And the Oscar goes to...
Wait, wait, wait...
Why is the most famous trophy in Hollywood even called an "Oscar”?
The golden statuette given to Academy Award winners goes primarily by its famous nickname. How exactly it got that nickname is somewhat of a Hollywood mystery. But based on the leading theory, it's because of…Uncle Oscar.
The statue was originally named the Academy Award of Merit. The legend goes that former Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, after seeing the statue for the first time, said it resembled her Uncle Oscar.
The nickname was used in print as early as 1934 when a columnist used it in regards to Katharine Hepburn’s first win for Best Actress. The Academy officially adopted the nickname in 1939. And it has stuck.
So, thousands of statues resembling Uncle Oscar are proudly displayed in the hands and homes of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
But wait…which star has won the most Academy Awards? What is the trophy actually made of? And why is Oscar holding a sword??
Here’s everything you need to know about the iconic Oscar statuette ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.
Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
What are Oscars made of?
All that glitters is not gold, especially in Hollywood. Oscars are plated in 24-karat gold, but they are actually made of solid bronze. During World War II, Oscars were made of painted plaster due to a metal shortage between 1942 and 1945. Winners were able to replace them for a gold-plated version after the war.
What is the Oscar designed after?
A knight! That’s why the figure is holding a crusader’s sword. It stands atop a reel of film with five spokes signifying the five original branches of the Academy – actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.
How much does an Oscar weigh?
An Oscar weighs 8 ½ pounds and stands 13 ½ inches tall.
Where are Oscars made?
Oscars are awarded in Los Angeles but made in New York. The statues are cast by Polich Tallix fine art foundry in Hudson Valley. It reportedly costs around $400 to make an Oscar. It takes three months to make the roughly 50 statuettes that are awarded during the ceremony.
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How much is an Oscar worth?
That could range anywhere from $1 to over $1 million, depending on the year it was won.
Per a court ruling, Oscars awarded after 1950 cannot be sold by the winner, or heirs that might acquire a statue by gift or bequest, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for a grand total of $1. Oscars awarded before 1950 have been sold legally, including the Best Picture Oscar for "Gone with the Wind" given to producer David Selznick in 1939, which reportedly sold in 1999 for $1.5 million. The buyer? Michael Jackson.
Has an Oscar ever been stolen?
The journey of the statuettes from the Academy Awards in 2000 could make for an Oscar-worthy Hollywood drama.
Just weeks before the ceremony, the 55 Oscar awards were stolen from a loading dock prior to the ceremony. All but three of the statuettes were later found in the garbage by a junk dealer, who joked he had “more Oscars than any of the movie stars.” He was given a $50,000 reward and invited to the ceremony, where he mingled with celebrities.
His brother was later charged in connection to the Oscars heist with receiving stolen property and being an accessory to grand theft after the fact, according to the Los Angeles Times. A truck driver also pled no contest to grand theft.
Which movie won the most Oscars?
Three films share the record for most Oscars with 11:
- "Ben-Hur" (1959)
- "Titanic" (1997)
- "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
Who has won the most Oscars?
Most of the top Oscar winners work behind the camera…or the animation. Walt Disney has won the most Academy Awards with 22. The runner-up is Cedric Gibbons, who won 11 Oscars for best art direction.
Which actor has won the most Oscars?
Katharine Hepburn has won the most acting Oscars with four, all of which were for Best Actress. Daniel Day-Lewis is the only actor to have won three Best Actor Oscars.
Has there ever been an Oscar winner named Oscar?
And the Oscar goes to...Oscar.
Yes, Oscar Hammerstein II is the only Oscar winner to share a name with their statuette. And he owns two of them, both for best original song. The renowned lyricist earned his first Oscar in 1942 for "The Last Time I Saw Paris" from the "Lady Be Good." He added his second Oscar in 1946 for "It Might As Well Be Spring" from "State Fair."
The only actor named Oscar to be nominated for an Academy Award was Oscar Homolka, who was up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for "I Remember Mama" in 1948.
Three other Oscars have been nominated, according to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences database. That includes Oscar Lagerstrom for sound recording for "Raffles" (1929); Oscar Millard for best writing (motion picture story) for "The Frogmen" (1951) and Oscar Brodney for best writing (story and screenplay) for "The Glenn Miller Story" (1954).
Hollywood awaits its next Oscar-winning Oscar.
