81-480: The Special Achievement Award is an Academy Award given for an achievement that makes an exceptional contribution to the motion picture for which it was created, but for which there is no annual award category. Many of the film projects that received these awards were noted for breaking new ground in terms of technology, where an awards category simply did not yet exist for the given area. New awards categories were often opened in following years. For example, Toy Story
162-539: A 35 mm or 70 mm film print, or in 24 frame/s or 48 frame/s progressive scan digital cinema format, with a minimum projector resolution of 2,048 by 1,080 pixels. Since the 90th Academy Awards , presented in 2018, multi-part and limited series have been ineligible for the Best Documentary Feature award. This followed the win of O.J.: Made in America , an eight-hour presentation that
243-540: A 1974 biography written by Whitney Stine with commentary from Davis, Davis wrote "I relinquish once and for all any claim that I was the one — so, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the honor is all yours". Columnist Sidney Skolsky wrote in his 1970 memoir that he came up with the term in 1934 under pressure for a deadline, mocking Vaudeville comedians who asked "Will you have a cigar, Oscar?" The Academy credits Skolsky with "the first confirmed newspaper reference" to Oscar in his column on March 16, 1934, which
324-542: A 2004 court decision contending that Welles did not sign any agreement to return the statue to the Academy. On December 20, 2011, it sold in an online auction for US$ 861,542 ($ 1,166,900 today). Some buyers have subsequently returned the statuettes to the Academy, which keeps them in its treasury. In addition to the Academy Award of Merit (Oscar award), there are nine honorary (non-competitive) awards presented by
405-571: A Cinema Museum of Goiás. On the evening of September 5, 1982, Gaynor, her husband Paul Gregory, actress Mary Martin , and Martin's manager Ben Washer, en route to a Chinatown restaurant, were involved in a serious car wreck in San Francisco. A van ran a red light at the corner of California and Franklin Streets and crashed into the Luxor taxicab in which the group was riding, knocking it into
486-452: A Lesser God . Gaynor was one of only a handful of established lead actresses who made a successful transition to sound films. In 1929, she was re-teamed with Charles Farrell (the pair was known as "America's favorite love birds") for the musical film Sunny Side Up . During the early 1930s, Gaynor was one of Fox 's most popular actresses and one of Hollywood's biggest box-office draws. In 1931 and 1932, she and Marie Dressler were tied as
567-403: A Reminder List of Eligible Releases. Awards in short film categories (Best Documentary Short Subject, Best Animated Short Film, and Best Live Action Short Film) have noticeably different eligibility rules from most other competitive awards. First, the qualifying period for release does not coincide with a calendar year, instead covering one year starting on October 1, and ending on September 30 of
648-457: A Wife (1935), which introduced Henry Fonda to the screen as Gaynor's leading man. However, when Darryl F. Zanuck merged his fledgling studio, Twentieth Century Pictures , with Fox Film Corporation to form 20th Century-Fox , her status became precarious, and even tertiary to those of burgeoning actresses Loretta Young and Shirley Temple . According to press reports at the time, Gaynor held out on signing with 20th Century-Fox until her salary
729-457: A bit of dinner." According to Gaynor's biographer Sarah Baker, Farrell proposed marriage during the filming of Lucky Star , but the two never followed through with it. In her later years, Gaynor would hold their different personalities accountable for their eventual separation. Gaynor was married three times and had one child. Her first marriage was to lawyer Jesse Lydell Peck, whom she married on September 11, 1929. Gaynor's attorney announced
810-476: A critic from The New York Times , Time Out New York , the Los Angeles Times , or LA Weekly . Producers must submit an Official Screen Credits online form before the deadline. In case it is not submitted by the defined deadline, the film will be ineligible for Academy Awards in any year. The form includes the production credits for all related categories. Then, each form is checked and put in
891-486: A previously planned theatrical release were eligible. The theatrical requirement was reinstated starting with the 95th Academy Awards . The Oscar statuette, officially the Academy Award of Merit, is given to winners of each year's awards. Made of gold-plated bronze on a black metal base, it is 13.5 in (34.3 cm) tall, weighs 8.5 lb (3.856 kg), and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding
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#1732766091616972-422: A private collector on August 6, 1992, for $ 60,500 ($ 131,400 today). Russell defended his action, saying, "I don't know why anybody would be critical. My wife's health is much more important than sentimental reasons. The movie will be here, even if Oscar isn't". In December 2011, Orson Welles ' 1941 Oscar for Citizen Kane ( Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay ) was put up for auction, after his heirs won
