The Black Reel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress was an award presented annually by the Black Reel Awards (BRAs). It was given to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a supporting role while working within the film industry.
Erykah Badu was the first winner of The Cider House Rules at the 1st Annual Black Reel Awards in 2000. Since its inception, the award has been given out to 21 actresses. Viola Davis is the current record holder with most wins in this category with two, while Octavia Spencer holds the record for most nominations in this category with six. Janelle Monáe and Kerry Washington have the most nominations in this category without a win. Monáe is the only actress to earn multiple nominations in the same year for Moonlight and Hidden Figures at the 17th Annual Black Reel Awards.
Gloria Foster became the first posthumous acting nominee in Black Reel Awards history when she earned a nomination for The Matrix Reloaded at the 4th Annual Black Reel Awards. Eartha Kitt is the first and only actress to earn a nomination in this category for an animated performance prior to the introduction of the Outstanding Voice Performance category in 2009.
At age 25, Jennifer Hudson became the youngest winner in this category for Dreamgirls and at age 62, Phylicia Rashad became the oldest winner in this category for For Colored Girls.
The award was discontinued at the 24th Black Reel Awards and merged with Outstanding Supporting Actor in favor of a single gender-neutral award, Outstanding Supporting Performance.
Winners and nominees Winners are listed first and highlighted in bold.
2000s Year Actress Film Ref 2000 Erykah Badu The Cider House Rules 2000 Black Reel Awards Angela Bassett Music of the Heart Lisa Gay Hamilton True Crime Rebekah Johnson Liberty Heights Queen Latifah The Bone Collector 2001 Gabrielle Union Bring It On 2001 Black Reel Awards Lisa Bonet High Fidelity Eartha Kitt The Emperor's New Groove Nia Long Boiler Room Sheryl Lee Ralph Deterrence 2002 Nona Gaye Ali 2002 Black Reel Awards Marla Gibbs The Visit Adrienne-Joi Johnson Baby Boy Gabrielle Union The Brothers Kerry Washington Save the Last Dance 2003 Queen Latifah Chicago | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2003 Black Reel Awards |- | Halle Berry | Die Another Day |- | Joy Bryant | Antwone Fisher |- | Viola Davis | Solaris |- | Rosario Dawson | 25th Hour |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2004 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Anna Deavere Smith| The Human Stain 2004 Black Reel Awards Mary Alice The Matrix Revolutions Gloria Foster (posthumous) The Matrix Reloaded Vivica A. Fox Kill Bill: Volume 1 Michael Michele Dark Blue 2005 Sharon Warren Ray 2005 Black Reel Awards Joy Bryant BAADASSSSS! Kimberly Elise The Manchurian Candidate Nia Long Alfie Jada Pinkett Smith Collateral 2006 Taraji P. Henson Hustle & Flow 2006 Black Reel Awards Rosario Dawson Sin City Thandie Newton Crash Wanda Sykes Monster-in-Law Tracie Thoms Rent 2007 Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls 2007 Black Reel Awards Clare-Hope Ashitey Children of Men Angela Bassett Akeelah and the Bee Shareeka Epps Half Nelson Kerry Washington The Last King of Scotland 2008 Viola Davis Doubt 2008 Black Reel Awards Alice Braga Blindness Penélope Cruz Vicky Cristina Barcelona Taraji P. Henson The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Sophie Okonedo The Secret Life of Bees
