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It was an ordinary spring day in 1962 Italy… ordinary outside of a warm greeting between the very married superstar Elizabeth Taylor and the very married actor Richard Burton that a photographer happened to catch. The “kissing picture,” as it would become known, caught like wildfire, and the paparazzi never let up. Richard Burton dubbed the ensuing press storm “Le Scandale,” and the judgement of the world swiftly followed — included a condemnation from the Vatican newspaper calling it Taylor’s “erotic vagrancy.”

At the center of Le Scandale — one which TCM host Ben Mankiewicz calls the “biggest in the history of American celebrities” — was a mammoth film, perhaps the biggest in the history of American cinema: 20th Century Fox’s “Cleopatra.”

“The first photograph of them kissing as the rumors were circulating that they were involved was [taken by] a paparazzo hiding under a car, under like a Fiat… lying on the ground,...

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Mountainhead is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Armstrong. The HBO film revolves around four billionaire friends as they gather for a secluded weekend retreat at a mountain head villa while the whole world struggles because of major financial turmoil. Mountainhead stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef. So, if you loved the biting dark comedy, pointed satire, and compelling but unlikable characters in Mountainhead, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

In the Loop (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – BBC Films

In the Loop is a British satirical dark comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, and Tony Roche. Based on the British series The Thick of It, the 2009 film revolves around the fallout that followed after...

Which actor gave the shortest oscar-winning performance ever? (Photo Credit – Wikipedia)

As far as the Oscar awards are concerned, longer screen time is often interpreted as a more impactful performance. But every once in a while, an actor delivers such an impactful performance that they win laurels across the globe despite a significantly shorter screen time. While many know Anthony Hopkins’

The 16-minute role in The Silence of the Lambs was one of the shortest to win an Oscar, another performance quietly holds the record for the shortest Oscar-winning performance. Curious to know which actor/actress made Oscar history in a lesser time than it takes to drink a cup of tea? Read on to know the details.

The Shortest Oscar-Winning Performance

Without beating around the bush, we’ll come straight to the point. The Oscar-winning performance, which had the shortest screen time, was delivered by Beatrice Straight in the 1976 film Network.

Naseeruddin Shah And Robert De Niro(Photo Credit –Wikimedia)

Naseeruddin Shah is a seasoned actor who has created a huge impact with his sublime performances among cinephiles, not just in India but across the world. The 74-year-old actor has displayed his acting prowess in myriad films, including Sparsh, Iqbal, Masoon, Katha, Sarfarosh, and Mirch Masala.

In an earlier interview with Hindustan Times, the National Film Award-winning actor was once asked about method acting and a film where he was crazily involved with a character he had essayed, which was hard to get out of. And, like always, he mingled no words to express his blunt opinion. That’s when he candidly remarked about an immensely popular role played by the legendary Hollywood actor Robert De Niro.

What Was That Robert De Niro Movie and Role?

The film’s name was Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver, which released in 1976 and eventually...

William Holden was an Oscar-winning performer who starred in dozens of movies, remaining active until his untimely death in 1981. But how many of his titles remain classics? Let's take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born on April 17, 1918, Holden made his film debut with a starring role in the boxing drama "Golden Boy" (1939) when he was just 21 years old. Though his career lagged for the next decade, he came roaring back with Billy Wilder's Hollywood noir "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), playing a struggling screenwriter who becomes involved with a fading, delusional silent film star (Gloria Swanson). The role brought him his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor.

He joined the winner's circle just three years later with a Best Actor victory for Wilder's "Stalag 17" (1953), which cast him as a cynical American Pow who's suspected of being a German informant during WWII.

It took...

The Academy Awards are an odd tradition. Every year, voters from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (becoming one of these voters is itself a somewhat mystified bureaucratic nightmare) nominate and award feature films in a number of categories.

Even ignoring the flaws in the process -- such as potential mis-categorization (see co-leads Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin breezing their way to Oscar wins by competing as "supporting actors") -- the prestige and preeminence of the Oscars gives way to a false air of objectivity regarding its honorees. It creates the illusion that winning films are inarguably the best, rather than the beneficiaries of the aggregation of the subjective opinions of a relatively small and unavoidably biased stable of Hollywood elites.

This is all to say, while the Academy Awards are a lot of fun, they are simply unable to honor every film that deserves an award. Below,...

Few films have received as much incoherently contradictory reception as Ken Hughes’ Cromwell. The British historical drama made its silver-screen debut in July 1970. It was promptly criticized by professionals, yet it became the year’s highest-grossing British film. At the same time, Cromwell earned Vittorio Nino Novarese a shiny Academy Award for Best Costume Design. At Spain’s annual Fotogramas de Plata, leading actor Richard Harris earned the fifth spot for Best Foreign Movie Performer. Cromwell is as dramatic as its release history. That shouldn’t be too surprising, either; its highly romanticized story covers the English Civil War. In some ways, it’s comparable to America’s Oscar-winning historical drama, Lincoln, and its historical roots are no less ideologically divisive.

