A Definitive Guide to Random Oscar Facts

MOST AWARDS

When a single movie dominated Hollywood’s biggest night

YOUNGEST WINNERS

Talent–and recognition for it–isn’t always contingent on years of experience

EGOT WINNERS

Only 12 people have ever won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony

FAMILY OSCARS

When Oscar success appears to be genetic

POSTHUMOUS AWARDS

Only a few winners didn’t live long enough to accept their honors

BEST-PICTURE UPSETS

When the long-shot contender ousted the favored

COMEBACKS

Sometimes an Oscar is the ultimate (career) redemption

1959 / 1988 / 1997

GIGI / THE LAST EMPEROR / THE ENGLISH PATIENT

The musical, biopic and romantic drama, respectively, each won 10 Oscars.

1932

NORMAN TAUROG

The prolific filmmaker won his first and only Oscar for Best Director when he was 32, for the comedy Skippy.

1932

HELEN HAYES

The legendary performer and triple-crown-acting winner scored for her first talking picture, The Sin of Madelon Claudet.

EGOT: 1977

1942

JOAN FONTAINE, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

The only siblings to win lead acting awards, the younger Fontaine won first, in 1942, and de Havilland would go on to win twice.

1960

WILLIAM A. HORNING, SAM ZIMBALIST

Ben-Hur’s art director and producer both died before they could collect their Oscars.

1942

HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY

The drama about a Welsh family is more of a retrospective upset, with many modern critics finding Citizen Kane more deserving.

1954

FRANK SINATRA

The crooner bounced back from a stalled career in the early 1950s with a Best Supporting Actor win in From Here to Eternity.

1960

BEN-HUR

The most expensive movie of its time also broke awards records with 11 Oscars, losing only in the category for Adapted Screenplay.

1973

TATUM O’NEAL

The child actor was 10 years old when she won Best Supporting Actress for her role as a young con artist in Paper Moon.

1946

RICHARD RODGERS

The decorated composer won his first of 15 Oscars with lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II for a wistful song from the musical State Fair.

EGOT: 1962

1949

THE HUSTONS

John Huston won two Oscars in 1949 and directed both his father and daughter, Walter in 1949 and Anjelica in 1986, to Oscars.

1969

WALT DISNEY

The legendary animator died at 65, two years before winning his 22nd Oscar, for short film Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.

1977

ROCKY

Like its titular character, the crowd-pleasing boxing movie was an underdog in a field that included Network, Taxi Driver and All the President’s Men.

1968

KATHARINE HEPBURN

A string of flops in the ’30s earned her the label “box-office poison.” Decades later, she would win her second of four Oscars–a record for acting awards that still stands.

1962

WEST SIDE STORY

The adaptation of the 1957 Broadway show won 10 Oscars, still the most ever for a movie musical.

1981

TIMOTHY HUTTON

Hutton was 20 when he became the youngest male to win Best Supporting Actor, for the drama Ordinary People.

1962

RITA MORENO

The triple-threat singer, actor and dancer won for her role as Anita in the film adaptation of West Side Story.

EGOT: 1977

1972

THE FONDAS

Daughter Jane won first for Klute in 1972 and Coming Home in 1979, with father Henry winning in 1982 for On Golden Pond.

1977

PETER FINCH

Two months after dying of a heart attack, the Network actor became the first person to win a posthumous acting award.

1990

DRIVING MISS DAISY

Voters chose palatable over challenging (Born on the Fourth of July), not to mention the Academy’s overlooking Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, now a classic.

1973

MARLON BRANDO

With his Best Actor trophy for The Godfather, he returned from a series of poorly received films and a reputation as being difficult to work with on set.

1998

TITANIC

The epic romance won 11 Oscars and, with All About Eve, held the record for most nominations (14)–now joined by La La Land.

1987

MARLEE MATLIN

The 21-year-old won Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God, becoming the only deaf actor ever to win an Oscar.

1969

MEL BROOKS

The funnyman won an Oscar for Best Screenplay for his satirical directorial debut, The Producers.

EGOT: 2001

1979

JON VOIGHT, ANGELINA JOLIE

Father Jon won in 1979 for Coming Home, and daughter Angelina won in 2000 for Girl, Interrupted.

1992

HOWARD ASHMAN

The Disney composer won Best Song for Beauty and the Beast’s theme and received subsequent posthumous nominations for Aladdin.

1999

SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE

After heavy lobbying by Harvey Weinstein, the 16th century romance beat front runner Saving Private Ryan.

2013

BEN AFFLECK

The years between his writing Oscar for Good Will Hunting and Best Picture for Argo saw several misfires–Jersey Girl, Gigli–and negative tabloid press.

2004

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING

Winning all 11 Oscars for which it was nominated, the fantasy film had the largest sweep in Oscar history.

2003

ADRIEN BRODY

Brody was 29 when he won Best Actor for his role as the Polish composer Wladyslaw Szpilman in the World War II drama The Pianist.

1991

WHOOPI GOLDBERG

The actor-comedian took home Best Supporting Actress for playing a medium in the romantic drama Ghost.

EGOT: 2002

1971

THE COPPOLAS

Francis began the family’s winning streak with a screenwriting Oscar, followed by awards for father Carmine (score), daughter Sofia (screenplay) and nephew Nicolas Cage (acting).

2009

HEATH LEDGER

The 28-year-old died exactly one month before being named Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.

2005

CRASH

Many viewed Brokeback Mountain as the better film and its loss as evidence of anti-gay sentiment in the Academy. Even Crash director Paul Haggis later called his film’s win undeserved.

2014

MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY

A promising debut gave way to a decade of frivolous rom-coms before the McConaissance was cemented with a Best Actor win for Dallas Buyers Club.

2017

LA LA LAND

The musical must win 12 of its 14 nominations to break the record. Because it’s nominated twice in one category, the most wins it can nab is 13.

Lucas Hedges, 20, could tie for youngest Best Supporting Actor, in Manchester by the Sea.

Damien Chazelle, 32, could tie for youngest Best Director, for La La Land.

LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA

The Hamilton mastermind will earn an EGOT this year if he wins Best Song for Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go.”

THE AFFLECKS

Older brother Ben has one win each for writing and producing; this year, Casey Affleck is a favorite to win Best Actor, in Manchester by the Sea.

AUGUST WILSON

The Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright died in 2005 at age 60. Winning Best Adapted Screenplay for Fences would make him the 16th posthumous Academy Award winner.

ANYTHING BUT LA LA LAND

The musical is heavily favored, though Moonlight is best positioned to edge it out.

MEL GIBSON

The Hacksaw Ridge director is up for Best Director a decade after disastrous publicity for domestic violence and anti-Semitic remarks.

2017 OSCAR FIRSTS?

Barry Jenkins, Moonlight

Could be the first black director to win the award

MOONLIGHT

Could be the first LGBT-themed film to win Best Picture

Ava Duvernay, 13th

Could be the first black woman to win Best Documentary

Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins

A fourth Oscar would tie her for most acting awards overall

Denzel Washington, Fences

A Best Actor win would break his own record for most awards by a black actor