Ruth Gordon – Best Supporting Actress at the 1969 Awards for “Rosemary’s Baby“
Highlights: Short and snappy, our very favorite part of the wonderful Gordon’s speech may be where she waves a casually imperious hand to quiet the applause and laughter, and it works. But “The first film I was ever in was in 1915, and here we are in 1969. Actually I don’t know why it took me so long—I don’t think that I’m backward” comes a close second.
Bonus Trivia: We shouldn’t be surprised her speech was so good. Gordon, in addition to turning in a criminally overlooked (at the time) performance in “Harold and Maude” (1972), and acting for seven decades, was also a three-time Oscar-nominated writer, notably for Hepburn/Tracy vehicles “Pat and Mike” and “Adam’s Rib.”
Dustin Lance Black – Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 awards for “Milk“
Highlights: Addressing the young gay and lesbian people watching, Black finished his impassioned and sincere speech by saying, “You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you, and very soon I promise you you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours.” It’s rare that a speech so overtly political can also be so personal.
Bonus Trivia: “You Commie, homo-loving sons of guns,” was how Sean Penn started his also-awesome acceptance speech for Best Actor for “Milk,” before also voicing outspoken support for Mickey Rourke (!) and for gay marriage and asking those who voted to ban it to anticipate “their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes.”
Billy Wilder – The Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award in 1988
Highlights: With pretty much his whole speech playing as an extended anecdote, the entire thing is a treat, detailing his reason for dedicating his award to a consul in Mexicali whose name he can’t remember but “looked a bit like Will Rogers.” Like so many of his films, the genius is that, while amusing and slightly whimsical, there is a serious heart to the story: Wilder is recounting his fleeing the Nazi regime, his search for a new home and his gratitude to America for being that home.
Bonus Trivia: If that weren’t affecting enough, he ends it on a personal note to co-writer IAL Diamond: “I hope you are watching IAL because part of this is yours, so get well.” Diamond passed away just ten days later.
Nothing beats Soderbergh's speech when he won for Traffic, which he passed on thanking agents and producers, and instead thanked all creative indidivuals out there. Simply the best speech in my opinion.
No mention at all of Anna Paquin's adorable response to her Oscar for The Piano?
Glad you mentioned Berry, who's on my list too (http://bit.ly/1fHjZMo). I continue to think she got slammed too hard for her emotional speech.
What about Peter O'toole's acceptance speech for his honorary Oscar? Pure class.
Gotta say my go-to favorite is the ecstatic, spontaneous, barely coherent speech Ben Affleck and Matt Damon gave when they won for writing Good Will Hunting. They were such newbies and I love it.
You guys can stop wondering how Meryl Streep got into the category. She's brilliant, that's how.
Now Bullock on the other hand…
Good list of speeches. If only the performances were half as memorable and most of the wins didn't stink of highway robbery as much (Roberts for Brokovich over Burstyn was abysmal)
Bale? De Niro? Pacino? Day-Lewis?