| Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress trophy (1927-28) for a combination of three films: SEVENTH HEAVEN, STREET ANGEL and SUNRISE. The first Best Actor winner was German star, Emil Jannings for THE LAST COMMAND and THE WAY OF ALL FLESH. The first Best Picture award was presented to two films: THE LAST COMMAND and WINGS.
The first "ALL TALKING" film to win the award for Best Picture was BROADWAY MELODY for 1928-29 |
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| Only three films have the distinction of winning all five major awards - BEST PICTURE, BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCREENPLAY, BEST ACTOR, and BEST ACTRESS. The first was IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT in 1934. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST duplicated the feat in 1975 followed by SILENCE OF THE LAMBS in 1991. The only X-Rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar was MIDNIGHT COWBOY in 1969. A year later the X-Rating was lowered to an R-rating in order to reach a larger audience. The film starred Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman. |
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Few stars of the theatre were granted the privilege of recreating the stage roles they made famous in the film version of the play. The stars of Broadway were usually not considered box office guarantees. Sometimes the performance outweighed the risk. A few stars that made the transition from stage to celluloid received the added bonus of an Oscar for their efforts. At that point in their careers, they were suddenly considered box office film stars.
No other actor, but Yul Brynner, was considered for THE KING AND I and his performance was rewarded with the 1956 Oscar for Best Actor. |
| Rex Harrison was "Henry Higgins" in MY FAIR LADY even though Jack Warner offered the role to Cary Grant. Grant turned down the part and Harrison went on to make cinema history and win the Oscar for Best Actor in 1964.
Barbra Streisand won an Oscar for her first film, FUNNY GIRL, in 1968. She tied with Katherine Hepburn (a winner for A LION IN WINTER). Joel Grey recreated his stage role as "Emcee" in CABARET, winning the Best Supporting Actor kudos in 1972. |
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| Two great stars of the stage became Academy Award winners in the 1950s. Jose Ferrer for CYRANO de BERGERAC and Shirley Booth for COME BACK LITTLE SHEBA. | Laurence Olivier won his Oscar for Best actor in 1948 for HAMLET, a stage role he performed hundreds of times around the world.
Paul Scofield, the 1966 Best Actor for A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS. |
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