Notably, the film has everything it needs to succeed. Its gorgeous visuals handily bring some of Britain’s most controversial moments to life. Its cast is outstanding and studded with countless top-tier stars.

Is there a kernel of truth to the notion that "popcorn stars" don't win Oscars? It certainly felt that way to fans hoping to see Demi Moore pull off a Best Actress victory at the 2025 Oscars. Her daring performance as Elisabeth Sparkle in The Substance had earned her a Golden Globe, Critics Choice, and SAG Award, putting her in frontrunner position as she arrived at the 97th Academy Awards on March 2. But suddenly, those hopes were dashed when Emma Stone read out the winner: Mikey Madison in Anora.

It wasn't unfamiliar to see one of the biggest box-office draws from decades past lose the big one. Perhaps the Academy couldn't see past what Moore had once been told she was — a popcorn actress. She addressed the demeaning title in her Golden Globes acceptance speech nearly two months prior, stating that a producer called her a “popcorn actress” 30 years ago, which...

Robert De Niro won his second Oscar in 1981 for playing a boxing champ in Raging Bull. And now he has been chosen as the acting champ when it comes to Academy Awards.

His performance for the Martin Scorsese film from 1980 has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Actor winner ever, according to a Gold Derby ballot cast by 21 of our film experts, critics, and editors, who ranked all 97 male leading actors.

Anthony Hopkins finished second for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), with Marlon Brando following in third for The Godfather (1972). Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), and Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) rounded out the top five.

At the bottom of the list of the Best Actor winners is Warner Baxter for In Old Arizona (1928). George Arliss in Disraeli (1929), Lionel Barrymore for A Free Soul (1930), Paul Lukas for Watch on the Rhine (1942), and Paul Muni for The Story of Louis Pasteur...

Robert De Niro won his second Oscar in 1981 for playing a boxing champ in Raging Bull. And now he has been chosen as the champ of all actors.

His performance for the Martin Scorsese film from 1980 has been voted the greatest Oscar Best Actor winner ever, according to a Gold Derby ballot cast by 21 of our film experts, critics, and editors, who ranked all 97 male leading actors.

Anthony Hopkins ranked second for The Silence of the Lambs (1991), with Marlon Brando following in third for The Godfather (1972). Daniel Day-Lewis for There Will Be Blood (2007), and Gregory Peck for To Kill a Mockingbird (1961) rounded out the top five.

At the bottom of the list of the Best Actor winners is Warner Baxter for In Old Arizona (1928). Just above that film performance in the rankings are George Arliss in Disraeli (1929), Lionel Barrymore for A Free Soul (1930), Paul Lukas for Watch on the Rhine...

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George Clooney might seem like a fun-loving sort, but he is a man who takes his movie stardom seriously. Yes, he's a notorious practical joker who once affixed a frame to Brad Pitt's license plate that read "F*** Cops," but, really, when he's not trying to get his "Ocean's Eleven" co-star arrested, he cares deeply about his craft. If you doubt this, you should perhaps read the book "George Clooney: Anatomy of an Actor," which examines ten of his most significant film performances in some detail — and, yes, I am just recommending this book because I wrote it.

Though Clooney does come from a long line of entertainers, most prominent among them his aunt Rosemary Clooney, he's more than earned his A-list stature. After struggling throughout the 1980s by appearing in past-their-prime sitcoms ("The Facts of Life") and literally...

Paul Maslansky, a producer behind films such as “Police Academy” and “Return to Oz,” died on Monday of natural causes at a hospital in Los Robles, Calif. He was 91.

Maslansky collaborated frequently with Oscar winner Alan Ladd Jr. Together they worked on “The Russia House,” “Death Line,” “Race With the Devil” and “Damnation Alley.” He also produced “Love Child” in 1982 as well as the 1979 comedy film “Scavenger Hunt” and the 1995 fantasy feature “Fluke,” starring Matthew Modine.

Following the production of “Love Child,” Ladd requested that Maslansky advise on The Ladd Co.’s upcoming movie “The Right Stuff.” After watching the parade scene in the film, Maslansky wrote a short story about a group of police cadets. This would go on to become “Police Academy,” which grossed $82 million in 1984 and led to six film sequels, an animated television show and a live-action series.

Prior to the film’s theatrical release, Maslansky...

