She walked onto that stage in a shimmering soft blue gown, flanked by five past winners, and the air just kinda left the room. Honestly, if you watched the 96th Academy Awards, you knew it was coming. Da’Vine Joy Randolph didn’t just win an Oscar; she completed one of the most dominant awards season sweeps in modern Hollywood history. It wasn't just a win. It was a coronation.
Most people see the trophy and think "overnight success." They couldn't be more wrong. Before the world was obsessed with Mary Lamb, the grieving, sharp-tongued cook in The Holdovers, Da'Vine was already a powerhouse in the New York theater scene. But 2024 was the year the rest of the world finally caught up to what Broadway insiders and Yale Drama geeks have known for over a decade.
The Holdovers: A Literal Clean Sweep
When we talk about awards won by da'vine joy randolph, we have to start with the "Big Five" of the 2023-2024 film season. It’s rare for an actor to win every single major televised precursor, but she did it with a sort of quiet, undeniable grace.
She won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. Then came the Critics' Choice Award. Then the BAFTA across the pond in London. Then the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, which is usually the big one because it’s voted on by her actual peers. By the time the Oscars rolled around in March 2024, the betting odds were so skewed in her favor that the other nominees—heavy hitters like Emily Blunt and Jodie Foster—seemed to be there just to enjoy the show.
But look, it wasn't just the big televised ones. The sheer volume of critics' groups that handed her their top prize is actually kind of staggering.
- New York Film Critics Circle (Winner)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association (Winner)
- National Board of Review (Winner)
- Boston Society of Film Critics (Winner)
Basically, if there was a group of people who watched movies for a living in 2023, they likely voted for her. Her performance as Mary Lamb was a masterclass in "stillness." In a movie where Paul Giamatti is doing his classic (and brilliant) "grumpy academic" thing, Da’Vine provides the emotional heartbeat. She managed to portray grief not as a loud, weeping mess, but as a heavy, exhausting weight. People felt that.
That Oscar Speech and the "See Me" Moment
The actual Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actress was the peak. If you haven't seen the speech, go find it. It's raw. She talked about her mother telling her to "go across the street to that theater department" because there was something there for her.
She also gave a shout-out to her publicist, which is kinda unheard of in an Oscar speech. People usually thank their agents or directors, but she thanked the person who stood by her when nobody was looking. "I pray to God I get to do this more than once," she said. It was a reminder that for Black actresses in Hollywood, these moments aren't just about talent; they're about visibility. She kept repeating, "Thank you for seeing me."
The Breakout Before the Breakout
Before the awards won by da'vine joy randolph became a daily headline, she was stealing scenes in Dolemite Is My Name (2019). Playing Lady Reed opposite Eddie Murphy, she was the soul of that movie. She actually won the AAFCA Award (African-American Film Critics Association) and a few Black Reel Awards for that role.
It’s easy to forget that she also has a Tony Award nomination. Back in 2012, she played Oda Mae Brown in Ghost: The Musical. She was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She didn’t win that night, but the industry took notice. You can see the trajectory if you look close enough. From Broadway to scene-stealing film roles, to the absolute summit of the Academy Awards.
The TV Accolades You Might Have Missed
While her film work gets the glitz, her TV work has been getting some serious love lately too. If you’re a fan of Only Murders in the Building, you know her as Detective Williams. She’s the no-nonsense cop who constantly has to deal with Steve Martin and Martin Short's nonsense.
In 2024, she grabbed a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for that role. She didn't win the Emmy that year, but being nominated alongside comedy legends is its own kind of trophy. She has this weird, cool ability to be the funniest person in the room and the most heartbreaking person in the room at the same time. Not many actors can pull that off.
A Quick Reality Check on the Stats
To put her 2024 run into perspective, she joined a very exclusive club of actors who "swept" the season. We’re talking about the kind of run Christopher Waltz had for Inglourious Basterds or JK Simmons for Whiplash.
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- Academy Award: Best Supporting Actress
- Golden Globe: Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture
- SAG Award: Outstanding Supporting Female Actor
- BAFTA: Best Supporting Actress
- Critics' Choice: Best Supporting Actress
That’s five out of five. It's the "Grand Slam" of acting.
Why This Win Changed the Game
A lot of people think of awards as just shiny statues, but for someone like Da'Vine, they are leverage. For years, she was the "reliable character actress." She was the one you hired to make a scene better, but she wasn't necessarily the one on the poster.
The Oscar win changed the math. Since that win, her name is the one that gets projects greenlit. She was named one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People in 2024. That’s not an "acting" award, but it's a massive recognition of her cultural footprint.
The industry finally stopped seeing her as just a "guest star" or a "supporting player" and started seeing her as a lead. That’s the real prize. The trophies are great for the mantelpiece, but the freedom to pick your own projects is the actual win.
Honestly, the most interesting thing about her awards journey is how much she stayed herself. She didn't try to fit the "Hollywood starlet" mold. She kept her Philly roots, she kept her theater-kid energy, and she kept her Yale-trained discipline.
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If you want to track her future wins, keep an eye on her upcoming lead roles. The "supporting" era of her career is likely over. She’s entered the "above the title" phase. And based on her track record, she’s probably going to need a bigger trophy room.
Next Steps to Follow Her Career:
- Watch her breakthrough performance: If you haven't seen The Holdovers yet, watch it for the nuances in her performance—especially the scene at the Christmas party.
- Explore her theater roots: Look for clips of her in Ghost: The Musical to see the vocal range that originally earned her a Tony nomination.
- Track current projects: Follow her upcoming film slate, as she is currently moving into lead actress territory, which will likely lead to her first Best Actress (rather than Supporting) nominations.