1053-409: A red light, and vehicular homicide . Cato, a former policeman, in the previous year, was charged with two felonies for using his car as a deadly weapon against a woman motorist, Mellicent Wauters, a dental assistant and amateur actress, with whom he'd argued over a parking spot. Cato had been placed on informal probation; subsequently, the charges had been dropped. Cato pleaded not guilty and
1134-510: A screen test for a supporting role in the film The Johnstown Flood (1926). Her performance in the film caught the attention of Fox executives, who signed her to a five-year contract and began to cast her in leading roles. Later that year, Gaynor was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars (along with Joan Crawford , Dolores del Río , Mary Astor , and others). By 1927, Gaynor was one of Hollywood's leading ladies. Her image
1215-583: A son in 1940. The couple divided their time between their 250-acre cattle ranch in Anápolis, Brazil , and their homes in New York and California. Both were also heavily involved in the fashion and arts community. Gaynor returned to acting in the early 1950s with appearances in live television series, including Medallion Theatre , Lux Video Theatre , and General Electric Theater . In 1957, she appeared in her final film role as Dick Sargent 's mother in
1296-636: A stroke on September 13, 1959. On December 24, 1964, Gaynor married her longtime friend, stage producer Paul Gregory , to whom she remained married until her death. The two maintained a home in Desert Hot Springs, California and owned 3,000 acres of land in Brazil, situated near Brasília . Margaret Lindsay and Gaynor appeared together in the film Paddy the Next Best Thing (1933) . Lindsay and Gaynor often vacationed together for
1377-597: A sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. Sculptor George Stanley , who also did the Muse Fountain at the Hollywood Bowl , sculpted Cedric Gibbons ' design. The statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years, the bronze
1458-432: A tree. Ben Washer was killed, Mary Martin sustained two broken ribs and a broken pelvis, and Gaynor's husband suffered two broken legs. Gaynor sustained several serious injuries, including 11 broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, pelvic fractures, a punctured lung, and injuries to her bladder and kidney. Robert Cato, the driver of the van, was arrested on two counts of felony drunk driving, reckless driving, speeding, running
1539-675: Is a minor streamlining of the base. The original Oscar mold was cast in 1928 at the C.W. Shumway & Sons Foundry in Batavia , Illinois, which also contributed to casting the molds for the Vince Lombardi Trophy and Emmy Award statuettes. From 1983 to 2015, approximately 50 Oscars in a tin alloy with gold plating were made each year in Chicago by Illinois manufacturer R.S. Owens & Company . It would take between three and four weeks to manufacture 50 statuettes. In 2016,
1620-467: Is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her second husband, Adrian. Her headstone reads "Janet Gaynor Gregory", her legal name after her marriage to her third husband, producer and director Paul Gregory. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Gaynor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6284 Hollywood Blvd. On March 1, 1978, Howard W. Koch , then the president of
1701-433: Is roughly three months. R.S. Owens is expected to continue producing other awards for the Academy, and service existing Oscars that need replating. The origin of the nickname of the trophy has been disputed, as multiple people have taken credit for naming the trophy "Oscar". Margaret Herrick , librarian and president of the Academy, may have said she named it after her supposed uncle Oscar in 1921. The only corroboration
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#17327660916161782-408: Is selected as a gold, silver, or bronze medal winner in an appropriate category of the immediately previous Student Academy Awards is also eligible (Documentary category for that award, and Animation, Narrative, Alternative, or International for the other awards). The requirements for the qualifying theatrical run are also different from those for other awards. Only one screening per day is required. For
1863-580: The 2008 awards , as it did not play its Oscar-qualifying run in Los Angeles until mid-2009, thus qualifying for the 2009 awards . Foreign films must include English subtitles. Each country can submit only one film for consideration in the International Feature Film category per year. Rule 2 states that a film must be feature -length, defined as a minimum of 40 minutes, except for short-subject awards. It must exist either on
1944-537: The Academy Award for Best Picture . Traditionally, the previous year's winners for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor present the awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, while the previous year's winners for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress present the awards for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor. In recent years, this has been replaced by each acting award being introduced by five previous winners, each of whom introduces one of
