Oscar - The First 75 Years, Part 2 Quiz

Answer: Frank Capra

Frank Capra (Best Director, 1934, for "It Happened One Night") hosted the 1935 ceremony on February 27, 1936. James Stewart (Best Actor, 1941), was the first Oscar-winning actor to co-host, in 1947. The first solo Oscar-winning actor to host was Frank Sinatra (Best Actor, 1953), in 1963; he also co-hosted in 1975. Jack Lemmon (Best Supporting Actor, 1955, and Best Actor, 1973) hosted in 1964 and 1985, and co-hosted in 1972. Whoopi Goldberg (Best Supporting Actress, 1990) hosted in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2002.

Answer: 8

In all, Edith Head was nominated a total of 35 times between 1948 and 1977, making her among the most-nominated people of all time. Her last Oscar was for 1973's "The Sting".

Answer: 1967

His first Academy Award nomination was for 1967's "Valley of the Dolls" (believe it or not). For the 2002 motion picture year, Williams received his 42nd nomination for "Catch Me If You Can". He won his first Oscar for "Fiddler On the Roof" (1971).

Answer: False

In 1969, the Academy awarded two Oscars for Best Actress. One of them went to Barbra Streisand (for "Funny Girl") and the other was given to Katharine Hepburn (for "The Lion In Winter"). And 1931's Best Actor was shared between Fredric March (for "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde") and Wallace Beery (for "The Champ").

Answer: Yes

In all, The Duke had two other nominations: Best Actor, 1949 ("The Sands of Iwo Jima"), and Best Picture, 1960 (for producing "The Alamo", in which he also starred and directed).

Answer: 1977

Spielberg's first directorial nomination came for 1977's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". His first Best Picture nomination (as producer) was for 1982's "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (for which he was also nominated Best Director).

Answer: Jessica Tandy

Jessica Tandy was 80 years young when she picked up her Oscar for Best Actress for 1989's "Driving Miss Daisy". Sir John Gielgud was 77 when he won Best Supporting Actor for "Arthur" (1981). Jack Palance did one-armed pushups at the tender age of 73, when he picked up his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "City Slickers" (1991). And James Coburn is the youngest of this group, taking home a Best Supporting Actor for "Affliction" (1997) at the age of 70.

Answer: True

While it is true that Sidney Poitier is the first actor of color to win Best Actor (for 1963's "Lilies of the Field"), he is NOT considered an African-American. Poitier does indeed hold duel citizenship (United States and The Bahamas) because he was born in Miami, Florida, while his parents, who were from Cat Island, Bahamas, were visiting on business.

In the end, however, he is regarded as Bahamian by both the Academy and himself. And, in 1997, he became the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan. To be African-American, one must be an American who can directly trace his/her lineage to Africa; Sidney Poitier's lineage is Haitian on his father's side.

Therefore, Denzel Washington is the correct answer. He is also the first African-American to win both Best Supporting Actor ("Glory", 1989) and Best Actor ("Training Day", 2001).

Answer: 64

According to the official Academy Awards website, Walt Disney was nominated a record 64 times between 1931 and 1968 (not counting honorary awards), including at least one per year for 1941-62. Of those nominations, he won 22 times, including four for 1953 (also a record), out of six nominations that year (another record). Add to the 22 Oscars another nine honorary Oscars (two full-sized statues and seven miniature Oscars), and Uncle Walt easily wins the Oscar tally, with 31.

Answer: Rick Baker

Rick Baker was the first, winning for 1981's "An American Werewolf in London". Tom Smith won the next year for 1982's "Gandhi". Michael Westmore, best known for his work with the "Star Trek" franchise, picked up a Best Makeup Oscar for "Mask" (1985). Stan Winston won his only Best Makeup Oscar for 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" (Though he has also won three Visual Effects Oscars, one of them for "T2").