Dame Maggie Smith was many things. Hilarious and tragic. Elegant and aloof. Enchanting and deadly serious. Most will attribute their appreciation of her multiple-generation spanning career to roles in the “Harry Potter” or “Sister Act” franchises or perhaps “Downton Abbey,” which elevated her fame to a level she often spoke disdainfully of. For Smith was not an actress who was in it for the red carpets or accolades — though she received many, including two Oscars, five Baftas, four Emmys, and a Tony — but rather treated acting as a sturdy profession, one that required of her the utmost presence while on set or stage.

Beginning her career in the early 1950s, she played Viola in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at The Oxford Playhouse, followed later by roles in “As You Like It” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor” at London’s famed Old Vic theater. She rose to prominence on...

This month marks the return of one of the most twisted beloved modern movie characters: Betelgeuse. Of course, we all know the bio-exorcist by his easier-to-spell name, Beetlejuice. After over three decades, Beetlejuice is back with the long-awaited and appropriately named sequel "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice." You already know that most (though not all) of the cast of the original 1988 Tim Burton horror-comedy is back, including Michael Keaton as the Juice himself. One big talking point Keaton has hit on in the pre-release marketing is that, in all the years of development, he pushed hard to ensure that his character was...not in a lot of the movie. It's not just false modesty -- Beetlejuice is only in 17 minutes of the movie bearing his name, but he makes a massive impact all the same. And Keaton's performance as Beetlejuice is just one of many that manages to be memorable and iconic without being overbearing.

One of cinema's most enduring images is of a rain-saturated news anchor by the name of Howard Beale raising his hands and straining the sleeves of his anorak as clocks behind him tick for various cities across the world. He entreats the viewers to stick their heads out of their windows and scream that they're "mad as hell and not going to take it anymore". What precedes this and what follows this is one of the great satirical works of any medium, be it literature, cinema, or any other art form. Network was released in 1976 in a year of truly astounding cinema, but it may as well have been released last week. Beale, played masterfully by Peter Finch, cries about crime reportage, inflation, Russians, and urban violence in a monologue that could very well appear on Last Week Tonight or The Tonight Show this week. The script, by Paddy Chayefsky,...

Peter Finch won a posthumous Oscar for his uproarious performance as a swivel-eyed news anchor – a cross between Billy Graham and Donald Trump

‘The time has come to say … is ‘dehumanisation’ such a bad word?” The speaker is Howard Beale, the sweat-drenched, swivel-eyed TV news anchor in this classic 1976 satire from screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky and director Sidney Lumet, now on rerelease. Depressed by the loss of his wife and by getting fired due to dwindling audiences, Beale proclaims he will kill himself live on air and is then re-hired as a colossal popular and then populist success, his celebrity delirium turning him into a crazy prophet, telling millions of Americans to scream out of the window that they are as mad as hell and not going to take it any more. Beale is a mixture of Billy Graham, radio star Orson Welles telling America the Martians are coming, and that notorious ratings-obsessive Donald Trump.

Sidney Lumet was the Oscar-nominated director who proved incredibly prolific during his career, directing over 40 movies in 50 years, from his feature debut “12 Angry Men” (1957) through his cinematic farewell “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” (2007). But how many of those titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 20 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born on June 25, 1924, Lumet got his start as a child actor, appearing in “One Third of a Nation” (1939) when he was 15 years old. After serving during WWII, he quickly began directing Off-Broadway plays before moving into the burgeoning medium of television, where he helmed hundreds of live teleplays. While working on episodes of “Playhouse 90,” “Kraft Theater” and many more, he honed his abilities to shoot quickly and economically.

His turned to movies with “12 Angry Men,” an adaptation of Reginald Rose‘s TV drama about a lone juror (Henry Fonda) holding out during a murder trial.

The James Bond franchise has long been blossoming in the action genre and remains among the fan-favorite franchises. It is rich in many elements, from thrilling action sequences to innovative gadgets, that captivated audiences for decades. It is all thanks to Ian Fleming, the creator behind the iconic 007 spy, who laid the foundation of the vast saga.

Sean Connery in Goldfinger [Credit: United Artists]However, many would be surprised to know that he was against the idea of Sean Connery to take up the iconic role. Fleming would have done with anyone, but not Connery, and the reason would surprise many!

Sean Connery’s James Bond Was Different from What Ian Fleming Intended

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, the author shared insights on what went behind the scenes in a film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel Casino Royale.

Carrey's career peaked in the '90s, but took a nosedive with his dramatic ventures, leading to his disappearance from the spotlight. Carrey's standout role in The Truman Show mirrors themes in the relevant Network, highlighting media manipulation for profit. Carrey's failed attempt at drama means he's sticking to comedy, but fans still hope to see him tackle explosive characters again.