2025-692: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The Oscars are widely considered to be the most prestigious awards in the film industry. The major award categories are presented during a live-televised Hollywood ceremony in February or March. It is the oldest worldwide entertainment awards ceremony. The 1st Academy Awards were held in 1929. The second ceremony , in 1930,
2106-513: The Wally Findlay Galleries banner in New York, Chicago, and Palm Beach from 1975 to February 1982. In 1980, Gaynor made her Broadway debut as Maude in the stage adaptation of the 1971 film Harold and Maude . She received good reviews for her performance, but the play was panned by critics and closed after 21 performances. Later that year, she reunited with her Servants' Entrance co-star Lew Ayres to film an episode of
2187-599: The five boroughs of New York City during the previous calendar year, or a qualifying award at a competitive film festival from the Documentary Feature Qualifying Festival list, regardless of any public exhibition or distribution, or submission in the International Feature Film category as its country's official selection. The qualifying theatrical runs must meet the same requirements as those for non-documentary films regarding numbers and times of screenings. A film must have been reviewed by
2268-414: The 1927–28 period. The ceremony ran for 15 minutes. For this first ceremony, winners were announced to the media three months earlier. For the second ceremony in 1930, and the rest of the first decade, the results were given to newspapers for publication at 11:00 pm on the night of the awards. In 1940, the Los Angeles Times announced the winners before the ceremony began. As a result, in 1941
2349-538: The 1970s and 1990s, with only a single award being given since 2000. This table displays the individuals who received the Special Achievement Oscar for their contributions to film. The category was inaugurated in 1972. Academy Awards The Academy Awards , commonly known as the Oscars , are awards for artistic and technical merit for the film industry . They are presented annually by
2430-409: The 1971 film Harold and Maude , and appeared in the touring theatrical production of On Golden Pond in February 1982. On September 5, 1982, Gaynor was severely injured when a drunken driver, a former policeman, struck the taxicab in which she and two others were passengers. Gaynor managed to survive but subsequently died two years later due to health issues stemming from the injuries sustained in
2511-699: The Academy from time to time (except for the Academy Honorary Award, the Technical Achievement Award, and the Student Academy Awards, which are presented annually): The Academy also awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting . From 2004 to 2020, the Academy Award nomination results were announced to the public in mid-January. Prior to that, the results were announced in early February. In 2021,
Special Achievement Academy Award - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-486: The Academy launched an initiative to expand its membership and increase diversity. In 2022, voting membership stood at 9,487. According to Rules 2 and 3 of the official Academy Awards Rules, a film must open in the previous calendar year, from midnight at the start of January 1 to midnight at the end of December 31, in Los Angeles County, California , and play for seven consecutive days, to qualify, except for
2673-546: The Academy returned to bronze as the core metal of the statuettes, handing manufacturing duties to Walden , New York–based Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry, now owned and operated by UAP Urban Art Projects . While based on a digital scan of an original 1929 Oscar, the statuettes retain their modern-era dimensions and black pedestal. Cast in liquid bronze from 3D-printed ceramic molds and polished, they are then electroplated in 24-karat gold by Brooklyn , New York–based Epner Technology. The time required to produce 50 such statuettes
2754-595: The Academy started using a sealed envelope to reveal the names of the winners. The term "Oscar" is a registered trademark of the AMPAS. In the Italian language, it is used generically to refer to any award or award ceremony, regardless of which field. The first Best Actor awarded was Emil Jannings , for his performances in The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh . As he had to return to Europe before
2835-492: The Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and awards in short film categories. The film must be shown at least three times on each day of its qualifying run, with at least one of the daily showings starting between 6 pm and 10 pm local time. For example, the 2009 Best Picture winner, The Hurt Locker , was originally first released in 2008, but did not qualify for
2916-474: The Board of Governors, on behalf of Academy Branch Executive Committees. Membership eligibility may be achieved by a competitive nomination, or an existing member may submit a name, based on other significant contributions to the field of motion pictures. New membership proposals are considered annually. The Academy does not publicly disclose its membership, although as recently as 2007 press releases have announced
