Not So Unforgettable Oscar-Winning Actors
The Academy Awards are the pinnacle of acclaim in Hollywood, and winning the award is a moment an actor will surely never forget. However, the same can't be said for the audience. From lesser-known performers to big time movie stars—Let's take a look at some of the Oscar-winning actors whose victories have been all but forgotten by so many of us.
Hilary Swank
While Hilary Swank hasn't appeared in much of note over the last decade or so, back around the early 2000s, she was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and one of the most honored as well. By the time Swank was 30 she'd already taken home two Best Actress Oscars for Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby.
Halle Berry
She probably doesn't showcase her Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress in Catwoman, but Halle Berry should proudly have a spot on her mantle for the Best Actress Oscar she won for her performance in the 2001 film, Monster's Ball.
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Will Smith
No one will ever forget the “Slap heard around the world”. The incident overshadowed pretty much everything that happened during that Academy Awards broadcast—including Will Smith's Best Actor win, later in the night, for his performance in King Richard.
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Tommy Lee Jones
Jones has been nominated for four acting Oscars. But while JFK, In the Valley of Elah and Lincoln seem like more Academy-friendly fare, his win actually came for his performance in the 1993 action thriller, The Fugitive.
Frank Sinatra
It would surprise no one to know that Frank Sinatra won 11 Grammy Awards. But while his singing is remembered fondly, some might be surprised to know that Ol' Blue Eyes also earned some hardware for his acting. Specifically a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for the 1953 film, From Here to Eternity.
Cuba Gooding Jr.
Given the number of mediocre-at-best movies he made in the 2000s, including Snow Dogs, Boat Trip and Daddy Day Camp, it could be easy to forget that—back in the 90s— Cuba Gooding Jr. won our hearts and an Oscar with his portrayal of Rod Tidwell in Jerry Maguire.
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Brie Larson
With Kong: Skull Island and her role as Captain Marvel in the MCU, Brie Larson's career is doing just fine. However, with all the blockbuster roles it's almost easy to forget just a few years prior to all that, she was winning a Best Actress Oscar for The Room.
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Cher
If you could turn back time you could go back to 1988 to watch a live broadcast of the 60th Academy Awards and see Cher win her Best Actress Oscar for her performance in Moonstruck.
Geena Davis
She didn't win for Beetlejuice, Thelma & Louise, or A League of Their Own. No, Geena Davis earned her Supporting Actress Oscar for her brilliant performance in the oft forgotten film, The Accidental Tourist.
Whoopi Goldberg
While known as a comedian, Whoopi Goldberg has earned two Oscar nominations for her dramatic work in The Color Purple and Ghost. And let's not forget that she took home the golden statue for the latter.
Anna Paquin
Talk about starting off strong. Not only did Anna Paquin win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her very first role in the 1993 film, The Piano. She was only 11 years old at the time!
Kim Basinger
Basinger was a big movie star in the 80s and 90s with roles in films like The Natural and Batman. However, even though her star status was pretty high, her Oscar-winning performance in LA Confidential is often overlooked.
Helen Hunt
Helen Hunt came to prominence as Jamie Buchman on Mad About You, and from there she elevated her status to movie star with roles in Twister, Cast Away, and What Women Want. But while we all remember that Jack Nicholson won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in As Good as It Gets, let's not forget that Hunt took home the Best Actress Oscar for the same film.
Mo'Nique
In 2001 Mo'Nique was one of The Queens of Comedy, but there was nothing funny about her powerful performance as Precious's awful mother in the similarly titled 2009 film. A performance that earned her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.
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Jim Broadbent
As one of the best character actors of the last 50 years, you've almost certainly seen Jim Broadbent in something from Bridget Jones's Diary to Moulin Rouge!. However, what you might not be as familiar with is the fact that he won an Academy Award for his work opposite the great Judi Dench in the 2001 film, Iris.
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Marcia Gay Harden
Harden was facing some very stiff competition in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 2001 Oscar ceremony, going up against the likes of Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Julie Walters and Frances McDormand. But, in what many onlookers considered an upset, Harden walked away with the statue for her role as Lee Krasner in Pollock.
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Mary Steenburgen
While the current generation only knows Steenburgen for her mother roles in films like The Proposal and Step Brothers. What they, and many of us forget, is that back in 1980 she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her joyful performance in a film called Melvin and Howard.
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Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes had an acting career that spanned eight decades and was the first woman to win the EGOT. Still, this multi-talented, 2-time Oscar winning actress finds her name far from the tips of many people's tongues.
Luise Rainer
Jodie Foster won two oscars before she turned 30. But she wasn't the first woman to do that. That honor goes to Luise Rainer—who won them back-to-back by the way. She accomplished a lot by 30, but by 33 she had had enough and walked away from the movies.