Jim Carrey's career is one of the most interesting ones in Hollywood. After dominating the industry in the 1990s, the Canadian actor went on to become one of the most recognizable faces in comedy. The weird thing is that when he felt it was time to seek credibility in drama, things went "down" after that. A few dramatic performances and an Oscar campaign that didn't work out were the beginning of the end for the actor, who, in the new century, vanished from the spotlight.

Widely considered a...

A variety of different actors have portrayed 007 over the years, and the original actor to first suit up in the role is still a favorite for many fans. However, Sean Connery's casting was questioned by the creator of the James Bond character, Ian Fleming, who wasn't totally sold on the casting.

Per IndieWire, new details about the history of the franchise have been divulged in Nicholas Shakespeare's upcoming biography on Fleming, titled Ian Fleming: The Complete Man. The book goes into the casting process for the first James Bond, going back to the mid-1950s with several different actors approached. Fleming had considered a handful of names to get the role, suggesting Richard Burton would "be by far the best James Bond."

Related Former 007 Pierce Brosnan Says This Academy Award-Nominated Actor Would Make a 'Magnificent' James Bond There is an ongoing speculation about who will play James Bond next,...

Lashana Lynch became the first woman to own the 007 title in the 2021 James Bond tentpole “No Time to Die,” but it turns out a plan to make James Bond a woman was actually pitched over 60 years prior. In Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man,” it’s confirmed that producer Gregory Ratoff floated the idea of casting Susan Hayward in a film adaptation of Fleming’s first Bond novel “Casino Royale.”

Shakespeare writes in the biography (via IndieWire): “Since the mid-1950s, many well-known actors had been approached [to play Bond]. Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman, Susan Hayward. Ian had entertained several possibilities, from Richard Burton (‘I think that Richard Burton would be by far the best James Bond’), to James Stewart (‘I wouldn’t at all mind him as Bond if he can slightly...

Yes, a female James Bond has been over a half-century in the making.

Before Lashana Lynch briefly donned the 007 title in “No Time to Die,” the film adaptation of “Dr. No,” a woman was in talks to lead the franchise 50 years prior.

In Nicholas Shakespeare’s upcoming biography of Bond author Ian Fleming, titled “Ian Fleming: The Complete Man,” it’s revealed that original “Casino Royale” producer Gregory Ratoff had imagined a woman in the titular lead role. In fact, Oscar-winning actress Susan Hayward was in Ratoff’s mind to take the part.

Prior to “Casino Royale,” the two Bond films had floundered with “Thunderball” and “Casino Royale” receiving poor reviews, hence the proposed gender-swap.

Shakespeare writes in the biography, “Since the mid-1950s, many well-known actors had been approached. Gregory Ratoff had the arresting idea of having Bond played by a woman, Susan Hayward. Ian had entertained several possibilities,...

The Academy Awards is that platform where films of every language get much-needed recognition. Hollywood has a long history in terms of cult classics and critically acclaimed films, including Titanic and Avatar. The majority of them have proved themselves deserving enough to get an Oscar.

There are directors, such as Steven Spielberg and Christopher Nolan, whose works are specifically known for different reasons. A bunch of those masterminds created something unique and amazing in their career but they were never considered worthy of an accolade at the Academy Awards. While the reasons remain unknown, here are 7 movies that could not make it to the list of winners at the prestigious award ceremony.

Suggested“Guess she don’t want an Oscar”: Sydney Sweeney Sidelines Christopher Nolan for Her Dream Director But That Might Not Win Her Any Academy Awards 1. The Shawshank Redemption Morgan Freeman in a still from The Shawshank Redemption...

Since the inception of the Academy Awards, the U.S.-based organization behind them has always strived to honor worldwide film achievements. Their extensive roster of competitive acting winners alone consists of artists from 30 unique countries, three of which first gained representation during the 2020s. The last full decade’s worth of triumphant performers hail from eight countries, while 42.1% of the individual actors nominated during that time originate from outside of America.

The academy’s history of recognizing acting talent on a global scale dates all the way back to the inaugural Oscars ceremony in 1929, when Swiss-born Emil Jannings (who was of German and American parentage) won Best Actor for his work in both “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh.” Over the next three years, the Best Actress prize was exclusively awarded to Canadians: Mary Pickford (“Coquette”), Norma Shearer (“The Divorcee”), and Marie Dressler (“Min and Bill...

On digital platforms like YouTube, golf is growing in popularity. As the best entertainers on the fairway build their respective subscriber counts, they are competing against one another to secure a spot with the sport’s top-tier organization. Eight creators are participating in The Q at Myrtle Beach, a qualifying tournament whose winner will earn a berth at the PGA Tour‘s Myrtle Beach Classic.

