Mo'Nique is 5th black woman to win acting Oscar

[March 08, 2010]  LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Mo'Nique became the fifth black woman to win an acting Oscar on Sunday night, 70 years after Hattie McDaniel became the first to do so for "Gone with the Wind."

The 42-year-old standup comedienne portrayed an abusive mother in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

"I want to thank Miss Hattie McDaniel for enduring all she had to so that I would not have to," Mo'Nique said in accepting the Oscar.

Her character, Mary Jones, is terrifying and violent and reveals her own brutalized past in the end.

Mo'Nique, who hosts The Mo'Nique Show on BET, was the overwhelming favorite in the run-up to the Oscars, having racked up supporting actress wins at the Golden Globes, Spirit Awards and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, among others.

In the supporting actress category, the only other black Academy Award winners were Jennifer Hudson for "Dreamgirls" (2006) and Whoopi Goldberg for "Ghost" (1990). Halle Berry is the only black Oscar winner in the best actress category, earning the honor for "Monster's Ball" (2001).

Seven black men have won acting awards, including Denzel Washington, who won best actor for both "Training Day" (2001) and "Glory" (1989).

[Associated Press; By RYAN NAKASHIMA]

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