# Eight Best Actor Oscars for playing a musician... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904 "2017-11-06T18:42:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/1 "2017-11-06T18:42:29Z")
That’s what Entertainment Weekly says: eight Best Actor (not Supporting or Actress) Oscars have been awarded for playing a musician. But I can only think of seven. James Cagney, Yankee Doodle Dandy Robert Duvall, Tender Mercies F. Murray Abraham, Amadeus Geoffrey Rush, Shine Adrien Brody, The Pianist Jamie Foxx, Ray Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart I cannot think of another. And I’ve been scouring the list! “Nicolas Cage? No, his character was a screenwriter. Richard Dreyfuss? No, actor.” What am I not thinking of? Or did EW get it wrong? ---
**Author:** ![jerseymule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jerseymule/32/3155_2.png) [@jerseymule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerseymule)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/2 "2017-11-06T19:00:27Z")
never mind, read the OP wrong. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/3 "2017-11-06T19:04:40Z")
Would Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way count? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/4 "2017-11-06T19:13:32Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Would Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way count? Darn! Ninja’ed by mere moments! That’s what I was going to suggest. Sure, Father Chuck was a priest, but he also played piano, sang, and wrote songs. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/5 "2017-11-06T19:15:14Z")
This might be a stretch, but according to the plot summaries Emil Jannings’ character in _The Way of All Flesh_, although a bank clerk, teaches his son to play the violin. Marlon Brando’s character “sings” in _On The Waterfront_.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/6 "2017-11-06T19:16:08Z")
Didn’t J.K. Simmons get one for _Whiplash_? Yup. [J.K. Simmons - Awards - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0799777/awards?ref_=nm_awd) Oh wait. That was Supporting. Damn. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/7 "2017-11-06T20:38:01Z")
Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter? ETA: D’oh! You said no actress. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/8 "2017-11-06T22:43:36Z")
> [@x-ray\_vision](#): > > Would Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O’Malley in Going My Way count? See, I thought of that, but O’Malley’s profession was “priest”, not “musician”. I’ve never seen the film: was there any talk of his having given up music to answer a higher call? ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/9 "2017-11-06T22:51:47Z")
Cornell Wilde, 1945, playing Chopin in\*\* A Song to Remember\*\*. ---
**Author:** ![Just1Lurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c0e974/32.png) [@Just1Lurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just1Lurk)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/10 "2017-11-06T22:53:40Z")
Whoops - only nominated. My bad ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/11 "2017-11-06T23:22:48Z")
We see Jack Nicholson play the piano in **As Good As It Gets** and Frederic March the organ in **Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde** , though neither are musicians in the professional sense of the word. And of course, Rex Harrison and Yul Brynner won for being in musicals, though neither plays anything that I recall. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2017, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/12 "2017-11-06T23:54:13Z")
Okay, I sent a succinct email to EW. I really think the character has to have music as their profession, not a hobby or an aid in their work. I thought of Rex Harrison, but Prof. Higgins’ profession was linguist. Speech therapist? Whatever, it was not musician. And Yul Brynner’s character’s didn’t have a profession, unless being king is a profession. (Hey, there’s another trivia tidbit: how many people overall have won for playing royalty? And how many broken down by category?) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/13 "2017-11-07T00:02:04Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > (Hey, there’s another trivia tidbit: how many people overall have won for playing royalty? And how many broken down by category?) Lead Yul Brynner Colin Firth Charles Laughton Helen Mirren Supporting Judi Dench ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/14 "2017-11-07T00:57:40Z")
Heh, you posted that while I was Wiki’ing it! **Best Actor:** Charles Laughton, King Henry VIII of England, _The Private Life of Henry VIII_ Laurence Olivier, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, _Hamlet_ Yul Brynner, King Mongkut of Siam, _The King and I_ Colin Firth, King George VI, _The King’s Speech_ **Best Actress:** Katharine Hepburn, Eleanor of Aquitaine, _The Lion in Winter_ Helen Mirren, Queen Elizabeth II, _The Queen_ **Supporting Actress:** Margaret Rutherford, Duchess of Brighton, \*The V.I.P.s \* Judi Dench, Queen Elizabeth I, _Shakespeare in Love_ \*\*Supporting Actor: \*\* None. **Arguably:** Best Actor: Charlton Heston, Judah Ben-Hur, _Ben-Hur_. He was a slave during the events of the film, but he was born a prince. Best Actress: Ingrid Bergman, Anna Koreff/Anastasia, _Anastasia_. IRL, Anna Amnesia was proven not to be a surviving Romanoff, but in the context of this film, it’s strongly implied that she’s the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/15 "2017-11-07T01:59:07Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Marlon Brando’s character “sings” in _On The Waterfront_.😉 Review of the film version of _Guys and Dolls_ (1955): **Brando sings! Sinatra acts!** ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/16 "2017-11-07T02:09:34Z")
> [@MovieMogul](#): > > We see Jack Nicholson play the piano in **As Good As It Gets** and Frederic March the organ in **Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde** , though neither are musicians in the professional sense of the word. And of course, Rex Harrison and Yul Brynner won for being in musicals, though neither plays anything that I recall. Jack in 5 Easy Pieces ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/17 "2017-11-07T02:59:49Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > Jack in 5 Easy Pieces Yeah, but he didn’t win for that. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/18 "2017-11-07T03:22:14Z")
Joaquin Phoenix, Johnny Cash, “Walk the Line” Never mind just nominated IMDB can be confusing on this point. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/19 "2017-11-07T04:04:49Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Review of the film version of _Guys and Dolls_ (1955): > > **Brando sings! Sinatra acts!** Sinatra had already acted in _From Here To Eternity_, and had the Best Supporting Actor Oscar to prove it. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2017, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904/20 "2017-11-07T04:26:41Z")
Hot dog: I think I have a wiener! Chiwetel Ejiofor for _12 Years A Slave_! Solomon Northrup, when he was free, was a violinist! :: pant pant:: Well, I was thinking, “Actor, scientist, president, fur trader, another actor, AIDS activist, or however you classify Ron Woodruff…Hey, what did Solomon Northrup do before, when he was free?” I haven’t seen 12YaS, but according to Wiki, his being a musician comes into the story a bit. So that must be it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-best-actor-oscars-for-playing-a-musician/800904.md?page=2)