Buzz
As the Oscars approach, I decided to create a unique Academy Award compilation. With countless Oscar lists already available, I aimed to present mine in a fresh and engaging style. This countdown-style list (from 10 to 1, plus a bonus at 0) uses numbers to signify the quantity of achievements, detailing each accordingly. Think of it as a list nested within another list. All accomplishments mentioned here are based on records prior to the 82nd Academy Awards, set for March 7, 2010.
10. Triple Winners
Achievement: Ten Oscar Winners Featured in Three Best Picture Oscar-Winning Films
1. Donald Crisp starred in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), The Life of Emile Zola (1937), and How Green Was My Valley (1941).
2. Clark Gable appeared in It Happened One Night (1934), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), and Gone With the Wind (1939).
3. John Gielgud featured in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Chariots of Fire (1981), and Gandhi (1982).
4. Hugh Griffith performed in Ben-Hur (1959), Tom Jones (1963), and Oliver! (1968).
5. Dustin Hoffman acted in Midnight Cowboy (1969), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Rain Man (1988).
6. Diane Keaton starred in The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974), and Annie Hall (1977).
7. Shirley MacLaine appeared in Around the World in 80 Days (1956), The Apartment (1960), and Terms of Endearment (1983).
8. Meryl Streep featured in The Deer Hunter (1978), Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), and Out of Africa (1985).
9. Morgan Freeman performed in Driving Miss Daisy (1989), Unforgiven (1992), and Million Dollar Baby (2004).
10. Jack Nicholson acted in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), Terms of Endearment (1983), and The Departed.
Interesting Fact: In Million Dollar Baby, Morgan Freeman was initially considered for the lead role of Frankie Dunn. However, before Clint Eastwood took over as director and star, Freeman chose to portray Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris instead.
9. Tony and Oscar
Achievement: Nine Actors Who Won Both a Tony Award and an Oscar for the Same Role
1. José Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac (1947/1950)
2. Shirley Booth in Come Back, Little Sheba (1950/1953)
3. Yul Brynner in The King and I (1952/1956)
4. Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady (1957/1964)
5. Anne Bancroft in The Miracle Worker (1960/1962)
6. Paul Scofield in A Man for All Seasons (1962/1966)
7. Jack Albertson in The Subject Was Roses (1965/1968)
8. Joel Grey in Cabaret (1967/1973)
9. Lila Kedrova achieved this in reverse. She won an Oscar for Zorba the Greek in 1964 and, two decades later, secured a Tony for the same role in Zorba in 1984.
Interesting Fact: In The King and I, three musical sequences were filmed but ultimately cut from the final movie. These included: “My Lord and Master” (a ballad by Tuptim after her palace arrival), “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” (a comical soliloquy where Anna vents her frustrations at the King), and “I Have Dreamed” (a duet for Tuptim and Lun Tha). The cuts were made because “My Lord and Master” and “I Have Dreamed” were deemed non-essential to the plot, while “Shall I Tell You What I Think of You?” risked making Anna appear overly critical and nagging.
8. Posthumous Nomination
Achievement: Eight Instances of Posthumous Actor Nominations
1. Jeanne Eagels, The Letter (Nominated for Best Actress) 1928/9
2. James Dean, East of Eden (Nominated for Best Actor) 1955
3. James Dean, Giant (Nominated for Best Actor) 1956
4. Spencer Tracy, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (Nominated for Best Actor) 1967
5. Peter Finch, Network (Won Best Actor) 1976
6. Ralph Richardson, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan (Nominated for Best Supporting Actor) 1984
7. Massimo Troisi, Il Postino (Nominated for Best Actor) 1995
8. Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (Won Best Supporting Actor) 2008
Interesting Fact: To prepare for his portrayal of The Joker, Heath Ledger secluded himself in a hotel room for nearly six weeks. During this time, he immersed himself in the character's psyche. Ledger's depiction of The Joker's appearance drew inspiration from punk rocker Sid Vicious and the unsettling demeanor of Malcolm McDowell’s Alex De Large from A Clockwork Orange.
7. Non-Speaking Roles
Achievement: Seven Oscar Nominations for Performances Without Dialogue
1. Jane Wyman, Johnny Belinda (Won Best Actress) (1948)
2. Patty Duke, The Miracle Worker (Won Best Supporting Actress) (1962)
3. John Mills, Ryan’s Daughter (Won Best Supporting Actor) (1970)
4. Marlee Matlin, Children of a Lesser God (Won Best Actress) (1986)
5. Holly Hunter, The Piano (Won Best Actress) (1993)
6. Samantha Morton, Sweet and Lowdown (Nominated for Best Supporting Actress) (1999)
7. Rinko Kikuchi, Babel (Nominated for Best Supporting Actress) (2006)
Interesting Fact: During the filming of The Miracle Worker, Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke wore protective padding under their costumes to avoid injuries during the physically demanding dining room scene. This intense nine-minute sequence, shot with three cameras, took five days to complete. You can view the scene here.
