Michael B. Jordan has won the Best Actor award at the 98th Academy Awards for his performance in the film Sinners, marking the first Oscar win of his career.
Jordan earned the honour for portraying identical twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore in the supernatural horror film set in 1930s Mississippi. The role required him to play both characters on screen, making him the first actor to win an Oscar for portraying twins in the same film.
His victory came ahead of a competitive list of nominees that included Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another.
Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler, received 16 Academy Award nominations, the highest for the ceremony. The film went on to win four Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw also made history by becoming the first woman to win the Academy Award for cinematography.
During his acceptance speech, Jordan expressed gratitude and reflected on the moment with emotion.
“God is good,” he said on stage before acknowledging his mother, who was seated in the audience, as well as other members of his family attending the ceremony.
Jordan also praised director Ryan Coogler, highlighting their long-standing professional relationship.
Their collaboration began with the 2013 film Fruitvale Station, in which Jordan portrayed Oscar Grant, the young man fatally shot by a transit police officer in 2009. The pair later worked together on the Black Panther films before reuniting again for Sinners.
“I am honoured to call you a collaborator and a friend,” Jordan told Coogler, thanking him for creating opportunities for his work to be recognised.
At 39, Jordan now becomes only the sixth Black actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor, joining Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Will Smith. He referenced each of them during his speech.
Meanwhile, Halle Berry remains the only Black woman to have won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Earlier in the ceremony, the audience also celebrated when Sinners won Best Original Screenplay, marking only the second time a Black writer has won in that category, following Jordan Peele for the 2017 film Get Out.
