A History Of Oscar Speeches: Are These The Most Memorable Ones?

The Academy Awards: an evening of glamour, grace and sophistication. In a room full to the brim of Hollywood’s most celebrated stars, this is to be expected. However, when it comes to the glorified acceptance speeches, we can always predict that a little rebellion, emotion and surprise will go a long way. The Oscars tend to hold a superior and more prestigious presence than alternative award ceremonies; predominantly because the winners are chosen by their Hollywood peers, which is considered to be the highest honour of them all.

That’s before we even get started on the process of the actual ceremony itself. When highly sought after golden statues become more valuable than the International Space Station, and the guest list is more exclusive than an invitation to have tea with the Queen of England, you know you’re at the Oscars. For anyone lucky enough to be working in the film industry, an Oscar win is essentially your ticket to success. Any filmmaker or actor worth their salt has most likely clasped one of the prominent shimmering figurines in their hands and taken their place on the podium at some point, rubbing shoulders with all the previous winners.

But whilst we obsess over the probability of whether Emma Stone will be wearing Oscar De La Renta or Louis Vuitton this year, or we take bets on what colour bow tie Denzel Washington will opt for, we need to talk about the speeches.

The acceptance speeches are the bread and butter of the typical Oscars ritual. Forget the clothes labels, ignore the musical performances and take your mind off of the opening monologue of the imminent comical host. Instead, cast your attention to the rich and powerful memoirs of Oscar speeches, past and present.

The 89th Academy Awards will undoubtedly bring a handful of heartfelt speeches that go beyond simply thanking the Academy. But let’s press the rewind button and take it back for a moment to appraise the most memorable Oscar speeches of all time – and not necessarily for good reasons!

From politically opinionated and feminist champion Patricia Arquette, to the moving honesty of Lupita Nyong’o, here are some of the most incredible and most inspiring Oscar speeches from 89 years of historic film talent recognition.

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave (2014)

Lupita Nyong’o left her mark at the Oscars as, arguably, the most graciously elegant woman to ever walk the red carpet – and her speech was no different. As Patsey in 12 Years A Slave, it was obvious to most that Lupita was going to nail award season in her supporting actress role. But even she seemed overwhelmed when her win at the Academy Awards was unveiled.

The 31-year-old actress first thanked her character, Patsey, for the powerful role. “It doesn’t escape me for one moment that so much joy in my life is thanks to so much pain in someone else’s,” Nyong’o said through her tears. At the end of her speech, Nyong’o left the audience with a message: “When I look down at this golden statue, may it remind me and every child, no matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.”

Tom Hanks – Philadelphia (1994)

Whilst most recall his role of Forrest Gump much more clearly, Tom Hanks‘ first Oscar was a result of his impeccable performance as Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia. For his speech, he was everything you’d expect Tom Hanks to be: eloquent, poignant, humble, and stirring.

His heartfelt expression of love to wife Rita Wilson elicited an odd, glorious mixture of swoon and sob. His grounded acknowledgement of his nominees solidified his status as Hollywood’s classiest act. And his tribute to two proud gay men who profoundly affected his life was perfect, although it’s rumoured that he accidentally ‘outed’ one of them! As Philadelphia was a story of one gay man’s crusade. “I know that my work in this case is magnified by the fact that the streets in heaven are too crowded with angels.”

Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (2014)

Perhaps one of the most emotionally invested speeches ever made, and not just at the Academy Awards. When Jared Leto took to the stage to accept the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club, he used his platform to speak out about HIV, civil war and his mother.

His pristine white suit and glossy hair were not enough to distract the entire audience from his moving words. He credited his success to his mother’s single-parenting and his upbringing, exclaiming: “I love you Mom, thank you for teaching me to dream.” If that wasn’t enough to get your tear ducts tingling, he then went on to dedicate his award to “the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS and to those of you out there who have ever felt injustice because of who you are or who you love.”

Michael Moore – Bowling For Columbine (2003)

Prevailing as one of the bravest Oscar winners since the inception of the Academy Awards, Michael Moore made the Oscar speech heard around the world, in which he condemned George W. Bush for going to war in Iraq, which had just begun four days prior.

Moore was booed, stalked and threatened for it. He had to get a security detail to protect him from the death threats and he claims that Homeland Security scratched up his Oscar at the airport on the way home. He said: “We live in the time where we have fictitious election results that elects a fictitious President. We — We live in a time where we have a man sending us to war for fictitious reasons….We are against this war, Mr. Bush! Shame on you, Mr. Bush, shame on you.”

You have to admire his openly honest opinion – it is his big moment after all!

Leonardo DiCaprio – The Revenant (2016)

Much like Jared Leto, Leonardo DiCaprio chose to use his success to publicise a higher importance. After what felt like a lifetime waiting for DiCaprio to win his well-deserved Best Actor Oscar, he finally pulled it off when he was awarded for his momentous efforts in The Revenant as Hugh Glass.

