Academy Awards: Amazing Facts

An Academy Award is an award bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of the 1927/1928 film season. The 84th Academy Awards, honoring films in 2011, will be held at the Hollywood & Highland Center Theatre (formerly Kodak Theatre) on February 26, 2012.

Academy Awards Facts

1. The first Academy Awards were held on May 16, 1929 at Hollywood's Roosevelt hotel and tickets for the event were $5. That year, Charlie Chaplin was awarded the Oscars statuette for 'versatility and genius' in acting, writing, directing and producing for 'The Circus.'


2. Walt Disney has won more Oscars than anyone else. He was nominated for 64, and won 26!


3. The actor or actress with the most Oscars is Katharine Hepburn, who starred in old-time classics like The Rainmaker and The African Queen. She won four best actress Oscars.


4. The youngest ever Oscar winner is actress Tatum O'Neal who was 10 when she won best supporting actress for the film Paper Moon.


5. Only three films have even won all top five Oscars - Best Film, Actor, Actress, Director and Writing. They are: It Happened One Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Silence of the Lambs.


6. During World War II, the winners were given Oscar statues made of plaster instead of the usual golden ones, to mark the war effort.


7. 'Titanic' and 'All About Eve' are the two most nominated films in Oscar history with a whooping 14 nominations each. 'Titanic' went on to win 11 of those awards.


8. The Return of the King is the only film ever to have won every single Oscar it was nominated for.


9. The 2009 Oscars drew in just shy of 37 million viewers domestically with Hugh Jackman as the host, marking a 13 percent growth from the ratings for the 79th annual Oscars telecast.


10. Hattie McDaniel, the house servant in 'Gone with the Wind', made history in 1939 by being the first black performer to win an Academy Award.


11. Each Oscar statuette costs $500 to make and weighs approximately 8.5 pounds.


12. Did you know Billy Crystal kept a toothbrush in his pocket all eight times that he hosted the Oscars? As a kid, the comedian would carry his toothbrush in his pocket to use when he made his Oscar speech in the mirror before bed. Crystal continued this tradition every time he hit the big stage.


13. Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson lead the pack for the most Oscar nominations. Streep has been nominated a record 16 times, winning twice. Nicholson earned three awards out of his 12 Oscar nominations.


14. At the age of 29, Adrien Brody made history by being the youngest 'Best Leading Actor' winner for 'The Pianist' in 2002. Tatum O'Neal won 'Best Supporting Actress' for 'Paper Moon' when she was 10, becoming the youngest person to receive an Academy Award.


15. 2006 marked a big year for black actors. Five of the 20 actors nominated were black - the most in Oscar history. They included Will Smith ('The Pursuit of Happyness'), Eddie Murphy ('Dreamgirls'), Jennifer Hudson ('Dreamgirls'), Forest Whitaker ('The Last King of Scotland'), and Djimon Hounsou ('Blood Diamond').

Related Posts by Categories