‘Wicked’s Paul Tazewell Becomes First Black Man To Win Oscar For Costume Design

Paul Tazewell made history on Sunday night as the first Black man to win to an Oscar for costume design.

After hugging presenter Bowen Yang, who was wearing one of his Wicked costumes on stage, Tazewell took a moment to talk about how significant this award is for him.

“Thank you Academy for this very significant honor. I’m the first Black man to receive a costume design award…” he was saying before being interrupted by a standing ovation in the audience.

If Hollywood is just now recognizing Tazewell, the costume designer has long been a staple of New York theater, launching his Broadway career in 1996 with Bring in ‘Da Noise, Bring in ‘Da Funk and winning a Tony Award for his costume designs for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton. Caroline, Or Change, The Color Purple, In The Heights, Ain’t Too Proud, and the note-perfect recreations of Michael Jackson’s iconic looks for MJ are just a sampling of his Broadway credits. Last year he designed the gorgeous early 20th Century costumes for the musical Suffs, and he is currently represented on Broadway with the hilariously over-the-top costumes of Death Becomes Her.

Though his Broadway career has brought him many Tony Awards – and Death Becomes Her is likely to get him another nomination this spring – it was the film adaptation of musical Wicked that gave him his Oscar. “Thank you everyone in the UK for all your beautiful work, I could not have done this without you,” he says. “My muses – Cynthia and Ariana; I love you so much… Thank you for trusting me with bringing your characters to life.”