The Memorable Oscar® acceptance speeches
by Constance Droganes
And the winner goes to…
Test your Academy Award IQ with these memorable Oscar speeches.
From eloquently heartfelt to laughably discombobulated, Oscar acceptance speeches always amuse showbiz buffs. Think of Greer Garson’s 5½-minute winner’s speech of 1942, or William Holden’s simple “Thank you” after nabbing 1953’s Best Actor for “Stalag 17.” They’re sobbed. They’re shouted out triumphantly. They’re part of Oscar history. Here’s some of Oscar’s best.
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Spidie sense
“Boy, am I glad there wasn't a fourth episode of Lord of the Rings.”
- John Dykstra's bemused acceptance speech came after winning 2005’s Best Visual Effects Oscar for “Spider-Man 2.”
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Very Berry
“Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm sorry. This moment is so much bigger than me. This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It's for the women that stand beside me, Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it's for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I'm so honoured. I'm so honoured. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow. Thank you.”
- Halle Berry after winning in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.” Berry became the first black woman to win a Best Actress Oscar.
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Yu tube
“What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realize that your outfit cost more than your film.”
-Jessica Yu, who charmed 1997’s Oscar crowd as she accepted Best Documentary, Short Subjects for “Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien.”
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Silence is golden
“I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut for once, I think I'll do it again.”
-Jane Wyman quipped as she accepted her Oscar for “Johnny Belinda.” Her moving portrayal of a raped mute girl nabbed Wyman 1949’s Best Actress Oscar.
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Finding Forest
“When I first started acting, it was because of my desire to connect to everyone. To that thing inside each of us. That light that I believe exists in all of us. Because acting for me is about believing in that connection and it’s a connection so strong, it’s a connection so deep, that we feel it. And through our combined belief, we can create a new reality.”
-Forest Whitaker pumped out these profound words after accepting 2007's Best Actor Oscar for “The Last King of Scotland."
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India bound
“I was lucky Mozart was not eligible this year.”
- Maurice Jarre quipped as he accepted 1985’s Best Original Score Oscar for “A Passage to India.”
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Traffic Jam
“I want to thank anyone who spends part of their day creating. I don't care if it's a book, a film, a painting, a dance, or a piece of theater, a piece of music - anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art.”
-Steven Soderbergh shared these thoughts upon winning the Best Director Oscar for “Traffic" in 2000.
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Reese’s pieces
“People used to ask June how - how she was doin'. And she used to say, "I'm just tryin' to matter." And, I know what she means, you know. I'm just trying to matter and live a good life and make work that means something to somebody. And you have all made me feel that I might have accomplished that tonight. So, thank you so much for this honor.”
-Reese Witherspoon's golden moment came in 2006, when the “Walk the Line” star picked up a Best Actress Oscar.
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At long last Oscar
“I just want to say, too, that so many people over the years have been wishing this for me. Strangers. You know, I went walking in the street, people say something to me. I go in a doctor’s office, I go in a whatever. Elevators, people saying, ‘You should win one, you should win one.’... I’m saying, ‘Thank you.”’
-Martin Scorsese, the famously fast-talking director, fired off his long-overdue Oscar speech after winning 2007’s Best Director prize for “The Departed.”
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Rain dance
“I'm up here with mixed feelings, I have been critical of the Academy ... and for reason. I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are part of an artistic family ... and most actors don't work, they have to practice accents while driving a taxi. And some of us are so lucky to work with writing, to work with directing. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost, and I am proud to share this with you.”
-Dustin Hoffman dished out this heartfelt thanks after winning 1989’s Best Actor Oscar for "Rain Man."
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Heart warmer
“I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that you like me, right now, you like me!”
-Sally Field made her emotional speech after nabbing 1985's Best Actress Oscar for “Places in the Heart.”
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Good will ambassador
“Most of all, I want to thank my father, up there, the man who when I said I wanted to be an actor, he said, 'Wonderful. Just have a back-up profession like welding.'”
-Robin Williams wisecracked to the 1998 Oscar audience as he accepted his Best Supporting Actor prize for “Good Will Hunting.”
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Philadelphia spirit
“I know that my work in this case is magnified by the fact that the streets of heaven are too crowded with angels. We know their names. They number a thousand for each one of the red ribbons that we wear here tonight. They finally rest in the warm embrace of the gracious creator of us all, a healing embrace that cools their fevers, that clears their skin, and allows their eyes to see the simple, self-evident commonsense truth that is made manifest by the benevolent creator of us all.”
-Tom Hanks as he accepted his Best Actor Oscar for “Philadelphia" in 1994.
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Moonshine
“Now I really want to say something ... ah-hah!”
-Cher's humour left 1988’s Oscar crowd smiling as “Moonstruck’s” star accepted her Best Actress Oscar.