2010s Year Actress Film Ref 2010 Mo'Nique Precious | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2010 Black Reel Awards |- | Mariah Carey | rowspan="2"| Precious |- | Paula Patton |- | Zoe Saldana | Avatar |- | Alfre Woodard | American Violet |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2011 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Phylicia Rashad| For Colored Girls 2011 Black Reel Awards Viola Davis Eat Pray Love Shareeka Epps Mother and Child Janet Jackson For Colored Girls Kerry Washington 2012 Octavia Spencer The Help | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2012 Black Reel Awards |- | Angela Bassett | Jumping the Broom |- | Maya Rudolph | Bridesmaids |- | Pernell Walker | rowspan="2"| Pariah |- | Kim Wayans |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2013 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Naomie Harris| Skyfall Octavia Spencer Smashed Lorraine Toussaint Middle of Nowhere Tamara Tunie Flight Kerry Washington Django Unchained 2014 Lupita Nyong'o 12 Years a Slave | rowspan="6" align="center"| |- | Melonie Diaz | Fruitvale Station |- | Naomie Harris | Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom |- | Octavia Spencer | Fruitvale Station |- | Oprah Winfrey | The Butler |- | rowspan="6" align="center"| 2015 |- style="background:#B0C4DE" | Carmen Ejogo| Selma 2015 Black Reel Awards Viola Davis The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby Teyonah Parris Dear White People Zoe Saldaña Guardians of the Galaxy Octavia Spencer Snowpiercer 2016 Tessa Thompson Creed 2016 Black Reel Awards Angela Bassett Chi-Raq Zoë Kravitz Dope Gugu Mbatha-Raw Concussion Mya Taylor Tangerine 2017 Viola Davis Fences 2017 Black Reel Awards Naomie Harris MoonlightJanelle Monáe Hidden Figures Moonlight Lupita Nyong'o Queen of Katwe 2018 Tiffany Haddish Girls Trip Get Out Dominates the Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards. 13 December 2017.Get Out “Sinks” the Competition at The Black Reel Awards Black Reel Awards. 23 February 2018. Betty Gabriel Get Out Mary J. Blige Mudbound Octavia Spencer The Shape of Water Tessa Thompson Thor: Ragnarok 2019 Regina King If Beale Street Could Talk 2019 Black Reel Awards Letitia Wright Black Panther Danai Gurira Lupita Nyong'o Simone Missick Jinn
2020s Year Actress Film Ref 2020 Da’Vine Joy Randolph Dolemite Is My Name Janelle Monae Harriet Shahadi Wright Joseph Us Octavia Spencer Luce Taylor Russell Waves 2021 Dominique Fishback Judas and the Black Messiah Alexis Chikaeze Miss Juneteenth KiKi Layne The Old Guard Tracee Ellis Ross The High Note Gabourey Sidibe Antebellum 2022 Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor King Richard Ariana DeBose West Side Story Regina King The Harder They Fall Rita Moreno West Side Story Ruth Negga Passing 2023 Angela Bassett Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Thuso Mbedu The Woman King Janelle Monáe Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Keke Palmer Nope Gabrielle Union The Inspection
Multiple nominations and wins Multiple wins 2 Wins Viola Davis
Multiple nominations
6 Nominations Octavia Spencer
5 Nominations Angela Bassett Viola Davis
4 Nominations Janelle Monae Kerry Washington
3 Nominations Naomie Harris Lupita Nyong'o Gabrielle Union
2 Nominations Joy Bryant Rosario Dawson Shareeka Epps Taraji P. Henson Regina King Queen Latifah Nia Long Zoe Saldaña Tessa Thompson
Multiple nominations from the same film Mo'Nique (winner), Mariah Carey and Paula Patton in Precious (2010) Phylicia Rashad (winner), Janet Jackson and Kerry Washington in For Colored Girls (2011) Pernell Walker and Kim Wayans in Pariah (2011) Naomie Harris & Janelle Monae in Moonlight (2017) Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o & Letitia Wright in Black Panther (2019) Ariana DeBose & Rita Moreno in West Side Story (2022)
Age superlatives
Record Actress Film Age (in years) Oldest winner Phylicia Rashad For Colored Girls 62 Oldest nominee Rita Moreno West Side Story 90 Youngest winner Jennifer Hudson Dreamgirls 25 Youngest nominee Shahadi Wright Joseph Us 14
References