--- title: Best Oscar Speeches: Video description: From Halle Berry to Robin Williams canonical: https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/ author: ashley Ross article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-02-26T20:55:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T15:25:34.788Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Watch 13 of the Most Inspiring Oscar Speeches Ever og:description: From Halle Berry to Robin Williams og:url: https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch 13 of the Most Inspiring Oscar Speeches Ever twitter:description: From Halle Berry to Robin Williams twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch 13 of the Most Inspiring Oscar Speeches Ever by [ashley Ross](/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Feb 26, 2016 8:55 PM CUT by [ashley Ross](/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Feb 26, 2016 8:55 PM CUT The [88th Academy Awards](http://time.com/4235711/oscars-2016-guide/ "undefined") will surely bring a handful of heartfelt speeches that go beyond simply thanking the Academy. From an adorable and young Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to the moving honesty of [Lupita Nyong’o](http://time.com/4132884/lupita-nyongo-star-wars-the-force-awakens-diversity/ "undefined"), see some of the most incredible [Oscar](http://time.com/4178963/oscar-nominations-2016/ "undefined") speeches from years past. **Anna Paquin, 1994, Best Supporting Actress for** **_The Piano_** **Tom Hanks, 1994, Best Actor for** **_Philadelphia_** **Cuba Gooding Jr., 1997, Best Supporting Actor for** **_Jerry Maguire_** **Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, 1998, Best Original Screenplay for** **_Good Will Hunting_** **Robin Williams, 1998, Best Supporting Actor for** **_Good Will Hunting_** **Gwyneth Paltrow, 1999, Best Actress for** **_Shakespeare in Love_** **Roberto Benigni, 1999, Best Actor for** **_Life Is Beautiful_** **Halle Berry, 2002, Best Actress for** **_Monster’s Ball_** **Philip Seymour Hoffman, 2006, Best Actor for** **_Capote_** **Jennifer Hudson, 2007, Best Supporting Actress for** **_Dreamgirls_** **Octavia Spencer, 2012, Best Supporting Actress for** **_The Help_** **Lupita Nyong’o, 2014, Best Supporting Actress for** **_12 Years a Slave_** **Graham Moore, 2015, Best Adapted Screenplay for** **_The Imitation Game_** ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/"},"headline":"Watch 13 of the Most Inspiring Oscar Speeches Ever","datePublished":"2016-02-26T20:55:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:25:34.788Z","description":"These goosebump-inducing speeches prove the winners are much more than stars on the red carpet","url":"https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/","keywords":["movies"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"ashley Ross","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4239297/best-oscars-speeches/","name":"Watch 13 of the Most Inspiring Oscar Speeches Ever"}}]}] ```