Speaking out about the environment comes pretty naturally to Leo; it’s almost second nature to him. So, in a bid to make more people notice this, he stated: “Our production needed to move to the southern tip of this planet just to be able to find snow. Climate change is real; it is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.

“For our children’s children, and for those people out there whose voices have been drowned out by the politics of greed. I thank you all for this amazing award tonight. Let us not take this planet for granted.”

Thankfully, his openness, passion and courage in using a prestigious Hollywood glamour-fest to talk about such troubles was admired by most.

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood (2015)

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure what it is about Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech I love more. After winning Best Supporting Actress for her role in Boyhood, Arquette unleashed feminist fever throughout the entire Dolby Theatre. Not only did she embody pure female power by demanding a change in politics, but she also proved that Hollywood is overflowing with support for her actions.

Expressively shouting for women’s rights across the USA, she said: “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation; we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America!”

This is something that clearly planted a seed with onlookers Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez, who can be seen cheering her on eagerly. Not just an Oscar winner, but a total rock star too, Arquette.

Louise Fletcher – One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

The Best Actress winner for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest kept it short, gracious and barely memorable — until she completed her speech in sign language to thank her deaf parents “for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.”

This has now been regarded as one of the most prominent acceptance speeches in Oscar history, and certainly one of the most moving.

Jonas Rivera & Pete Docter – Inside Out (2016)

Steering away slightly from the on-screen stars, Inside Out producers Jonas Rivera and Pete Docter proved that the best speech of the night doesn’t have to derive from an expressive actor. Claiming the award for Best Animated Feature, the pair certainly tugged at our heart strings with their words –  much like the Disney Pixar animation did.

Reminding us all of our insider passions and childhood dreams, Docter said: “This film was really born from watching our kids grow up, which is not easy! Anyone out there who’s in junior high, high school, working it out, suffering — there are days you’re going to feel sad. You’re going to feel angry. You’re going to feel scared. That’s nothing you can choose. But you can make stuff. Make films. Draw. Write. It will make a world of difference.”

Their stunning speech left an imprint in everyone’s hearts that night, and there’s no doubt that Inside Out will continue to do the same for future audiences.

Joe Pesci – Goodfellas (1991)

There’s something quite charming about making it short and sweet, and Joe Pesci proved that he’s the master of nailing the ‘man of very few words’ regime. His very short acceptance speech in 1991 for his performance in Goodfellas was exceptionally brief, yet ever so engaging at the same time. He uttered a mere five words—“It’s my privilege, thank you”— but with a look in his eyes that said much more.

Halle Berry – Monster’s Ball (2002)

In this unique instance, the Oscar was much more than just an award. To this day, Halle Berry is still the only African American to win the Best Actress trophy for her role in Monster’s Ball. Taking special note of the significance of her win, she said: “This moment is so much bigger than me.

This moment is for Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, Diahann Carroll. It’s for the women that stand beside me; Jada Pinkett, Angela Bassett, Vivica Fox. And it’s for every nameless, faceless woman of colour that now has a chance because this door tonight has been opened. Thank you. I’m so honoured. I’m so honoured. And I thank the Academy for choosing me to be the vessel for which His blessing might flow.”

Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight (2009)

In a moment that understandably moved the entire audience into a roaring standing ovation, Heath Ledger’s family accepted his Oscar on his behalf, following his tragic death. It wasn’t so much the spoken words that made this so special, but the sentiment in the atmosphere is something that will never be forgotten.

Heath’s father, Kim Ledger said: “This award tonight would’ve humbly validated Ledger’s quiet determination to be truly accepted by you all here, his peers, within an industry he so loved.”

In a room full of his peers, friends, family and fellow nominees, Ledger’s legacy was celebrated in the most overwhelmingly beautiful way. His role of the Joker in The Dark Knight is almost as unforgettable as he is, and as his last performance, he will always and indefinitely remain distinctively striking.

Marlon Brando – The Godfather (1973)

In 1973, Marlon Brando didn’t just claim the award for Best Actor in his role as Vito Corleone for The Godfather. He can also relish in the victory of being the man who inspired one of the most peculiar Oscar moments in history. Marlon Brando chose to use his status at the Oscars to represent injustice. The difference is: he boycotted the entire ceremony, and outright refused his award.

In protest of the treatment of Native Americans in film, Native American actress and activist, Sacheen Littlefeather appeared on the podium in his place and refused to accept the golden statue.

She said: “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award. And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry and on television in movie reruns, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee. I beg at this time that I have not intruded upon this evening and that we will in the future, our hearts and our understandings will meet with love and generosity.”

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Fingers crossed that this year’s celebrations contain anything half as memorable as these; or any of your favorites that we might have missed.

Who do you predict will make the most stand-out speech at the upcoming 89th Academy Awards on February 26th? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments!