20 interesting Oscar facts

  1. The Oscar statuettes were once made of plaster - during the war.
  2. The first movie to win 1927-28 Best Picture was Wings.
  3. Only one wooden statuette was ever presented. It was to a ventriloquist dummy (Charlie McCarthy)
  4. Two actors have refused their Oscars - George C. Scott for Patton and Marlon Brando for The Godfather.
  5. Marlon Brando, refused his award (Best Actor in 1972 for The Godfather), citing the film industry's discrimination and mistreatment of Native Americans.
  6. The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is the film with the longest title to have won Best Picture.
  7. It has been observed that several of the Academy Award winners – particularly Best Picture – have not stood the test of time or defeated worthier efforts.
  8. The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers.
  9. Katharine Hepburn still holds the record for most number of wins, with 4 victories.
  10. The Best Picture prize has never been given to a film noir, science fiction or an animated film; and rarely are horror, fantasy, comedy and westerns recognized by AMPAS.
  11. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.
  12. Generally regarded as the best film ever made, Citizen Kane was nominated for nine Oscars, including Best Picture and Director. It won just one, for Best Original Screenplay.
  13. The first black man to win Best Actor was Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field in 1963.
  14. The Color Purple still stands as the film with most number of nominations, 11, and not a single win.
  15. Hattie McDaniel was the first black person to win an Oscar; Best Supporting Actress for Gone with the Wind.
  16. Speaking of 11, three films currently hold the record for most Oscars won (which is 11). They are Titanic, Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King, and Ben Hur.
  17. In 2002 Halle Berry became the first black woman to win Best Actress, for Monster's Ball.
  18. Walt Disney holds the record for most wins, with 26.
  19. The Reader director Stephen Daldry is the only person to have been nominated Best Director for every film he has made (three in total).
  20. Shrek was the first film to win Best Animated Feature when the category was introduced in 2001.
Labels: ,