6. Non-English Roles
Achievement: Six Oscar Wins for Performances in a Language Other Than English
1. Sophia Loren, Two Women (Italian) 1960
2. Robert DeNiro, The Godfather Part II (Italian) 1974
3. Roberto Benigni, Life Is Beautiful (Italian) 1997
4. Benicio del Toro, Traffic (Spanish) 2000
5. Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose (French) 2007
6. Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Spanish) 2008
Interesting Fact: Penelope Cruz's Oscar win for her portrayal of Maria Elena in Vicky Cristina Barcelona continues a pattern of young actresses securing Best Supporting Actress awards in Woody Allen films. Previous recipients include Mira Sorvino for Mighty Aphrodite (1995) and Dianne Wiest for Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994).
5. Back-To-Back Oscars
Achievement: Five Actors Who Won Oscars in Consecutive Years
1. Luise Rainer: Best Actress for The Great Ziegfeld (1936) and Best Actress for The Good Earth (1937)
2. Spencer Tracy: Best Actor for Captains Courageous (1937) and Best Actor for Boys Town (1938)
3. Katharine Hepburn: Best Actress for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) and Best Actress for A Lion in Winter (1968)
4. Jason Robards: Best Supporting Actor for All the President’s Men (1976) and Best Supporting Actor for Julia (1977)
5. Tom Hanks: Best Actor for Philadelphia (1993) and Best Actor for Forrest Gump (1994)
Interesting Fact: Luise Rainer (pictured above) holds the distinction of being the first woman to win two Academy Awards and the first person to win them consecutively. She is also the oldest living Oscar winner. Born to Jewish parents in Dusseldorf, Germany, Rainer starred in three German films before fleeing the rise of the Nazis. In 1935, she accepted a contract with M-G-M and moved to Hollywood with her parents. Now residing in London, she celebrated her 100th birthday on January 12, 2010. Watch her 100th birthday tribute here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVCWkOh_KHY
4. Female Best Director
Achievement: Four Women Nominated for Best Director
It’s surprising, given the many talented female directors over the years, that no woman has won an Oscar for Best Director, and only four have been nominated.
1. Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties (1976)
2. Jane Campion for The Piano (1993)
3. Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation (2003)
4. Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
Note: The Hurt Locker premiered in Italy in 2008 before its U.S. release in 2009, making it eligible for the upcoming Academy Awards. Kathryn Bigelow could become the first woman to win an Oscar for Best Director.
Interesting Fact: Lina Wertmüller’s films often mirror her strong political beliefs, with protagonists frequently portrayed as anarchists, communists, feminists, or a combination of these ideologies.
1. The Big Five
Achievement: Three Films Winning Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Writing
In the industry, this accomplishment is referred to as “The Big Five” or the “Oscar Grand Slam.”
1. It Happened One Night (1934) Director: Frank Capra, Actor: Clark Gable, Actress: Claudette Colbert, Writing Adaptation: Robert Riskin
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Director: Miloš Forman, Actor: Jack Nicholson, Actress: Louise Fletcher, Writing Adapted Screenplay: Laurence Hauben and Bo Goldman
3. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) Director: Jonathan Demme, Actor: Anthony Hopkins, Actress: Jodie Foster, Writing Adapted Screenplay: Ted Tally
Interesting Fact: Clark Gable gifted his Oscar for It Happened One Night to a young admirer, emphasizing that winning the award was what mattered, not keeping it. The child later returned the Oscar to the Gable family after Clark’s passing in 1960.
0. Science Fiction
Achievement: No Science Fiction Film Has Ever Won Best Picture
Science fiction films have rarely been favored by the Academy. This year, both District 9 and Avatar are nominated for Best Picture, and a win by either would be the first for a sci-fi film. Historically, only a few sci-fi movies have been nominated, including A Clockwork Orange (1971), Star Wars (1977), and E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982).
Interesting Fact: The origin of the nickname “Oscar” has several theories. Bette Davis reportedly said the statue’s backside resembled her husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Another tale credits Margaret Herrick, the Academy’s first librarian, who thought it looked like her uncle Oscar. Columnist Sidney Skolsky claimed he coined the term as a vaudeville reference in his writing. The Academy officially adopted the name Oscar in 1939.
3. Four Oscars
Achievement: One Actor Winning Four Oscars
Katharine Hepburn holds the record for the most acting Oscars won by an individual. Her wins include: Morning Glory (1933), Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967), The Lion in Winter (1968), and On Golden Pond (1981). All four awards were for Best Actress. You can view her Oscars here.
Interesting Fact: Cate Blanchett achieved a unique feat by winning an Oscar for portraying a real-life Oscar-winning actor. She won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Katharine Hepburn in the 2004 film The Aviator.
2. Self-Directing
Achievement: Two Directors Who Won Acting Oscars in Films They Directed
1. Laurence Olivier, Director and Best Actor for Hamlet (1948)
2. Roberto Benigni, Director and Best Actor for Life Is Beautiful (1998)
Neither Olivier nor Benigni won the Oscar for Best Director.
Interesting Fact: In Hamlet, Laurence Olivier provided the voice for Hamlet’s father’s ghost by recording his dialogue and playing it back at a slower speed, creating an eerie effect. You can listen to the voice at the 2-minute and 49-second mark in this clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gu46pOY0itc
