American actor Sterling K. Brown has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a nomination for an Academy Award.
Brown's breakthrough performance as attorney Christopher Darden in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016) won him the Critics' Choice and Primetime Emmy and earned him nominations for the Golden Globe and SAG Award for Outstanding Actor in a Miniseries or Movie. His portrayal of Randall Pearson in NBC's This Is Us (20162022) won him the Critics' Choice, Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and SAG Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, as well as another two SAG Awards as part of the series' ensemble cast. His win of the Emmy made him the first actor in a broadcast television series to win the award in a decade and the first African-American winner in 19 years. He was also the first African-American to win the Golden Globe and SAG Award.
Brown received additional Emmy nominations for This Is Us, as well as for guest starring in Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2018) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2020), and won Outstanding Narrator in 2021 for narrating Lincoln: Divided We Stand. With his nine Emmy nominations, Brown is one of few actors to be nominated across all three performance (lead, supporting, guest) and genre (comedy, drama, limited series or movie) categories, as well as for narrating. For his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Black Panther (2018), Brown won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.
Brown's portrayal of a middle aged gay man in Cord Jefferson's comedy-drama film American Fiction (2023) earned him nominations for the Academy Award, Critics' Choice, Independent Spirit and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Major associations Academy Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2023 Best Supporting Actor American Fiction
Critics' Choice Awards Year Award/Category Work Result Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2024 Best Supporting Actor American Fiction Critics' Choice Television Awards 2016 Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story 2018 Best Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us 2020 2021 2022 2023 2026 Paradise Critics' Choice Super Awards2026Best Actor in an Action SeriesParadiseBest Actor in a Science Fiction/Fantasy Series
Emmy Awards Year Award/Category Work Result Primetime Emmy Awards 2016 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson 2017Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us (episode: "Memphis") 2018 This Is Us (episode: "Number Three") Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Brooklyn Nine-Nine (episode: "The Box") 2019Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us (episode: "R & B") 2020 This Is Us (episode: "After the Fire") Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (episode: "Panty Pose") 2021 Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us (episode: "Forty: Part 2") Outstanding Narrator Lincoln: Divided We Stand (episode: "The Dogs of War") 2024 Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance Invincible (episode: "I Thought You Were Stronger") 2025 Outstanding Drama Series Paradise (as executive producer) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Paradise (episode: "The Day") 2026 Outstanding Drama Series Paradise (as executive producer) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Paradise (episode: TBD)
Golden Globe Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2016 Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson 2017 Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama This Is Us (season 1) 2025 Paradise
Screen Actors Guild Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2016 Outstanding Male Actor in a Miniseries or Movie American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us (season 1) 2017This Is Us (season 2) Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series 2018This Is Us (season 3) Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture Black Panther 2019Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us (season 4) 2020 This Is Us (season 5) 2023 Outstanding Cast in a Motion PictureAmerican Fiction Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role 2025 Outstanding Male Actor in a Drama Series Paradise
Miscellaneous awards
BET Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2018 Best Actor Himself 2022 2025 2026
Black Reel Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2017 Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie or Limited Series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story Outstanding Actor, Drama Series This Is Us 2018 Best Breakthrough Performance, Male Marshall Outstanding Actor, Drama Series This Is Us Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy Series Insecure Saturday Night Live 2019 Outstanding Actor, Drama Series This Is Us 2020 Outstanding Supporting Actor Waves Outstanding Actor, Drama Series This Is Us Outstanding Guest Actor, Comedy Series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel 2022 Outstanding Actor, Drama Series This Is Us 2023 Outstanding Actor Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. 2024 Outstanding Supporting Performance American Fiction
Independent Spirit Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2024 Best Supporting Performance American Fiction
NAACP Image Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2017 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story 2018 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Marshall 2019 Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us 2020 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Waves Outstanding Actor in a Drama SeriesThis Is Us 2021 2022 2023 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us 2024 Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture American Fiction Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture
People's Choice Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2019 The Male TV Star of 2019 This Is Us The Drama TV Star of 2019 2020 The Male TV Star of 2020 The Drama TV Star of 2020 2021 The Male TV Star of 2021 The Drama TV Star of 2021 2022 The Male TV Star of 2022 The Drama TV Star of 2022
Teen Choice Awards Year Award/Category Work Result 2017 Choice TV Actor Drama This Is Us 2018 2019
Critics awards YearAssociationCategoryProjectResult 2024African-American Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor American Fiction 2024Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2013American Black Film Festival Best Performance by an Actor The Suspect 2024Denver Film Festival Excellence in Acting Award American Fiction 2017Dorian Awards TV Performance of the Year — Actor The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story 2018 This Is Us 2021 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actor in a Drama Series 2022 2016 OFTA Television Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story 2017 Best Actor in a Drama Series This Is Us 2018 Best Actor in a Drama Series Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series Brooklyn Nine-Nine 2023San Diego Film Critics Society Best Supporting Actor American Fiction 2023San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor 2023Seattle Film Critics Society Awards Best Actor in a Supporting Role 2023St. Louis Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor 2017Television Critics Association Awards Individual Achievement in Drama This Is Us
References