2997-549: The Documentary award, the screening must start between noon and 10 pm local time. For other awards, no specific start time is required, but the film must appear in regular theater listings with dates and screening times. In late December, ballots, and copies of the Reminder List of Eligible Releases are mailed to around 6,000 active members. For most categories, members from each of the branches vote to determine
3078-466: The World in 80 Days to a movie prop collector. The Academy earned enforcement of its statuette contract by gaining a permanent injunction against the sale. In 1992, Harold Russell consigned his 1946 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for The Best Years of Our Lives to auction to raise money for his wife's medical expenses. Though his decision caused controversy, the first Oscar ever to be sold passed to
3159-858: The accident. Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor (some sources stated Gainer) in Germantown, Philadelphia . Nicknamed "Lolly" as a child, she was the younger of two daughters born to Laura (Buhl) and Frank De Witt Gainor. Frank Gainor worked as a theatrical painter and paperhanger. When Gaynor was a toddler, her father began teaching her how to sing, dance, and perform acrobatics. As a child in Philadelphia, she began acting in school plays. After her parents divorced in 1914, Gaynor, her sister, and her mother moved to Chicago. Shortly thereafter, her mother married electrician Harry C. Jones. The family later moved to San Francisco. After graduating from San Francisco Polytechnic High School in 1923, Gaynor spent
3240-467: The anthology series The Love Boat . It was the first television appearance Gaynor had made since the 1950s and was her last screen role. In February 1982, she starred in the touring production of On Golden Pond . This was her final acting role. Gaynor was romantically involved with her friend and frequent co-star Charles Farrell during their work together in silent films until she married her first husband. Choosing to keep their relationship out of
3321-407: The awards. Davis credits Lilleberg because he found in an autobiography of Einar Lilleberg, Eleanore's brother, that Einar had referenced a Norwegian army veteran named Oscar that the two knew in Chicago, whom Einar described as having always "stood straight and tall". He asserts credit "should almost certainly belong to" Lilleberg. In 2021, Brazilian researcher Dr. Waldemar Dalenogare Neto found
Special Achievement Academy Award - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-424: The biggest box office draws of the era. In 1929, she became the first recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performances in three films: 7th Heaven (1927), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927) and Street Angel (1928). This was the only occasion an actress won one Oscar for multiple film roles. Gaynor's career success continued into the sound film era, and she achieved notable success in
3483-411: The calendar year before the ceremony. Second, there are multiple methods of qualification. The main method is a week-long theatrical release in either New York City or Los Angeles County during the eligibility period. Films also can qualify by winning specified awards at one of several competitive film festivals designated by the Academy, also without regard to prior public distribution. A film that
3564-505: The ceremony, the Academy agreed to give him the prize early, making him the first Academy Award recipient. For the first Awards , winners were recognized for multiple films during the qualifying period; Jannings received the award for two movies in which he starred , and Janet Gaynor won the first Best Actress award for performances in three films. Beginning with the second ceremony, performers received separate nominations for individual films; no performer has received multiple nominations in
3645-573: The couple's separation in late December 1932. She was granted a divorce on April 7, 1933. On August 14, 1939, she married MGM costume designer Adrian in Yuma, Arizona . This relationship has been called a lavender marriage because Adrian was openly gay within the film community, and Gaynor herself was rumored to be bisexual. The couple had one son, Robin Gaynor Adrian, born in 1940. Gaynor and Adrian remained married until Adrian's death from
3726-434: The eligibility period to 28 February 2021). Best Foreign Language Film, now known as Best International Feature Film , was introduced at the 20th Academy Awards as a special award, and became a competitive category at the 29th Academy Awards . The 74th Academy Awards, held in 2002, presented the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature . Since 1973, all Academy Awards ceremonies, except for 2021, have ended with
3807-470: The first and only time the award was granted for multiple roles, on the basis of total recent work rather than for one particular performance. This practice was prohibited three years later by a new Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rule. Gaynor was not only the first actress to win the award, but at 22, was the youngest until 1986, when actress Marlee Matlin , 21, won for her role in Children of
