In the history of the Oscars, there have only been three times when winners refused to accept their awards. The Academy Awards are arguably the most prestigious awards in the movie industry, with the first ceremony taking place in 1929. Dozens of performers, directors, producers, and composers have been honored by the Academy for their work and many recognized movies have gone down in history as some of the best movies of all time.
While the Oscars are widely celebrated, the ceremony is not without its controversies.Some of the biggest Oscar controversies include movies being snubbed for awards and the wrong name being announced as the winner, most infamously at the 89th ceremony when La La Land was mistakenly announced as the Best Picture Award winner. In the 96-year history of the Academy Awards, there have only been three occasions where people have won the prestigious award but ultimately refused to accept the honor.
Dudley Nichols Was The First Person To Reject An Academy Award
He Won The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 1935’s The Informer
The first rejection of an Academy Award took place at the 8th ceremony in 1936, when the American thriller film The Informer won four out of six nominations at the awards. The movie won awards for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Music. Screenwriter Dudley Nichols won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for adapting The Informer from the novel by Liam O’Flaherty, but he set a world record by becoming the first person to refuse an Oscar.
Nichols rejected his award because of the Academy’s failure to acknowledge the Screen Writers Guild’s dedication to protecting screenwriters.
At the time of the 8th Academy Awards, Nichols was heavily involved in the Screen Writers Guild, serving as president between 1937 and 1938. According to WGAW, Nichols rejected his award because of the Academy’s failure to acknowledge the Screen Writers Guild’s dedication to protecting screenwriters. After the disputes were settled, however, Nichols did accept his award in 1938 and went on to receive a further three Oscar nominations across his career.
George C. Scott Refused Oscars Recognition Twice
He Won The Academy Award for Best Actor in 1971
American actor, George C. Scott, received four Oscar nominations across his career, winning Best Actor in 1971 for his role as General George Patton in Patton. When he received his first nomination in 1962 for The Hustler, he refused to accept it and sent a telegram to the Academy, asking for his withdrawal. Upon winning Best Actor in 1971, Scott again refused the honor and didn’t appear at the ceremony to collect his award; film producer Frank McCarthy collected it on his behalf.
Scott’s Oscar rejection was due to his belief that his performance should not be compared to others. Per Sportskeeda, Scott referred to the Oscars as “a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons” and he believed that every performance was unique and shouldn’t be judged by others. His Oscar was eventually donated to the George C. Marshall Foundation Library at Virginia Military Institute.
Why Marlon Brando Refused His Oscar For The Godfather
He Won The Academy Award For Best Actor In 1973
Most infamously, in 1973, actor Marlon Brando refused to accept his Academy Award for Best Actor, which he won for his role as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. Despite The Godfather being regarded as one of the best movies of Brando’s career, he rejected his award in protest at the industry’s mistreatment of Native Americans in movies. At the 45th Academy Awards, Brando sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather in his place, to decline the Oscar. In one of the darkest moments in Oscar history, Littlefeather stood on stage with a message about the mistreatment of Native Americans in Hollywood, only to be met with a chorus of boos from the audience.
Littlefeather had brought an 8-page letter written by Brando, explaining his award refusal, but was unable to read it, as she was only given 60 seconds to speak due to being threatened with arrest by producer, Howard B. Koch (via Women in the World). Littlefeather was also reportedly threatened with assault by John Wayne, and she and Brando were mocked by Clint Eastwood, who stated later in the ceremony “I don’t know if I should present this award on behalf of all the cowboys shot in all the John Ford Westerns over the years”.
Littlefeather was blacklisted from Hollywood following her appearance at the Oscars and was mocked in society; it was not until 2022 that she received an apology from the Academy for her treatment at the ceremony (via BBC). Since Marlon Brando’s infamous rejection in 1973, there have been no further refusals at the Oscars and those who have won have always accepted their awards.
Sources: Guinness World Records, WGAW, Sportskeeda, Women in the World, BBC
Oscars
The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, is an annual awards show celebrating workers in the film industry for their artistic and technical abilities. The Oscars are often considered the most prestigious awards show in the industry and date back to 1929. The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10, 2024, and be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC.
- Location
- Los Angeles, CA
- Dates
- March 10, 2024
