What happens when an actor, such as Marlon Brando or George C. Scott, refuses to accept their Oscar? Is it sitting in a case at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences waiting for them to pick it up?
There isn’t “an” Oscar for a given award. They are handed out backstage from a pool. If one isn’t handed out right then, it stays in the pool. None in the pool after the show would have been designated as Brando’s. (You get them engraved later.)
Marty Ingels claimed to have Brando’s Oscar, but, if it were real, it certainly wasn’t his.
They give it to La La Land.
Ha!
One got stolen once. Alice Brady won Best Supporting Actress when she was on her deathbed. An unknown man jumped on the stage and accepted it. Since the winner isn’t known beforehand, the presenters don’t know who to expect, especially if the award is being accepted in absentia, and everyone knew Brady was ill. The man and the award disappeared.
Wikipedia, citing a story from Forbes, says the stolen oscar story is a myth. I’m not taking sides on this one.
Thought it was more commonly practiced in the old days, accepting Oscars in absentia is strictly prohibited (post-Sacheen Littlefeather) unless arranged with the Academy beforehand, and even then the exceptions are few and far between (posthumous wins, political refugees).
Before this year’s foreign language film winner, who was the last person who was alive at the time to have someone accept for him? The most recent one I remember was Henry Fonda for On Golden Pond; the Academy allowed Jane to accept for him.
Speaking of not accepting Oscars, I like to joke that there was one person they could guarantee to get off the stage if he took too long; Woody Allen (when he showed up unannounced to introduce a tribute to New York City in 2002) - they’d just have somebody come up to him with his Oscar for Annie Hall.