Twenty years ago, Will Smith captivated audiences with his portrayal of the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali.

It was a breakout performance that nearly won him his first Golden Globe Award. Nevertheless, it would be another two decades before the rapper-turned-actor finally claimed the prestigious award. After previously being nominated for a Golden Globe Award five times, his role as Richard Williams in a biopic called King Richard earned him the “Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama” award. The announcement was made last night during a closed ceremony.

Will Smith’s performance in the heartwarming story about how a father from Compton, California coached his two daughters, Venus and Serena Williams, into stardom and complete domination of the tennis world is said to have been one of his best of all time. Smith joins Forest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Sidney Poitier, and Chadwick Boseman as the only Black men to win the award in the show’s 79-year history.