On March 12, the Academy Awards - better known as the Oscars - will be presented for the 95th time. In the history of the renowned award ceremony, there have often been absurd or even shocking moments. Will Smith's (54) slap freak out last year, which brought comedian Chris Rock (58) pain and plenty of material for a stand-up program, tops them all.
The biggest excitement so far in the history of the Oscars is also the youngest: when laudator Chris Rock spontaneously cracked a mediocre, but ultimately quite harmless joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's (51) bald head last year, her husband Will Smith could not contain himself . He famously stormed onto the stage and punched the comedian in the face without warning. The incident was so incredible that the live audience on site and in front of the television sets initially thought it was probably a rehearsed number. It wasn't until Smith gave his seat in the direction of perplexed rock that it became clear: a scandal has just happened here that will forever overshadow the entire evening, all winners and, above all, Will Smith's career.
How happy the makers of the musical "La La Land" were when their work was named "Best Film" of the year in 2017. But even while they were giving the acceptance speech on stage, the unprecedented shock followed: two envelopes were accidentally mixed up. Not "La La Land" but the drama "Moonlight" was the rightful winner. The resolution caused absolute horror among everyone present at the Dolby Theater. This embarrassment was the biggest faux pas in almost 100 years of Oscars and may have cost one or the other unlucky raven the job.
Michael Moore (68) undoubtedly delivered one of the most controversial performances in recent years. When he was awarded the Oscar for "Best Documentary" for his film "Bowling for Columbine" in March 2003, he used his acceptance speech to insult his favorite enemy, then US President George W. Bush (76): "We are against this war, Mr. Bush. Shame on you, Mr. Bush. Shame on you!" However, the majority of this speech, given at the time of the Iraq war, was barely heard by either the television viewers or the guests present - the orchestra had started playing loudly shortly after the start of Moore's speech in order to drown out the politically incendiary speech.
Actor Adrien Brody (49) had a real emotional outburst thanks to the golden boy. In 2003 he was awarded in the category "Best Actor" for the film "The Pianist". At the age of 29, he is still the youngest winner in this category. In order to show all his enthusiasm, it was not enough for him to just hug Halle Berry (56), laudator, no, he stormed around her neck and kissed her unabashedly on the mouth. The stunned actress starred, but years later revealed what was really going through her mind: "What the hell is happening here?"
Many may still remember Roberto Benigni's (70) dance of joy when he received the Oscar for "Best Foreign Language Film" - "Isn't Life Beautiful" in 1998. When he was announced as the winner, Benigni climbed onto the back of a chair in excitement and grabbed Steven Spielberg's (76) shoulder. The Italian then hopped down the aisle onto the stage. So that such an incident could not be repeated, Oscar host Billy Crystal (74) had a giant butterfly net with him the following year to catch him.
The "Forrest Gump" star probably didn't get enough information beforehand. When Tom Hanks (66) received his first Oscar for best actor in the film "Philadelphia" in 1994, he thanked his gay high school teacher in his speech. There was just one problem: he hadn't made his homosexuality public until then. Luckily, the teacher didn't blame Hanks for divulging his secret. On the contrary, he took advantage of his new fame and joined an organization that takes care of HIV-infected children. Hank's faux pas even inspired Hollywood to make the film "In
Scandal at the Oscars 1974: A man runs stark naked behind co-moderator David Niven (1910-1983, "The Curse of the Pink Panther") across the stage and shows the peace sign. And that on US television! Niven actually wanted to announce Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) at that moment, who was supposed to introduce the nominees in the category "Best Picture". The Brit reacted quite calmly to the incident. As the audience cheered, he commented, "The man gets the only laugh in his life for stripping down and showing the world where he's missed out." As it turned out later, the photographer and artist Robert Opel (1939-1979) was behind the runabout appearance.
Screen legend Marlon Brando (1924-2004) went down in Oscar history with his acceptance speech in 1973 when he received the coveted award for his unforgettable performance as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather". Instead of going on stage himself, he sent a replacement back then. Sacheen Littlefeather, said to be an Apache woman, walked up to the lectern and, on behalf of Brando and to boos from the audience, made a lengthy statement on discrimination against Native Americans. As it turned out later, Littlefeather was the young New York actress Maria Cruz, who ended her Hollywood career with this appearance before she even started. Incidentally, the remaining Oscar trophy was secretly pocketed by Bond actor Roger Moore (1927-2017). However, he later had to return them.
