09 · 25 · 18 Who Was the First Mexican to Win an Oscar? Share with twitter Share with facebook Share with mail Copy to clipboard Born in Cuernavaca, Morelos, Emile Kuri became the first Mexican to win an Oscar thanks to his outstanding work as Art Director in the 1949 film The Heiress (dir. William Wyler). Emile Kuri Overall, Emile Kuri won two Oscars for Best Production Design by The Heiress (1949, dir. William Wyler) and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1954, dir. Richard Fleischer). He was nominated six more times to the same category. Kuri had the record of being the Mexican with the most Oscar nominations (eight in all); but in 2015, Emmanuel Lubezki matched the number of nominations thanks to his work as a cinematographer in The Revenant, by Alejandro González Iñárritu. The Morelense of Lebanese parents died in 2000 at age 93 in Los Angeles, California. Following are the films that for 73 years gave Emile Kuri the title of the Mexican with more nominations in the history of the Oscar:
