# Two questions about the Oscars **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724 "2005-12-22T02:10:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/1 "2005-12-22T02:10:37Z")
The first question is easy: Before the Billy Crystal Dynasty, there was someone who hosted the Awards for many many years. Who was it? Second question: Has it ever happened that in one year, a single person has won an Oscar for two different categories for the same picture? How about 2 different movies? That is, has a person, for instance won for best screenplay and best actor for one movie? Or best director and best supporting actress for two different movies? Could such a nomination ever happen? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/2 "2005-12-22T02:13:11Z")
The big ‘dynasty’ host was Bob Hope. While I know at least a few people have been nominated for Best Actor and Director, I couldn’t tell you for sure who won both, if anyone. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/3 "2005-12-22T02:15:03Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The big ‘dynasty’ host was Bob Hope. While I know at least a few people have been nominated for Best Actor and Director, I couldn’t tell you for sure who won both, if anyone. He didn’t win all, but wasn’t Roberto Benigni up for best actor, best director, best picture, and best foreign picture all in one year? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/4 "2005-12-22T02:24:00Z")
The answer to your second question is yes. For example, Mel Gibson won the Best Director and Best Picture (as producer) awards for Braveheart. I suspect there are more examples, although Harold Russell’s case is probably unique. He won an Academy Award as best supporting actor in The Best Years Of Our Lives as well as an honorary award “for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance” in that movie. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/5 "2005-12-22T02:36:46Z")
Even better than Mel Gibson is Peter Jackson, who won best screenplay, director and picture awards for The Return of the King. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/6 "2005-12-22T02:52:48Z")
Well, Walt Disney routinely was nominated for Oscars in multiple categories as producer, most notably in 1953, when he won for Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Cartoon Short Subject, and Two-reel Short Subject. Marvin Hamlisch won three Oscars for two different films in 1973: Original Score and Original Song for _The Way We Were_\* and Adapted Score for _The Sting_. Ten actors have been nominated for two acting awards in the same year: Fay Bainter, Theresa Wright, Barry Fitzgerald (both for the same performance – the rules were later changed to prevent this), Jessica Lange, Sigourney Weaver, Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Emma Thompson, Julianne Moore, and Jamie Foxx. A few won one award, but no one has won both. Billy Wilder won Oscars for best director and best picture (producer) for _The Apartment_. So did Tony Richardson (_Tom Jones_), Robert Wise (_The Sound of Music_, Fred Zinneman (_A Man for All Seasons_), Francis Ford Coppola (_The Godfather II_), Richard Attenborough (_Gandhi_), Sydney Pollock (_Out of Africa_), Kevin Costner (_Dancing With Wolves_), Clint Eastwood (_Unforgiven_ and _Million Dollar Baby_), Stephen Speilberg (_Schindler’s List_), Gibson, James Cameron (_Titanic_), Ron Howard _A Beautiful Mind_), and Peter Jackon (_The Return of the King_), ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/7 "2005-12-22T03:06:07Z")
I was about to jump in and say, after Bob Hope, Johnny Carson took over the reins. But then I saw he only hosted for four consecutive years, and a total of five times.[(link)](http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_Awards_USA/) Damn! I guess he did such a classy job that Billy Crystal seems like a cheap substitute. I’m astounded to see that Crystal has hosted more times than Carson! ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/8 "2005-12-22T03:13:16Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > Peter Jackson…won best screenplay, director and picture awards for The Return of the King. In addition, his wife Fran Walsh won 2 Oscars as co-writer and co-producer. That’s _five_ awards for a husband-wife team on the same movie, which must be a record! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/9 "2005-12-22T03:33:03Z")
Oddly enough, Barry Fitzgerald was nominated as Best Actor AND as Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Going My Way.” So, he COULD have won both awards for the same performance! As it turned out, he won Best Supporting Actor, while his co-star, BIng Crosby, won Best Actor. Shortly after that, the rules were changed to keep that from happening again. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/10 "2005-12-22T03:34:35Z")
Didn’t Kevin Cosner win Director and Actor for Dances with Wolves? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/11 "2005-12-22T03:59:54Z")
Kevin Costner was nominated for Best Actor in _Dances With Wolves_, but Jeremy Irons won for playing Klaus Bulow in _Reversal of Fortune_. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/12 "2005-12-22T04:40:23Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > He didn’t win all, but wasn’t Roberto Benigni up for best actor, best director, best picture, and best foreign picture all in one year? IIRC, he won best actor and the movie was best foreign film that year. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/13 "2005-12-22T05:01:52Z")
Warren Beatty has twice been nominated for 4 Oscars in a year for the same film - Actor, Director, Screenplay and as producder, Best Picture. The films were _Heaven Can Wait_ and _Reds_ mm ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/14 "2005-12-22T05:11:30Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Ten actors have been nominated for two acting awards in the same year: And, a few years ago, Kate Winslet and Gloria Stewart were both nominated (in two different categories) for playing the same character: Rose DeWitt in [Titanic](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120338/). IIRC, that was the first time in history that that had occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/15 "2005-12-22T05:24:20Z")
First time for the same movie. But Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro both won Oscars for playing Vito Corleone in the first two _Godfather_ movies. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/16 "2005-12-22T05:29:09Z")
:smack: I meant to mention that detail, **Walloon**. Good notice. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/17 "2005-12-22T14:36:33Z")
I believe that in 1998 two actresses, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, were nominated for different awards for different movies, but the same role. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/18 "2005-12-22T14:43:24Z")
Woody Allen won Best Director and shared the Best Original Screenplay prize with co-writer Marshall Brickman for Annie Hall in 1978. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/19 "2005-12-22T15:45:31Z")
Laurence Olivier directed himself to Best Actor and Best Picture for Hamlet. ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724/20 "2005-12-22T15:55:19Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I believe that in 1998 two actresses, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, were nominated for different awards for different movies, but the same role. Yes, the both played Queen Elizabeth I, and Judi Dench won the Supporting Atress award. Then, in 2001, Judi Dench and Kate Winslett were nominated in two categories for playing Iris Murchoch at two different ages in the same film, _Iris_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-the-oscars/336724.md?page=2)