Ariana DeBose won her first Academy Award on Sunday for her supporting role as Anita in
Steven Spielberg's remake of classic musical "
West Side Story
."
A relative newcomer to feature films, 31-year-old
DeBose
earned mainstream acclaim for her lively portrayal of Anita, an outspoken Puerto Rican woman who showcases her singing and dancing talents in the song "America."
She also won a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild award and British Academy Film Award for her performance.
North Carolina-born DeBose trained in dance and had roles in Broadway productions including "Hamilton" and "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical" before appearing in the Netflix television musical "The Prom" as a cheerleader struggling to come out of the closet.
DeBose is Afro-Latina and openly queer. "I am America," she told OUT Magazine in November 2021. "I am damn near a member of just about every marginalized community."
"To anybody who has ever questioned your identity or you find yourself living in the gray spaces...I promise you this: there is indeed a place for us," She said in her winning speech.
This is the second time the role of Anita has earned the best supporting actress award:
Rita Moreno in 1962 became the first Latina actress to win an Oscar for her performance in the original "West Side Story." Moreno, 90, joined Spielberg's remake as drugstore owner Valentina, a new character written just for her.
DeBose's fellow supporting actress nominees were Kirsten Dunst for "Power of the Dog," Aunjanue Ellis for "King Richard," Judi Dench for "Belfast" and
Jessie Buckley for "The Lost Daughter."
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