Lee Marvin
Marvin is best known to fans for his tough guy roles. However, the actor's lone Oscar came for his supporting role in the 1965 western comedy, Cat Ballou.
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn is adorable and talented and was one of America's true sweethearts throughout the 70s and 80s. Though, Oscar-winner is probably not something audiences would've ever seen coming. But it did come and it came in the form of a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for the 1969 screwball comedy Cactus Flower.
Cloris Leachman
With over 22 Emmy nominations and 8 wins, Leachman was a staple on our television screens for decades, from The Mary Tyler Moore Show to Malcolm in the Middle. However, while the Emmys honored her constantly, the Motion Picture Academy only did so once—for her supporting role in The Last Picture Show.
Joel Grey
Joel Grey was a true star of the stage and a Broadway legend. So, it's only fitting that he took home his one and only Oscar for the film version of the Broadway hit, Cabaret.
Timothy Hutton
The 53rd Academy Awards took place in 1981 and are most remembered by many for the fact that Ordinary People beat out Raging Bull for Best Picture. Maybe everyone's focus on that highly-controversial decision is why so many of us forget that Timothy Hutton won the Best Supporting Actor award for his role in the former.
Haing S Ngor
Not only was The Killing Fields Haing S Ngor's first acting gig. He wasn't even a professional actor. Ngor went from practicing gynecologist and obstetrician to Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actor.
Shelley Winters
Not only did Shelley Winters win two Oscars, she was nominated four times. Now that's something to remember.
Glenda Jackson
Yes, we're talking about the Glenda Jackson who was a member of the British Parliament from 1992 to 2015. Before her stint in Politics Jackson had a very successful movie career—earning two Best Actress Oscars for Women in Love and A Touch of Class.
Walter Brennan
While his name might be forgotten to many filmgoers, Walter Brennan is one you will want to remember if you're ever asked to name the first person to win three acting Oscars. He appeared in over 200 films over 50 years.
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Mira Sorvino
While the 1997 comedy Romy and Michele's High School Reunion might be Mira Sorvino's most popular role, it was for her work in the Woody Allen comedy Mighty Aphrodite two years earlier that won Sorvino her Oscar.
Dianne Wiest
Woody Allen movies were also very good to Dianne Wiest, as she took home two Supporting Actress Oscars for her performances in Hannah and Her Sisters and Bullets Over Broadway.
Jeremy Irons
With brilliant performances in critically acclaimed films including, The Mission, Dead Ringers and M Butterfly you might've assumed that Jeremy Irons would be swimming in Oscars. So, in this case the surprise might be the fact that he's only won once—for playing Claus Von Bülow in Reversal of Fortune. That is also his only nomination.
James Coburn
Known for his roles in Westerns and having never been even nominated for a major award prior to 1999, James Coburn’s Supporting Actor Oscar for Affliction could easily be forgotten by anyone not paying close attention.
Burl Ives
Known primarily as one of the great folk music stars, many don't even remember that he was actually a pretty good actor as well—let alone an Oscar winner. But he was. Ives took home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance in the 1958 western, The Big Country.
Red Buttons
Legendary comedian Red Buttons had a long career making people laugh, but not only did he win his Supporting Actor Oscar for a dramatic turn in the 1957 film, Sayonara. He more than held his own opposite the great Marlon Brando in the movie.
Harold Russell
Who was the first non-professional actor to win an Academy Award? It was Harold Russell in the 1946 film, The Best Years of Our Lives. Russell didn't even start acting until after his time in the military (during which he lost both his arms).
Rami Malek
It hasn't been that long since Malek took home the Best Actor Statue for his wonderful portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody. However, given that he hasn't had any real standout roles since, it's almost easy to forget that he's an Oscar winner.
Jean Dujardin
Dujardin's decision to remain in France and focus his attention on French cinema is probably a big reason why many of us in North America forget he won the Academy Award for best Actor for the 2011 silent film, The Artist.
Ben Affleck
Would it surprise you more to know that Ben Affleck has two Academy Awards, or that neither of them are for acting? He won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Good Will Hunting and a Best Picture Oscar for his film Argo. But what about his bestie Matt Damon?
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Matt Damon
Just like his friend Ben Affleck, Damon doesn't have any acting Oscars. His only statue is for the Good Will Hunting screenplay he co-wrote with Affleck. Although, unlike his friend, Damon does have a few acting nominations. Three to be exact.
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Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton has starred in some big movies and been married to Angelina Jolie. However, there are many who forget his big break came with the sleeper hit Sling Blade. A film he wrote and directed as well as starred in. He was nominated for an acting Oscar for the film, but he actually took home the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay that year.
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