The Q features a 16-golfer field, and half of its entrants have achieved some measure of prominence by posting golf videos online. The competitors who will vie for a spot in the Classic include George Bryan IV of Bryan Bros Golf, Grant Horvat, Luke Kwon of Good Good, Peter Finch, Micah Morris, Dan Rapaport of Fore Play, Nic “Fat Perez” Stubbe of Bob Does Sports and one of hosts of BustaJack. All of the channels linked in this paragraph sport six-digit subscriber counts on YouTube.

Here are two words for those who believe Christopher Nolan can’t possibly lose the Best Director race at this year’s Academy Awards for “Oppenheimer”: Bob Fosse. And here are three more: Francis Ford Coppola.

When you think about how many consider Coppola’s 1972 masterpiece “The Godfather” to be perhaps the greatest American film ever made, it might shock them to learn that while the film won Oscars in ’73 for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Marlon Brando, Coppola lost the director race to Fosse for “Cabaret.” Nothing against Fosse or his iconic musical, but his win over Coppola was shocking even if deserved. The lesson is that you simply never know what might happen on Oscar night. “Oppenheimer” could clean up, as is being widely predicted, and Nolan could still somehow miss out even though all indicators tell us it’s a done deal.

SEEOscar...

In the 95-year history of the Academy Awards, 88 films have each received nominations for both Best Actor and Best Actress. Although there have been 19 cases of two or more movies doing so in a single year, there hasn’t been such an occurrence since 1996, when both lead lineups included performers from “Dead Man Walking” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” However, according to Gold Derby’s late-stage 2024 Oscar nominations predictions, that nearly three-decade gap is set to soon be closed by costar pairs from “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Maestro.”

The vast majority of the Oscars prognosticators who’ve been shaping our odds all season agree that Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan (“Maestro”) will all clinch academy mentions for their lead performances. The last such quartet consisted of eventual winners Nicolas Cage (“Leaving Las Vegas”) and Susan Sarandon (“Dead Man Walking”) and their respective costars,...

Alice Walker published her acclaimed novel “The Color Purple” in 1982. It sold five million copies; Walker became the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize and she also received the National Book Club Award. Three years later, Steven Spielberg directed the lauded film version which made stars out of Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. It earned 11 Oscar nominations. The story revolves around a young woman who suffers abuse from her father and husband for four decades until she finds her own identity. Not exactly the stuff of a Broadway musical.

But the 2005 tuner version received strong reviews, ran 910 performances and earned ten Tony nominations, winning best actress for Lachanze. The 2015 production picked up two Tonys for best revival and actress for Cynthia Erivo. The movie musical version opened strong Christmas Day with $18 million and is a strong contender in several Oscar categories especially for Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks.

The current Oscar frontrunners for Best Actor and Best Actress according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users are Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”) and Emma Stone (“Poor Things”). However, they both face serious competition from the stars of “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. If the co-stars both win, “Maestro” would be the first film since “As Good As It Gets” to win both lead acting Oscars.

SEEBradley Cooper (‘Maestro’) makes Critics Choice Awards history

“Maestro” chronicles the decades-long relationship between conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and actress Felicia Montealegre (Mulligan). Their love story spans over 30 years from the time they met at a party in 1946 and continuing through their quarter-century marriage. But winning matching Oscars isn’t easy. To date only seven films have won both lead acting awards. They are:

“It Happened One Night” (1934) – Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975) – Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher...

Before the 2023 Academy Awards, only “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Network” had won three Oscars for acting. The former won its hat trick in 1952 with Vivien Leigh taking home Best Actress, Karl Malden claiming Best Supporting Actor, and Kim Hunter winning Best Supporting Actress. Then, in 1976, “Network” won Best Actor for Peter Finch (posthumously), Best Actress for Faye Dunaway, and Best Supporting Actress for Beatrice Straight. Those two movies stood alone as the only pictures to win three acting Oscars until 2023 when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” produced wins for Michelle Yeoh (Best Actress), Jamie Lee Curtis (Best Supporting Actress), and Ke Huy Quan (Best Supporting Actor). These three films now have the joint-highest number of acting wins in Oscars history as no film has ever managed to reign victorious in all four acting categories.

Plenty of movies have had four nominations for acting, including “American Hustle” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Beatrice Straight won an Oscar for her role in Network with only five minutes of screen time, setting a record for the shortest performance to win an Academy Award. Supporting actors with limited screen time must make a lasting impression in order to be recognized by the Oscars. Straight's win in 1977 remains unchallenged over the past 46 years, as no performance with less than five minutes of screen time has been nominated for an Oscar since then.

