Today's question: Name a film which starred two African-Americans, each of whom can say "I have won an Academy Award for my acting talents." (Two possible answers.)
Pictured: Lilies of the Field (1963), starring Sidney Poitier, in a role which brought him the Best Actor prize. Poitier was the only African-American to win the award in the 20th century.
Glory is one of them, unsure about the other. The Color Purple perhaps?
Posted by: Lance McMillian | February 09, 2010 at 12:07 PM
I think that the other is "American Gangster" with Denzel Washington and Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Posted by: Colin Miller | February 09, 2010 at 12:15 PM
When I originally drafted this question, I was looking for the only movie to feature two Best Actor winners (and there's only one movie, to my knowledge, that fits). But I thought that the Best Actor limitation would make the question too easy. So I expanded the parameters (still thinking only one film fit the question). A colleague (Maxine) ran the question by her brother (Larry), a trivia master, and he came up with a second movie (that fit the question as drafted above). Now Lance and Colin have offered correct answers -- but both different from the two films I had in mind.
Bottom line? I now believe FOUR films fit the call of the question as written (but only one of which features two Best Actor winners).
Thanks, Lance and Colin. Any idea on the other two films that I had in mind?
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | February 09, 2010 at 12:47 PM
A Raisin in the Sun
Since Pottier, Denzel, and Jamie Foxx are the only African-Americans to win for best actor, the movie has to star two of them, but I don't know what that movie would be. Unless we're counting Halle Berry, too, but I still don't know what that movie would be.
Posted by: Lance McMillian | February 09, 2010 at 01:21 PM
I forgot about Forrest Whitaker, which means The Great Debaters in the answer.
Posted by: Lance McMillian | February 09, 2010 at 01:46 PM
Lance, correct! So here's a summary. If the question is asked in a manner limited to Best Actor winners, the answer is THE GREAT DEBATERS (Denzel Washington for TRAINING DAY and Forest Whitaker for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND). If you expand the question to include all acting awards, the additional answers are A RAISIN IN THE SUN (Sidney Poitier for LILIES OF THE FIELD and Louis Gossett Jr. for AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN), GLORY (Denzel again, and Morgan Freeman for MILLION DOLLAR BABY), and AMERICAN GANGSTER (Denzel again, and Cuba Gooding Jr. for JERRY MAGUIRE).
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | February 09, 2010 at 02:27 PM
If Morgan Freeman were to win this year (INVICTUS), then GLORY would join THE GREAT DEBATERS as films with dual Best Actor winners.
The difference (which could be used to fashion additional trivia questions) is that GLORY would feature two future Best Actor winners, and THE GREAT DEBATERS would feature two previous Best Actor winners.
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | February 09, 2010 at 02:40 PM
Does removing the "for my acting talents" condition change the answer?
Posted by: Just Curious | February 09, 2010 at 05:38 PM
Just Curious: I don't know. But given the number of awards given to non-actors (e.g., directors, screenwriters, musicians, set designers, wardrobe, etc.), removing the phrase could add additional movies to the list of answers.
Posted by: Tim Zinnecker | February 09, 2010 at 05:48 PM
I think Jamie Foxx was also in Ali with Will Smith.
Posted by: Stephen | February 10, 2010 at 12:17 AM
Whoops, just realized that Will Smith didn't win an Oscar for that film. Could have fooled me.
Posted by: Stephen | February 10, 2010 at 12:18 AM