Latinos and the Oscars

This year Mexican actor Demián Bichir, shown at left, was nominated for and Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film A Better Life (directed by Chris Weitz, coincidentally also of Mexican heritage). Other Latinos/Hispanics to be nominated for the 2012 Oscars include the Argentine-born and French-raised Bérénice Bejo, pictured above, at right, for Best Supporting Actress in the film The Artist; Spaniards Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal, nominated for Best Animated Film for Chico & Rita; Mexican Emmanuel Luebezki, nominated for his cinematography of The Tree of Life; Brazilians Sérgio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown for Best Original Song for their song "Rio" for the film Real in Rio; and Spaniard Alberto Iglesias, nominated for Best Original Score for the American film Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Over the 84-year history of the Academy Awards, Oscar nominations have been given to Latino/Hispanics from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay and the United States... and not just in acting.

• For a list of Argentine Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Brazilian Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Chilean Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Colombian Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Mexican Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Puerto Rican Academy Award winners and nominees, click here. (This list technically includes Joaquin Phoenix, who was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.)

• For a list of Spanish Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Uruguayan Academy Award winners and nominees, click here.

• For a list of Latino/Hispanic Academy Award winners and nominees from the United States, click here. (This list includes an Mexican-American, an American of Mexican-Czech heritage, an American of Mexican-Basque heritage, a Cuban-American and a Puerto Rican born in Brooklyn.)

The list of Academy Award winners (as of press time) from Latin America and Spain is below.

ARGENTINA
Eugenio Zanetti (art direction); Gustavo Santaolalla [twice] and Luis Enríquez Bacalov (original score); Luis Puenzo and Juan José Campanella (foreign film).

MEXICO
Anthony Quinn (acting) [twice]; Emile Kuri [twice], Brigitte Broch, Eugenio Caballero and Pilar Revuelta (art direction); Robert Amram (short subject and documentary short subject; the first and only time a film was given Oscars in both categories in the same year); Guillermo Navarro (cinematography); Beatrice de Alba (makeup).

PUERTO RICO
José Ferrer, Rita Moreno and Benicio Del Toro (acting).

SPAIN
Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz (acting); Gil Parrondo [twice] and Antonio Mateos (art direction); Néstor Almendros (cinematography); Yvonne Blake and Antonio Castillo (costume design); José Luis Garci, Fernando Trueba, Pedro Almodóvar, Alejandro Almenábar (foreign film); Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay); David Martí and Montse Ribé (makeup).