Winning an acting Oscars award can happen with various types of performances, and one actress managed to win with only five minutes of screen time. When it comes to winning a Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, or Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, it is quite common for the most prominent performances from an individual movie to be nominated. The awards ceremony loves to recognize the stars whom audiences are most likely...

Robert De Niro has been working in Hollywood for almost six decades now, with eight Oscar nominations to his name and two wins. His most noted collaboration has been with director Martin Scorsese, with whom he has done 10 films, including their latest partnership on “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which was released October 20 through Apple Original Films. In celebration of the western crime epic, let’s take a look back at De Niro’s eight Oscar nominations in 45 years; seven for acting and one for producing.

His first Oscar nomination and victory came on the heels of Francis Ford Coppola’s epic crime film “The Godfather” with the equally successful second installment “The Godfather Part II” (1974), in which De Niro plays a young Vito Corleone, played by Oscar winner Marlon Brando in the first movie. Just like Brando, De Niro triumphed at the 1975 Oscars for the character, albeit in the...

Since the second Academy Awards ceremony in 1930, 73 people have received acting Oscar nominations for their debut film performances, yielding a total of 15 breakout wins. Conversely, the list of actors who have earned recognition for their final movie appearances is much smaller, featuring only 18 general and two successful examples. Those who belong to this club gained entry in a variety of ways, with some having voluntarily quit acting altogether, others having specifically stepped away from film performing, and a few having sadly not lived long enough to bask in the glory of their farewell nominations.

Since film acting retirement can never be absolutely permanent while a performer is still alive, only deceased individuals can correctly be counted as official members of this group. Although most currently living retired actors did not pick up Oscar nominations for their latest films anyway, the academy did smile upon one – Daniel Day-Lewis – on his declared way out.

(Welcome to Did They Get It Right?, a series where we look at Oscars categories from yesteryear and examine whether the Academy's winners stand the test of time.)

With all the milestones that have occurred throughout the 95-year history of the Academy Awards, there are still plenty of accomplishments that have not transpired. No Black woman has ever been nominated for Best Director, and no Black person has ever won that category. No animated film has ever won Best Picture, and no documentary has ever been nominated. I do believe all of these things will eventually happen in the future. As the diversity of the industry steadily increases and Academy membership gradually expands, these sorts of things must happen as time moves on.

But there is one thing I remain skeptical about when it comes to Oscars milestones. It has nothing to do with representation, nor does it have to...

Beatrice Straight's five-minute performance in "Network" earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, making her the record holder for the shortest performance to win the award. Other actors, such as Ben Johnson and Gloria Graham, have also won Oscars for short but impactful performances in films. While Straight's career was primarily in theater, her role in "Network" showcased her talent for delivering emotional and powerful performances in a short amount of time.

Directed by Sidney Lumet from a script by Paddy Chayefsky, this is among the most star-studded and talented casts ever formed for a film. Faye Dunaway appears as Diana Christensen, while William Holden plays Max Schumacher. There's also Peter Finch as Howard Beale, Robert Duvall as Frank Hackett, and Ned Beatty as Arthur Jenson. None of that is to even touch on the actress at hand: Beatrice Straight, who portrays Louise Schumacher to an indelible degree.

1957 was a big year for David McCallum, the respected Glasgow-born actor known for “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Great Escape” and his 20-year run on “NCIS” as quirky pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard.

From the Oct. 23, 1957, edition of weekly Variety

The actor, who died Sept. 25 at the age of 90, logged six mentions in Variety that year, starting with a review in the March 20 edition of weekly that listed him in the cast of the British “crime meller” (aka crime melodrama) “The Secret Place.” From then on, McCallum was a staple in our pages, boarding movies, TV shows and legit stages in the U.S. and U.K. He never stopped working.

Wedding announcement for David McCallum and Jill Ireland from the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly Variety

1957 was also the year McCallum married actor Jill Ireland in London, an event commemorated with a wedding announcement in the May 22, 1957, edition of weekly.

“Thank You Very Much” is a documentary about Andy Kaufman that does just what you want it to do. It details Kaufman’s life and career, showcasing all the stage bits he became famous for (and including rare footage of performances and offstage antics that even Kaufman fanatics have never seen). But more than that, the movie understands him. It explores the depths of what Andy Kaufman was about — though that doesn’t mean that we’re subjected to a bunch of talking heads discussing how “conceptual” and punk-the-audience weird he was, and who was the real Andy, anyway?

I mean, there’s some of that. But Alex Braverman, the director of “Thank You Very Much,” grasps the fundamental truth of Andy Kaufman: that what he was up to, in his defiant and Dada screwball way, was showbiz. It was theater. He wanted to tickle you, to make you giggle and squirm,...