3888-506: The injuries and required frequent hospitalizations. Shortly before her death, she was hospitalized for pneumonia and other ailments. On September 14, 1984, Gaynor died at Desert Hospital in Palm Springs at the age of 77. Her doctor, Bart Apfelbaum, attributed her death to the 1982 car wreck and stated that Gaynor "never recovered" from her injuries. In September 1984, these injuries were officially ruled to have caused her death. Gaynor
3969-446: The largest bloc, numbering 1,359 (14.1% of the voting body). Votes have been certified by the auditing firm PricewaterhouseCoopers , and its predecessor Price Waterhouse , since the 7th Academy Awards in 1935. In May 2011, the Academy sent a letter advising its 6,000 or so voting members that an online system for Oscar voting would be implemented in 2013, replacing mailed paper ballots. All AMPAS members must be invited to join by
4050-489: The musical comedy Bernardine , starring Pat Boone and Terry Moore . In November 1959, she made her stage debut in the play The Midnight Sun in New Haven, Connecticut . The play, which Gaynor later called "a disaster", was not well received and closed shortly after its debut. Gaynor also became an accomplished oil painter of vegetable and flower still lifes . She sold over 200 paintings and had four showings under
4131-423: The names of those who have been invited to join. In 2012, the results of a study conducted by the Los Angeles Times were published describing the demographic breakdown of approximately 88% of AMPAS' voting membership. Of the 5,100+ active voters confirmed, 94% were Caucasian , 77% were male, and 54% were found to be over the age of 60. 33% of voting members are former nominees (14%) and winners (19%). In 2016,
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#17327660916164212-631: The next several years. Gaynor and her husband traveled frequently with her close friend Mary Martin and her husband. A Brazilian press report noted that Gaynor and Martin briefly lived with their respective husbands in Anápolis, state of Goiás at a ranch ( fazenda in Portuguese) in the 1950s and 1960s. Both houses remain intact as of 2021. There is a project by the Jan Magalinski Institute to restore their houses to create
4293-521: The nominated performances. On February 9, 2020, Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards . The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, honoring the best films of 2020 and early 2021 , was held on April 25, 2021, after it was postponed from its original February 28, 2021, schedule due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema . As with
4374-622: The nominees only in their respective categories, i.e. only directors vote for directors, writers for writers, actors for actors, etc. In the special case of Best Picture, all voting members are eligible to select the nominees. In all major categories, a variant of the single transferable vote is used, with each member casting a ballot with up to five nominees (ten for Best Picture) ranked preferentially. In certain categories, including International Feature Film, Documentary and Animated Feature, nominees are selected by special screening committees made up of members from all branches. In most categories,
4455-480: The nominees were announced in March. In 2022, the nominees were announced in early February for the first time since 2003. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), a professional honorary organization, maintains a voting membership of 9,487 as of 2022 . Academy membership is divided into different branches, with each representing a different discipline in film production. As of 2022 , actors constitute
4536-627: The number-one draw at the box office. After Dressler's death in 1934, Gaynor held the top spot alone. She often was cited as a successor to Mary Pickford , and was cast in remakes of two Pickford films: Daddy Long Legs (1931) and Tess of the Storm Country (1932). Gaynor drew the line at a proposed remake of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm , which she considered "too juvenile". Gaynor continued to garner top billing for roles in State Fair (1933) with Will Rogers and The Farmer Takes
4617-523: The option of having engraved nameplates applied to their statuettes at an inscription-processing station at the Governor's Ball, a party held immediately after the Oscar ceremony. The R.S. Owens company has engraved nameplates made before the ceremony, bearing the name of every potential winner. The nameplates for the non-winning nominees are later recycled. Prior to 1950, Oscar statuettes were, and remain,
4698-416: The original version of A Star Is Born (1937), for which she received a second Best Actress Academy Award nomination. After retiring from acting in 1939, Gaynor married film costume designer Adrian , with whom she had a son. She briefly returned to acting in films and television in the 1950s and later became an accomplished oil painter . In 1980, Gaynor made her Broadway debut in the stage adaptation of
