Ruth E. Carter has become the first Black woman to win two Oscars.
Carter made history at the 95th Academy Awards as she took home the “Best Costume Design” award on Sunday night for the Marvel sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She also won in 2018 for “Black Panther,” which made her the first African American to win in the category.
In her acceptance speech, Carter told the audience that her mother died earlier in the week at 101.
“This film prepared me for this moment,” she said, and then referenced the late “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020, and asked him to “please take care of mom.”
Carter played an influential role as a lead costume designer in making “Black Panther” a cultural phenomenon as she infused the pride of the African diaspora into the character’s stylish and colorful garments to help bring Wakanda to life.
Here are some facts about her.
1. Ruth Carter was born on April 10, 1960.
2. She graduated from Hampton Institute, currently known as Hampton University, Virginia, in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
3. Carter began her career working as an intern in her hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, and at the Santa Fe Opera.
4. She met director Spike Lee, who hired her for his second film, School Daze (1988), and with whom she worked on a number of films thereafter, including Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992). other films she has worked on for Spike Lee, include Oldboy (2013), Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014), and Chi-Raq (2015).
5. Carter has worked with legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg and John Singleton and has dressed actors from Denzel Washington to Josh Brolin, and actresses from Angela Bassett to Jane Fonda.
6. Carter is also known for her work on What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993), Serenity (2005), Four Brothers (2005), Sparkle (2012), The Butler (2013) directed by Lee Daniels, and Selma (2014) directed by Ava DuVernay.
7. She received the 2019 Academy Award for Best Costume Design, for her work in Black Panther making her the first black woman to win the Academy Award in that category.
8. Carter received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the film category in 2021.
9. She has been nominated four times for the Best Costume Design Award at the Academy Awards.
