Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“Da 5 Bloods”
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
“Minari”
“One Night in Miami”
WINNER: “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “Hillbilly Elegy”
WINNER: Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman”
Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”
Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in a Motion Picture
Riz Ahmed, “The Sounds of Metal”
WINNER: Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Father”
Gary Oldman, “Mank”
Steven Yeun, “Minari”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”
Glenn Close, “Hillbilly Elegy”
Olivia Colman, “The Father”
WINNER: Youn Yuh-jung, “Minari”
Helena Zengel, “News of the World”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Chadwick Boseman, “Da 5 Bloods”
Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
WINNER: Daniel Kaluuya, “Judas and the Black Messiah”
Jared Leto, “The Little Things”
Leslie Odom Jr., “One Night in Miami”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
“Better Call Saul”
WINNER: “The Crown”
“Bridgerton”
“Lovecraft Country”
“Ozark”
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
“Dead To Me”
“The Flight Attendant”
“The Great”
WINNER: “Schitt’s Creek”
“Ted Lasso”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER: Gillian Anderson, “The Crown”
Olivia Colman, “The Crown”
Emma Corrin, “The Crown”
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
WINNER: Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Josh O’Connor, “The Crown”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”
Regé-Jean Page, “Bridgerton”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, “Dead to Me”
Linda Cardellini, “Dead to Me”
Kaley Cuoco, “The Flight Attendant”
Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”
WINNER: Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Nicholas Hoult, “The Great”
Dan Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek”
WINNER: Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”
Ramy Youssef, “Ramy”
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Cate Blanchett, “Mrs. America”
Michaela Coel, “I May Destroy You”
Nicole Kidman, “The Undoing”
WINNER: Anya Taylor-Joy, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Kerry Washington, “Little Fires Everywhere”
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Bill Camp, “The Queen’s Gambit”
Daveed Diggs, “Hamilton”
Hugh Grant, “The Undoing”
Ethan Hawke, “The Good Lord Bird”
WINNER: Mark Ruffalo, “I Know This Much Is True”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
“News of the World”
WINNER: “Wonder Woman 1984”
“Mulan”
“Da 5 Bloods”
“The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
“The Boys”
“Cobra Kai”
“Lovecraft Country”
WINNER: “The Mandalorian”
“Westworld”
More Info: Screen Actors Guild Awards
Previous year winners are Burada
Looking back from 2026, the 2021 SAG Awards are widely regarded as a landmark ceremony for recognizing diverse casts and performances, with 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' and 'Minari' setting a precedent for the inclusive voting trends that have shaped the Screen Actors Guild Awards in the years since.
About the 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
The 27th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony took place on April 4, 2021, broadcast live on TNT and TBS. The event was held under unprecedented circumstances, with the ongoing global pandemic reshaping the format significantly. Rather than gathering nominees and presenters in a single grand ballroom, producers organized a series of intimate, smaller gatherings at satellite locations across the country, allowing for a safer and more personal celebration of the year’s most celebrated performances.
The Screen Actors Guild Awards hold a distinctive place in the awards season calendar because the voting body consists entirely of working actors, numbering over 160,000 SAG-AFTRA members. This peer-to-peer recognition makes a SAG Award among the most meaningful distinctions an actor can receive, as it reflects the direct admiration and respect of fellow professionals in the craft. The ceremony is also notable for honoring ensemble casts rather than focusing solely on individual achievement, a philosophy that underscores the collaborative nature of performance at its highest level.
The 2021 ceremony was hosted with warm, understated elegance, and its results sent a powerful signal about the direction of industry recognition, favoring stories rooted in cultural specificity, historical reckoning, and human resilience.
Key Highlights and Standout Moments from the SAG Awards 2021
The 2021 SAG Awards delivered several moments that will remain significant in the broader conversation about representation and excellence in performance.
Chadwick Boseman’s Posthumous Honor
Perhaps the most emotionally resonant moment of the evening was the posthumous win for Chadwick Boseman in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Levee in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 following a private battle with colon cancer, received the award in absentia, with his wife Taylor Simone Ledward accepting on his behalf. Her speech, delivered with grace and composure, moved viewers across the globe and cemented the win as one of the most poignant in SAG Awards history.
“The Crown” Dominates Drama Television
Netflix’s lavish royal drama “The Crown” proved to be the dominant force in the television drama categories, securing wins for Outstanding Ensemble in a Drama Series and Outstanding Female Actor in a Drama Series for Gillian Anderson’s commanding portrayal of Margaret Thatcher. The series demonstrated that streaming platforms had fully consolidated their authority within the prestige television landscape.
Youn Yuh-jung Makes History
Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung became the first Korean performer to win a SAG Award, taking home Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role for her luminous performance in “Minari.” The win was celebrated internationally and underscored a growing global appetite for stories told beyond the traditional Hollywood framework.
The Legacy and Cultural Impact of the SAG Awards 2021 Winners
Looking at the SAG Awards 2021 winners list in full, a clear and compelling narrative emerges. The ceremony reflected a moment of meaningful transition within the entertainment industry, one in which stories centered on Black American history, immigrant family experience, and international talent were not simply nominated but celebrated as the finest work of the year.
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, secured two of the ceremony’s most prestigious acting prizes and introduced or reintroduced audiences worldwide to the towering legacy of blues pioneer Ma Rainey. “Minari,” Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical portrait of a Korean American family building a new life in rural Arkansas, earned recognition for both its ensemble and its supporting performance, validating the film’s universal emotional resonance despite being largely performed in Korean.
The television categories told an equally rich story. “Schitt’s Creek” claimed two comedy wins in what was effectively a victory lap for a series that had built its devoted audience slowly before exploding into mainstream recognition. “Ted Lasso,” meanwhile, signaled the arrival of a new cultural phenomenon, with Jason Sudeikis winning for a performance that balanced humor with genuine emotional depth.
The stunt ensemble categories also reinforced the critical importance of physical performance craft within the industry. “Wonder Woman 1984” and “The Mandalorian” were recognized for the extraordinary coordination, skill, and courage their stunt teams brought to the screen, a reminder that storytelling is a collaborative endeavor at every level of production.