4779-516: The probable first public mention of the name "Oscar", in journalist Relman Morin 's "Cinematters" column in the Los Angeles Evening Post-Record on December 5, 1933. Since the awards didn't take place that year, he said: "What's happened to the annual Academy banquet? As a rule, the banquet and the awarding of "Oscar", the bronze statuette given for best performances, is all over long before this". This information changes
4860-499: The property of the recipient. Since then the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that the statuette be first offered for sale back to the Academy for US$ 1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards predating this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums. In 1989, Michael Todd's grandson tried to sell Todd's Best Picture Oscar for his 1956 production of Around
4941-464: The public eye, Gaynor and Farrell were often assisted by a mutual friend Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in maintaining the ruse. Looking back, Fairbanks would later recall, "We three were so chummy that I became their 'beard,' the cover-up for their secret romance. I would drive them out to a little rundown, wooden house well south of Los Angeles, near the sea. I'd leave them there and go sailing or swimming until [it was] time to collect them and then we'd all have
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#17327660916165022-462: The rounds to the studios (accompanied by her stepfather) to find film work. Gaynor won her first professional acting job on December 26, 1924, as an extra in a Hal Roach comedy short. This led to more extra work in feature films and shorts for Film Booking Offices of America and Universal . Universal eventually hired her as a stock player for $ 50 a week. Six weeks after being hired by Universal, an executive at Fox Film Corporation offered her
5103-466: The same category since the 3rd Academy Awards . For the first six ceremonies, the eligibility period ran from 1 August to 31 July. The 6th Academy Awards' eligibility ran from 1 August 1932 to 31 December 1933, and as of the 7th Academy Awards , subsequent eligibility periods have matched the calendar year (with the exception of the 93rd Academy Awards , which, due to the COVID-19 pandemic , extended
5184-425: The same type of role that brought her fame, while audiences' tastes were changing. After 20th Century-Fox executives proposed that her contract be re-negotiated, and that she be demoted to featured player status, Gaynor left the studio, but her retirement plans were quashed when David O. Selznick offered her the leading role in a new film to be produced by his company, Selznick International Pictures . Selznick, who
5265-567: The two previous ceremonies, there was no host. The ceremony was broadcast on ABC . It took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California for the 19th consecutive year, along with satellite location taking place at the Union Station also in Los Angeles. Because of the virus impact on films and TV industries, Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson announced that for the 2021 Oscar Ceremony , streaming movies with
5346-408: The version of Sidney Skolsky as the first to publicly mention the name. To prevent information identifying the Oscar winners from leaking ahead of the ceremony, Oscar statuettes presented at the ceremony have blank baseplates. Until 2010, winners returned their statuettes to the Academy and had to wait several weeks to have their names inscribed on their respective Oscars. Since 2010, winners have had
5427-727: The winner is selected from among the nominees by plurality voting of all members. Since 2009, the Best Picture winner has been chosen by instant runoff voting . Since 2013, re-weighted range voting has been used to select the nominees for the Best Visual Effects . Janet Gaynor Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor ; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was an American film, stage and television actress as well as an accomplished oil painter. Gaynor began her career as an extra in shorts and silent films . After signing with Fox Film Corporation (later 20th Century-Fox ) in 1926, she rose to fame and became one of
5508-504: The winter in Melbourne, Florida , where she did stage work. Upon returning to San Francisco, Gaynor, her mother, and stepfather moved to Los Angeles, where she could pursue an acting career. She was initially hesitant to do so and enrolled at Hollywood Secretarial School. She supported herself by working in a shoe store and later as a theatre usher. Her mother and stepfather continued to encourage her to become an actress and she began making
5589-469: Was a 1938 clipping from the Los Angeles Examiner , in which Herrick told a story of her and her husband joking with each other using the phrase, "How's your uncle Oscar". Bette Davis , in her 1962 autobiography, claimed she named it in 1936 after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, of whom the statue's rear end reminded her. But the term had been in use at least two years before. In
5670-401: Was abandoned in favor of Britannia metal , a pewter-like alloy which is then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold. Due to a metal shortage during World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster for three years. Following the war, the Academy invited recipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones. The only addition to the Oscar since it was created
