The Fab Five Make Black History

It's a good day for Black Hollywood. Dreamgirls dominated this year's Oscar nomination announcements with eight nods, and a record five Black actors were nominated in major acting categories for the first time.

Dreamgirls received Best Supporting Actress nominations for Jennifer Hudson, Best Supporting Actor for Eddie Murphy, but surprisingly, no nominations for Bill Condon or for Best Picture. Both Murphy and Hudson are first-time nominees.

Forest Whitaker followed his Golden Globe win last week with a Best Actor nomination for The Last King of Scotland.

Whitaker, the frontrunner and first-time nominee, hopes to be the fourth African-American actor to take home the coveted top prize, walking in the illustrious footsteps of Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington and Jamie Foxx.

Will Smith received his second nomination for The Pursuit of Happyness. Smith previously received a Best Actor nomination for Ali. Djimon Hounsou, who was shut out for a Golden Globe nomination, received his second Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance in Blood Diamond.

Historically, it was a watershed moment for African-American actors who received four nominations in 2004, although Jamie Foxx was a double nominee for Ray and Collateral. Along with Don Cheadle, both Foxx and Morgan Freeman took home statues that year.

This story also appeared on BET.com