Notable Firsts and Records

[Sonic Youth]

I don't know if it counts as a record but it's certainly notable.
After Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2010 ceremony only one American director has won the Oscar, Damien Chazelle.

It depends on how you define “American.” This statement is true if we say American-born. I’m thinking of Chloe Zhao, who was born in China but has lived her entire adult life in the US, studied film here, and whose films very much have American themes.

Not to mention Ang Lee, who has lived in the U.S. for 40-45 years.

When you reside in Westchester County as Ang Lee does, you're definitely American.

[OscarGuy]

It's worth noting that though Chloe Zhao was born in China, I believe that all of her films have been made in the US with the exception of her first?

[Mister Tee]

I don't know if it counts as a record but it's certainly notable.
After Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2010 ceremony only one American director has won the Oscar, Damien Chazelle.

It depends on how you define “American.” This statement is true if we say American-born. I’m thinking of Chloe Zhao, who was born in China but has lived her entire adult life in the US, studied film here, and whose films very much have American themes.

This is a point worth making. There've been many best director winners over the years who were foreign-born -- in the first four decades or so of the Academy, I think it's in the 50% range -- but most of them (Milestone, Capra, Wyler, Wilder, Zinnemann) did their work within the Hollywood studio system.

It is interesting that, beginning roughly in 1970 and extending to the turn of the millennium, American-born directors (all male, of course) really dominated the category -- winning roughly 80% of trophies. (A notable exception was 1987, when all five nominees were foreign-born, and Robin Williams joked while presenting the award that the trophy would come with a green card.)

And, in that sense, the recent trend is interesting. I'd in fact push it a short step beyond what taki noted: Chazelle is the only American-born male to win the prize since the Coens in 2007. THAT'S a real change.

[danfrank]

I don't know if it counts as a record but it's certainly notable.
After Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2010 ceremony only one American director has won the Oscar, Damien Chazelle.

It depends on how you define “American.” This statement is true if we say American-born. I’m thinking of Chloe Zhao, who was born in China but has lived her entire adult life in the US, studied film here, and whose films very much have American themes.

[mlrg]

I don't know if it counts as a record but it's certainly notable.
After Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2010 ceremony only one American director has won the Oscar, Damien Chazelle.

Interesting fact.

This might show the lack of american directors releasing interesting work during the last decade. Aside from Scorsese, Spielberg, the Coens and Paul Thomas Anderson everyone else seems to be interested in only making super hero films or getting involved with junk scripts.

[taki15]

I don't know if it counts as a record but it's certainly notable.
After Kathryn Bigelow's win at the 2010 ceremony only one American director has won the Oscar, Damien Chazelle.

[OscarGuy]

Don't we have a thread for this already somewhere?

[andrew]

I thought I'd have a look at a few other possibilities for most acting Oscar winners in a film and I think I may have found the winner:

The Player with 12 winners (Tim Robbins, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, James Coburn, Louise Fletcher, Joel Grey, Anjelica Huston, Jack Lemmon, Marlee Matlin, Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon & Rod Steiger). Although other than Robbins & Goldberg the rest are playing themselves.

[Big Magilla]

If we're going to include nominees, there are lots more we could include. Gone with the Wind and It's a Wonderful life for starters have 8 each - Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, Thomas Mitchell, Barbara O'Neil, and Jane Darwell in the former and James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Beulah Bondi, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Gloria Grahame, and H.B. warner in the latter.

Around the World in 80 Days had 15 including Noel Coward was nominated for Original Screenplay and given an honorary award for In Which We Serve. The others, in addition to those mentioned below, were Robert Morley, Trevor Howard, Charles Boyer, Marlene Dietrich, Glynis Johns, and Jack Oakie.

[Reza]

Chastain's win raises the number of acting winners who appeared in The Help to an impressive 7 -- all female (Chastain, Stone, Davis, Spencer, Janney, Spacek, Steenburgen). I feel like there must be some disaster movie with more, but I don't know offhand.

The Swarm (1978) also has 7 winners - Michael Caine, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, and Henry Fonda.

Avengers: End Game (2019) also has 7 winners - Brie Larson, Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Tilda Swinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, and Marisa Tomei.

I had a quick check and found a couple with 8 acting winners, don't know if there is anything with more:

Around the World in 80 Days (John Gielgud, David Niven, Ronald Colman, Shirley MacLaine, Charles Coburn, Frank Sinatra, Victor McLaglen & John Mills)

& The Greatest Story Ever Told (José Ferrer, Van Heflin, Charlton Heston, Martin Landau, Sidney Poitier, Joseph Schildkraut, John Wayne & Shelley Winters)

Also with 7 acting winners is the made for tv Jesus of Nazareth - Rod Steiger, Laurence Olivier, Anne Bancroft, Ernest Borgnine, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Quinn & Peter Ustinov. It's 8 if you also count Honorary winner James Earl Jones.....not to mention nominees Valentina Cortese, James Mason, Ian Holm, Ralph Richardson & Ian Bannen.

[Big Magilla]

Good work, Andrew.

[andrew]

Chastain's win raises the number of acting winners who appeared in The Help to an impressive 7 -- all female (Chastain, Stone, Davis, Spencer, Janney, Spacek, Steenburgen). I feel like there must be some disaster movie with more, but I don't know offhand.

The Swarm (1978) also has 7 winners - Michael Caine, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, and Henry Fonda.

Avengers: End Game (2019) also has 7 winners - Brie Larson, Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Tilda Swinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, and Marisa Tomei.

I had a quick check and found a couple with 8 acting winners, don't know if there is anything with more:

Around the World in 80 Days (John Gielgud, David Niven, Ronald Colman, Shirley MacLaine, Charles Coburn, Frank Sinatra, Victor McLaglen & John Mills)

& The Greatest Story Ever Told (José Ferrer, Van Heflin, Charlton Heston, Martin Landau, Sidney Poitier, Joseph Schildkraut, John Wayne & Shelley Winters)

[dws1982]

Speaking of movies winning multiple awards, this was the first time that the movies that won multiple awards were all not nominated for Best Director.

[Greg]

Highlighting the discrepancy between nominations and awards, this is the first Oscars since those awarded for the films of 1931-1932 - when Grand Hotel won - where no more than one film with four or more nominations won more than one award.

[Greg]

Avengers: End Game (2019) also has 7 winners - Brie Larson, Michael Douglas, Robert Redford, Tilda Swinton, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, and Marisa Tomei.

Redford, though, is a winner for directing only. He never won for acting.