee Daniels First Gay African American To Gain Oscar Nomination

by Rhonda J Mangus | March 7, 2010 at 05:32 am

1011 views | 2 Recommendations | 0 comments

Director Lee Daniels is the first Gay African-American to gain an Oscar nomination.

This does not mean that Daniels is the first gay to be nominated, nor the first African American to be nominated for an Academy Award. That honor goes to John Singleton (Boys in the Hood) and Gus van Sant (Good Will Hunting and Milk), respectively.

What it does mean is Lee Daniels is the First Gay African-American to gain an Oscar Nomination.

Daniels is nominated for Precious, "a social advocacy film at its finest, shedding light on a young mother stifled under a social and educational system that left her behind."

In many ways, Lee Daniels upbringing is similar to that of his fledgling character Precious Jones. Daniels grew up in inner-city Philadelphia during the riotous sixties and seventies. At age 13, Daniels’ father, a police officer, was shot and killed in the line of duty, leaving his mother Clara Daniels to take care of Lee and his four siblings.

Daniels attended college at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri, though he eventually dropped out to pursue a career in film, just as his sister had done. Arriving in Los Angeles during the AIDS crisis of the eighties, Daniels found work at a nursing agency. Daniels worked his way up to owning the company, garnering his first million (yes, million) at age 21.

After developing his own fortune, Daniels started his own talent agency known as Lee Daniels Entertainment in New York City. The agency sought to expand roles for African-Americans, which included the obscure little known Oscar winner Morgan Freeman. Over time Daniels became a passionate advocate for stronger African-American representation in film, and began to delve into production himself, culminating in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, making Daniels the first sole African-American producer of an Oscar-earning film.