Michelle Yeoh at the 95th OSCARS Nominees Luncheon held at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Cover Michelle Yeoh at the 95th OSCARS Nominees Luncheon held at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

In anticipation of the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, we’ll be going back in time to see the Academy’s many firsts

The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, is one of the most anticipated events in the film industry. It's when the celebrities that we've known and loved get their chance to receive the highest honours they can get. And with it only a handful of days away, we can't wait to see the winners of the coveted golden statuette.

Representation matters, and once in a while, actors that tore down walls and opened doors get recognised. Let's go back in time and celebrate the landmark moments that took great strides—the moments that went down in Oscars' history.

More from Tatler: Blast from the past: the best Oscars looks during Hollywood's golden years

Hattie McDaniel

Tatler Asia
3/2/1940Actress Hattie McDaniel is shown with the statuette she received for her portrayal in "Gone With The Wind." The award was for Best Supporting Role by an Actress, and was made at the 12th annual Academy Awards ceremony. (Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images)
Above 3/2/1940 Actress Hattie McDaniel is shown with the statuette she received for her portrayal in "Gone With The Wind." The award was for Best Supporting Role by an Actress, and was made at the 12th annual Academy Awards ceremony. (Photo by Bettmann/Getty Images)

The first African-American Actress to ever win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind in 1939. In a truly inspiring moment, McDaniel opened the door for representation in mainstream cinema.

Marlee Beth Matlin

Tatler Asia
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 30: Oscar Winner Marlee Matlin backstage at the Academy Awards Show, March 30, 1987 in Los Angeles, California.  (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)
Above Oscar Winner Marlee Matlin backstage at the Academy Awards Show, March 30, 1987 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images)

Marlee Matlin marked March 30, 1987, on everyone's calendar when she became the first deaf person to ever win an Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Sarah Norman in Children of a Lesser God. She was also the youngest person to win in that category, setting two records that she holds to this day.

Now read: SAG Awards 2023: The best red carpet looks, from Zendaya to Michelle Yeoh

Anthony Hopkins

Tatler Asia
Anthony Hopkins (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Above Anthony Hopkins at the 64th Academy Awards (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

In 2017, Anthony Hopkins revealed to the public that he had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Three years later, he won an Academy Award for Best Actor in The Father, making him the first openly autistic actor to win an Oscar.

Though he won Best Actor for The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, his autism was only diagnosed in 2017.

Linda Hunt

Tatler Asia
Linda Hunt at the Oscars. (Photo Paul Harris/Online USA, Inc.)
Above Linda Hunt at the Oscars. (Photo Paul Harris/Online USA, Inc.)

Another actress who set two firsts with one award, Linda Hunt, was the first person with dwarfism to win Best Supporting Actress. In her role as Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously, she also became the first to win an Oscar while portraying a character of the opposite gender.

Now read Oscars 2021: 7 Asians That Made History

Miyoshi Umeki

Tatler Asia
LOS ANGELES,CA - MARCH 26,1958: Japanese American actress Miyoshi Umeki poses with her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Sayonara" in Los Angeles,CA. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Above LOS ANGELES,CA - MARCH 26,1958: Japanese American actress Miyoshi Umeki poses with her Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Sayonara" in Los Angeles,CA. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Miyoshi Umeki was a Japanese-American singer-actress passionate about traditional kabuki theatre and American pop music. She brought her talents to the big screen with her role as Katsumi in the 1957 film, Sayonara, where she became the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Michelle Yeoh

Tatler Asia
Michelle Yeoh at the 95th OSCARS Nominees Luncheon held at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Above Michelle Yeoh at the 95th OSCARS Nominees Luncheon held at The Beverly Hilton on February 13, 2023 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Michelle Yeoh has been nominated for Best Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her role as Evelyn Wang in Everything Everywhere All at Once. This makes her the first Malaysian actress to receive such a nod. If she wins, she will be the first actress who identifies herself as an Asian, as previous nominees and winners have been of mixed descent or had their Asian ethnicity hidden from the public eye.

NOW READ

Awards season 2023: Michelle Yeoh is killing it on the red carpet

Oscars 2023: Michelle Yeoh is the first Malaysian—and Asian—nominated for Best Actress

9 Films Where Directors Starred in Their Own Films