When Robert Aldrich’s 1968 Hollywood insider yarn, “The Legend of Lylah Clare” screens at the Maine International Film Festival in Waterville, Maine, it will represent much more than a simple revival of a New Hollywood-era roman à clef.

The film’s presentation on July 12 will include a discussion between actor Michael Murphy, who co-stars in the film, and former MGM publicity director Mike Kaplan, who has from the film’s earliest screenings defended both the film’s director, who Kaplan feels was “grossly maligned” by the depiction of him in Ryan Murphy’s limited series “Feud,” and the film, which monumentally tanked both critically and commercially when first released.

Kaplan recalls “I loved the script, and I loved the film. MGM had an unexceptional slate at the time. I was a big fan at the get-go.”

But as MGM’s New York City-based publicity chief, Kaplan watched helplessly as others,...

Network has a few Oscar accomplishments to its name. It holds the joint record for most Academy Awards for acting bestowed upon a single film, is one of only fifteen films to be nominated in every acting category, and marked the first time a deceased actor was recognized with a posthumous award. Given that the film’s ensemble cast read like the crème de la crème of 1970s Hollywood talent – all of whom were working under the guidance of the esteemed Sidney Lumet – Network always seemed destined to go down as one of the great acting masterclasses… and that’s exactly what happened. It’s always been a joy to watch gifted performers doing their thing unabated, and Network still stands among the finest examples.

by Eric Blume

Marcello Mastroianni’s 1977 Best Actor Oscar nomination for Ettore Scola’s film A Special Day was one of the first examples of a straight actors being recognized for playing a gay role. Prior to that, we’d only had Peter Finch in Sunday Bloody Sunday and Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon, and neither of those actors had such an entrenched persona of the “macho lover” as did Mastroianni.

A Special Day gives us not just one Italian cinema icon playing against type, but two...

Joseph L. Mankiewicz’ “Cleopatra,” which opened in New York on June 12, 1963 and in Los Angeles a week later, was not a flop. In fact, the 243-minute film was a box office champ making $26 million at the box office, $6 million more than the Cinerama epic “How the West was Won.” But being the most expensive movie of its time — the budget ended up being around $44 million which would be around $429.5 million in 2023 — it took a long time to recoup its staggering costs. The film was such a drain on Twentieth Century Fox, the studio ended up having to sell nearly 300 acres of its backlot. That acreage was transformed into Century City.

The budgets started to soar when the original production with Elizabeth Taylor, who asked for and received $1 million for her services, Peter Finch as Julius Caesar, Stephen Boyd as Marc Antony and veteran filmmaker Rouben Mamoulian as director, stopped production...

Glenda Jackson, the British actress who hit the snooze bar on her acting career for a 23-year career in politics, died on Thursday, as per her representatives. During her peak years in the 1970s and 80s, she won two Oscars (and was nominated for two more) and two Emmy Awards. She was nominated for four Tony Awards, finally winning one in 2018 after a late-in-life career resurgence. She was 87 years old.

Jackson, whose father was a bricklayer and whose mother was a barmaid and domestic, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She was told by the academy’s principal that, due to her looks, she would likely only find work as a character actress, and she shouldn’t depend on getting jobs after 40.

This proved to be the opposite of true. Her big break came when experimental theater director Peter Brook cast her in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s groundbreaking adaptation of “Marat/Sade.

Many movies feature scene-stealing performances by actors who make the most of limited screen time. But it’s the rare performer who can take over a film given just one scene. When a great actor gets a chance to chew on brilliant dialogue in a standout moment, all you can do is hold your breath and soak it in. If you’ve seen these films, you’ll definitely remember these performances.

Ned Beatty

When a single scene results in an Oscar nomination, you know the actor made an impression. Ned Beatty received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as Arthur Jensen in 1976’s Network. Corporate chairman Jensen gives crusading anchorman Howard Beale (Peter Finch) a fiery dressing down in a dramatically-lit boardroom and Beatty has a field day with writer Paddy Chayefsky’s meaty dialogue.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis received her first Oscar nomination for a single scene in 2008’s Doubt.

With Michelle Yeoh’s historic win at Sunday’s Academy Awards for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the genre-bending sci-fi film has achieved a feat that has only happened twice before in Oscars history and for the first time in 46 years.

Alongside supporting cast members Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis, Yeoh has made “Everything Everywhere” the third film in history to win three acting Oscars.

The first film to achieve that trifecta was “A Streetcar Named Desire” in 1951, with Vivien Leigh winning Best Actress for her performance as the tragic Blanche DuBois with Kim Hunter and Karl Malden winning supporting Oscars for playing Stella Kowalski and Blanche’s potential husband Mitch, respectively.