5751-509: Was an enormous hit, and earned Gaynor her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress; she lost to Luise Rainer for The Good Earth . A Star Is Born revitalized Gaynor's career, and she was cast in the screwball comedy The Young in Heart (1938) with Paulette Goddard . That film was a modest hit, but by then, Gaynor had definitely decided to retire. She later explained: "I had been working steadily for 17 long years; making movies
5832-417: Was awarded a special achievement award as the first computer-animated feature film in 1996, before the best animated feature category debuted in 2001. The award may only be conferred for achievements in productions that also qualify as an eligible release for distinguished achievements and meet the Academy's eligibility year and deadlines requirements. Special Achievement Awards were primarily given between
5913-521: Was friendly with Gaynor off-screen, was convinced that audiences would enjoy seeing her portray a character closer to her true personality. He believed that she possessed the perfect combination of humor, charm, vulnerability, and innocence for the role of aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (later Vicki Lester) in A Star Is Born . Gaynor accepted the role. The romantic drama was filmed in Technicolor , and co-starred Fredric March . Released in 1937, it
5994-479: Was held on May 16, 1929, at a private dinner function at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel , with an audience of about 270 people. The post-awards party was held at the Mayfair Hotel. The cost of guest tickets for that night's ceremony was $ 5 - $ 89 at 2023 prices. Fifteen statuettes were awarded, honoring artists, directors, and other participants in the film-making industry of the time, for their works during
6075-506: Was later released on $ 10,000 bail. On March 15, 1983, he was found guilty of drunk driving and vehicular homicide and was sentenced to three years in prison. As a result of her injuries, Gaynor was hospitalized for four months and underwent two surgeries to repair a perforated bladder and internal bleeding. She recovered sufficiently to return to her home in Desert Hot Springs, but continued to experience health issues due to
6156-633: Was raised from $ 1,000 per week to $ 3,000. The studio quickly issued a statement denying that Gaynor was holding out for more money. She quietly signed a new contract, the terms of which were never made public. Gaynor received top billing above Constance Bennett , Loretta Young, and Tyrone Power in Ladies in Love (1937), but her box-office appeal had begun to wane: Once ranked number one, she had dropped to number 24. She considered retiring due to her frustration with studio executives, who continued to cast her in
6237-479: Was really all I knew of life. I just wanted to have time to know other things. Most of all, I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to get married. I wanted a child. And I knew that in order to have these things, one had to make time for them. So, I simply stopped making movies. Then, as if by a miracle, everything I really wanted happened." At the top of the industry, she retired at age 33. In August 1939, Gaynor married Hollywood costume designer Adrian , with whom she had
6318-465: Was screened in a limited release before being broadcast in five parts on ABC and ESPN , in that category in 2017 . The Academy's announcement of the new rule made no direct mention of that film. The Best International Feature Film award does not require a U.S. release. It requires the film to be submitted as its country's official selection. The Best Documentary Feature award requires either week-long releases in both Los Angeles County and any of
6399-407: Was that of a sweet, wholesome and pure young woman, who was notable for playing her roles with depth and sensitivity. Her performances in 7th Heaven , the first of 12 films she would make with actor Charles Farrell ; Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans , directed by F. W. Murnau ; and Street Angel , also with Charles Farrell, earned her the first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929, when for
6480-741: Was the first one broadcast by radio. The 1953 ceremony was the first one televised. It is the oldest of the four major annual American entertainment awards . Its equivalents – the Emmy Awards for television, the Tony Awards for theater, and the Grammy Awards for music – are modeled after the Academy Awards. The Oscar statuette depicts a knight, rendered in the Art Deco style. Everything Everywhere All at Once Oppenheimer The first Academy Awards presentation
6561-420: Was written about that year's 6th Academy Awards . But in the newspaper clipping that Skolsky referred to, he wrote that "these statues are called 'Oscars ' ", meaning that the name was already in use. Bruce Davis, a former executive director of the Academy, credited Eleanore Lilleberg, a secretary at the Academy when the award was first introduced, for the nickname. She had overseen the pre-ceremony handling of
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