For more than 90 years, the Academy Awards have honored the best in various aspects of films. Each ceremony offers the opportunity to set records and make history for the nominees. Regardless of whether you like the Oscars or consider them pointless, it must be said that the awards and the notable historical moments they created are of some importance. Over the years there have been several records and notable 'firsts'. Here are some of the most important 'firsts' in Oscar history.
12 First Tie for an Award – Fredric March and Wallace Beery for Best Actor (1931)
The first tie in Oscars history wasn't a true tie. At the ceremony in 1932 Frederick March won Best Actor for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. According to Mental Floss, Oscar rules at the time stated that if one nominee came within three votes of another, both would win. Wallace Bearwho was nominated The champion, had one vote less than March. Because of the rule, the Academy awarded both the prize. A more famous (and true) tie came in 1969, when Barbra Streisand and Katharine Hepburn tied for Best Actress.
11 First black actress to win an acting Oscar - Hattie McDaniel for Gone With the Wind (1939)
Hattie McDaniel made history at the 1940 ceremony where she was nominated as Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in Gone with the wind. Not only was she the first black person to be nominated for an Oscar, but she also became the first to win one. While this was groundbreaking, it would be 24 years before another black performer would win an acting award.
10 First international film to win Best Picture - Hamlet (1948)
During the first 20 years of the Oscars, Best Picture went to films made in America. That changed at the 1949 award ceremony, then Lawrence Oliver's adaptation of Hamlet got Best Picture. The film was shot in England, making it the first non-American film to win the award. Since Hamlet, many non-American films have been nominated and won for Best Picture. The Oscars also began an official Best International Film category in 1956, allowing films to be recognized around the world.
9 First Puerto Rican actor to win an award - José Ferrer for Cyrano de Bergerac (1950)
At the 1951 awards ceremony Jose Ferrer won Best Actor for Leading Role in Cyrano de Bergerac, which has been modified many times. Born in Puerto Rico, Ferrer became the first Puerto Rican-born actor to win an Oscar. He also holds the distinction of being the first Puerto Rican to be nominated, when he did so as Best Supporting Actor in 1948. Since then, only Rita Moreno and Benicio del Toro have won acting awards.
8 First Asian actress to win an acting award - Myoshi Umeki for Sayonara (1956)
The film Sayonara features a great supporting performance from Myoshi Umeki, who won the Best Supporting Actress award in 1957. Born in Japan, Umeki was the first Asian-American to be nominated for and win an acting award. More than 65 years later, the upcoming Oscars have made history with four nominees for Asian acting, per Variety.
7 First black actor to win Best Actor - Sidney Poitier for Lilies of the Field (1963)
At the 1964 awards, legendary actor Sidney Poitier became the first black performer to win Best Actor for his performance as a traveling handyman in Lilies of the field. He was also the first black actor to be nominated for the award at last year's ceremony, making him the first black actor to receive two nominations.
6 First person to turn down an acting Oscar - George C. Scott for Patton (1970)
The first Oscar refusal was for a screenwriting award in 1935, although the recipient later accepted it. However, was the first actor to refuse an acting award George C Scottwho won for his starring role in the war biopic, Patton,at the 1971 ceremony. Scott thought the awards were a pointless, money wasting event and did not want to be a part of it. He did not attend the ceremony and told the academy to remove him from the list of nominees.
5 First deaf actress to win an award - Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God (1986)
Marlee Matlin made history at the 1987 awards, where she won for her role in Children of a lesser God. Matlin, who is deaf, became the first deaf performer to be nominated for and win an Oscar. At the age of 21, she also set the record for the youngest Best Actress winner, which still stands. Matlin was joined in 2022 by Troy Kotsur, a deaf actor who won Best Supporting Actor for code.
4 First Animated Feature Nominated for Best Picture - Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Animated films have their own category, but some of them were good enough to earn Best Picture nominations among live action films. To date, this has only happened three times, and the first one it did was disney's Beauty and the Beast at the 1992 Oscars. It's worth noting that the Oscars only accepted five Best Picture nominees at the time, which means Beauty and the Beast was received well enough to make it onto a restricted list. While it didn't win, it proved just how great an animated movie can be.
3 First black actress to win Best Actress - Halle Berry for Monster's Ball (2001)
Halle Berry was the seventh black actress ever to be nominated for Best Actress at the 2002 awards. For her role as a waitress involved with her husband's hangman in Monster ball, she would win the award and become the first black woman to do so. Though others have been nominated, more than 20 years later, she remains the only black woman to win the award.
2 First woman to win Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker (2008)
The 2009 Oscars saw history in the Best Director category. Three women had previously been nominated, but Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win, for her work on The pain box. Following Bigelow's win, Chloé Zhao would go on to win the Best Director award Nomad land in 2021, while Jane Campion won for The power of the dog in 2022. To date, they are the only women to have won, and only seven have ever been nominated.
1 First non-English film to win Best Picture - Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon HoSouth Korean Movie, Parasite, made history at the 2020 Oscars. After winning Best International Feature, it also took home the Best Picture award. It was not the first international film to win the award, but it was the first non-English language film to do so. It was also the first South Korean film ever to be recognized by the awards. The director expressed the hope that it would encourage viewers to watch more international films.
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