Also Read:

Michelle Yeoh Is the First Asian Woman to Win a Best Actress Oscar

Twenty-six years later, Paddy Chayefsky and Sidney Lumet’s satire of broadcast news, “Network,” became the second film to achieve three acting wins.

The SAG Awards often match the Oscars for acting pretty closely, so when “Everything Everywhere All at Once” achieved an unprecedented clean sweep of all its categories including three individual acting races, the immediate question became, can it do the same thing at the Oscars? Only two films in history have ever won three acting trophies.

See‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ or ‘Everything Everywhere’ would be 9th film to win both supporting acting Oscars

“A Streetcar Named Desire” was the first. Adapted from Tennessee Williams‘s play, the 1951 film won Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actor (Karl Malden), and Best Supporting Actress (Kim Hunter). The only award it lost was Best Actor for arguably the film’s most iconic performance by Marlon Brando. That award went instead to Humphrey Bogart for “The African Queen.”

Then 1976’s “Network” pulled off the same feat, winning three awards out of a remarkable five acting nominations.

What was the last film to have three of its stars all win Oscars? How long has it been since Steven Spielberg has won an Oscar? Who was the first posthumous nominee? These questions are answered, along with more fun facts, tidbits and trivia.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” would be just the third film to earn three Oscars in the acting categories. Michelle Yeoh is the favorite to win best actress, as is Ke Huy Quan in the supporting actor race. And Jamie Lee Curtis or Stephanie Hsu ould pull out a win as supporting actress. The first time that happened was at the 1952 ceremony when Vivien Leigh, Karl Malden and Kim Hunter won for “A Streetcar Named Desire,” followed 25 years later with Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway and Beatrice Straight winning for “Network.”

Steven Spielberg has been nominated 22 times including three this year for “The Fabelmans”: best picture,...

Having already won a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in “Elvis,” Austin Butler is on a solid path to triumphing on his first Oscar nomination. His film, which covers the entirety of the titular rock star’s two-decade career, boasts a talented cast that includes past Oscar winner Tom Hanks, who collected back-to-back Best Actor trophies for “Philadelphia” (1994) and “Forrest Gump” (1995). He missed out on a supporting bid for “Elvis,” but if Butler clinches the lead award, Hanks will become the 15th man to have acted in a film that won the same Oscar he previously received.

Hanks has a total of five Best Actor nominations to his name, with the three unsuccessful ones having come for his work in “Big” (1989), “Saving Private Ryan” (1999), and “Cast Away” (2001). Until Butler was recognized for “Elvis,” Hanks had never appeared in a film for which someone...

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” has had a great couple of days. The Oscar frontrunner won the top prize at the Producers Guild of America Awards on Saturday, proving that it can conquer the preferential ballot. The next day, it pulled off a historic sweep at Screen Actors Guild Awards with a record four wins for ensemble, lead actress for Michelle Yeoh, supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan and supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis. The triple individual wins — also a first for a film in SAG Awards history — were unexpected as Curtis upset odds-on favorite Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”), but they just speak to the movie’s strength. They also tee it up for a never-before-seen above-the-line sweep at the Oscars: “Everything Everywhere” can be the first film to win Best Picture, Best Director, a screenplay award and three acting prizes.

The multiversal hit is the runaway...

“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the most-nominated film at this year’s Oscars, won the most SAG Awards ever Sunday night with four trophies. Final Oscars voting begins on Thursday, March 2, and it’s no longer a question about whether the A24 sci-fi comedy will win best picture, but how many statuettes it will take home. Probably a lot.

Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to win a SAG lead actress film award. Seeing her emotion take hold of her was heartwarming and long overdue for an actress that should have already been nominated for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) and “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018). However, her speech may not have been as boisterous or memorable as we would like, especially for someone competing with Cate Blanchett, after winning BAFTA, Critics Choice and Globes for “Tár.” However, her co-star James Hong may have brought it home for Yeoh with his rousing...

The 76th BAFTAs take place on Sunday, February 19 at the Royal Festival Hall with Richard E. Grant hosting. Germany’s ‘”All Quiet on the Western Front” leads with 14 nominations, followed by 10 for “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and nine for “Elvis.”

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts was founded in April 1947 as the British Film Academy by luminaries including David Lean, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Laurence Olivier, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. Lean was named chairman of the awards that would “recognize those which had contributed outstanding creative work towards the advancement of British film.” Eleven years later, the British Film Academy merged with the Guild of Television Producers and Directors.

The first awards were handed out on May 29, 1949 at the Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square to honor films released in Britain in 1947-48. Best Picture went to William Wyler’s 1946 release “The Best Years of Our Lives,...