Answer: One

Of the four Best Director Oscars awarded to John Ford, only one was for a John Wayne movie: "The Quiet Man" (1952), for which he was also nominated for Best Picture (as co-producer).

Answer: Two

Both of his Oscars were for writing and directing "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (1949). John Huston holds the distinction for being the only director who directed both a parent (father Walter Huston, Best Supporting Actor, 1949, for "Sierra Madre") and a child (daughter Angelica Huston, Best Actress, 1985, for "Prizzi's Honor") to their own Oscar wins.

Answer: None

"Wings" was the only Oscar-winning Best Picture in which he appeared, but he has starred in at least two other Best Picture nominees: "Sergeant York" (1941) and "High Noon" (1952), for both of which he won Best Actor.

Answer: James Dean

James Dean also holds the dubious honor of being the first person posthumously nominated in an acting category (for 1955's "East of Eden"). The next year, he was nominated a second time for his role in "Giant" (1956), which had just finished filming when he died in September 1955. The first person to win a posthumous acting award was Peter Finch, for "Network" (Best Actor, 1976).

Answer: Walter Brennan and Gale Sondergaard

Brennan won for "Come and Get It" and Sondergaard for "Anthony Adverse". Some movie historians believe that the supporting acting categories were initiated in part due to Hattie McDaniel's role in "The Bride Walks Out" (1936). She later became the first Black nominee and winner at the Oscars, picking up Best Supporting Actress for "Gone With the Wind" (1939).

Answer: 12

Wyler's first Oscar nomination was for directing "Dodsworth" (1936), and his first win came with "Mrs. Miniver" (1942). On top of the directorial Oscars, he was also nominated three times for Best Picture, as producer of "The Heiress" (1949), "Roman Holiday" (1953), and "Friendly Persuasion" (1956). In 1966, he received the Irving G. Thalberg Award.

Answer: False

Actually, she won four: "Morning Glory" (1933), "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" (1967), "The Lion in Winter" (Tied with Barbra Streisand, 1968), and "On Golden Pond" (1981).

Answer: False

No, but she did win a Golden Globe for her performance in "Some Like It Hot" (1959), plus two others for being Favorite Female World Film Actor.

Answer: One

"The Greatest Show On Earth", which he also produced, was Best Picture of 1952. DeMille was also nominated for Best Director for the same film, but that award went to John Ford, for "The Quiet Man".

Answer: No

"Rebecca", which Hitchcock directed, was the Best Picture of 1940. The Award was picked up by producer David O. Selznick.

Answer: True

Presented in 1951, Mayer's honorary Oscar was for distinguished service to the motion picture industry.

Answer: Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy was Best Actor, 1938 and 1939 (for "Captains Courageous" and "Boys Town", respectively). Bing Crosby won Best Actor for 1944's "Going My Way" (He was nominated a second time as the same character, in "The Bells of St. Mary's", one year later). Bogey picked up his Oscar as Best Actor for the movie "The African Queen" (1951). Gregory Peck won Best Actor for playing Atticus Finch in "To Kill a Mockingbird" (1962).

Answer: Tatum O'Neal

Tatum O'Neal was just 10 years, 4 months (and change) when she accepted her Best Supporting Actress award for "Paper Moon" (1973). Anna Paquin was 11 years, eight months old when she won Best Supporting Actress for "The Piano" (1993). Patty Duke's Oscar, for playing Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" (1962), was given to her when she was 16 years, three months old. Shirley Temple's only Oscar was an honorary juvenile award (the first), given in 1935.

Answer: 16

Among the films for which he was nominated were "The Natural", "Ragtime". the "Toy Story" films, and "Parenthood".

Answer: Bette Davis

Bette Davis' two Oscars were for "Dangerous" (1935) and "Jezebel" (1938). After her death, Steven Spielberg anonymously purchased both of her Oscars at separate auctions and donated them to the Academy. While Audrey Hepburn was Best Actress of 1953 (for "Roman Holiday"), her second Oscar was presented as 1993's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.