NC native Ariana DeBose wins Oscar for Best Supporting Actress
North Carolina native Ariana DeBose took home an Oscar Sunday night for Best Supporting Actress at the 94th Academy Awards.
DeBose played Anita in Steven Spielberg's “West Side Story” remake. She also won a Golden Globe, BAFTA, Critic's' Choice, and Screen Actors Guild award for the performance.
Other Best Supporting Actress nominees include:
- Jessie Buckley, "The Lost Daughter"
- Judi Dench, "Belfast"
- Kirsten Dunst, "The Power of the Dog"
- Aunjanue Ellis, "King Richard"
DeBose, who grew up in the Triangle, is the first Afro-Latina, openly queer actor of color to win an Academy Award for acting.
DeBose went to Wake Forest High School and trained at CC & Co. Dance Complex on Six Forks Road in Raleigh between sixth grade and graduation.
Christy Curtis, the owner of CC & Co. Dance Complex, said DeBose is proving anything is possible when you follow your dreams.
"I think the really, really cool part is that local dancers can see themselves in a trajectory of where they can get with their dance training. I mean it’s just so inspiring to so many right now," she said.
DeBose was accompanied at the Oscars by her mother, who is a teacher at Wakefield Middle School.
In 2018, DeBose was a Tony nominee for her work in "Summer: The Donna Summer Musical." She was also in the original cast of "Hamilton," playing the role of the Bullet, and you can see her in the film version of the show, which is on Disney+.
