14 people you probably didn't know won an Oscar
AP Photo/Reed Saxon/AP Photo/Lennox McLendon/AP Photo/Reed Saxon
The main acting awards all went to veterans of the industry at the 2020 Oscars.
Brad Pitt and Laura Dern won awards for their roles in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" and "Marriage Story," respectively. Joaquin Phoenix won best actor for his leading role in "Joker."
While these actors are all staples, there are plenty of people across the Academy's 92-year-history that you may be surprised to learn are also holders of the little gold statue.
Nicolas Cage, Eminem, and Kevin Costner (twice) are all people you might not expect to be Oscar-winners — but they are.
Stevie Wonder
AP Photo
Award won: Best music, original song
For: "The Woman in Red," for the song "I Just Called to Say I Love You"
Year: 1985 — 57th Academy Awards
Everyone knows that Stevie Wonder has won a billion Grammys (well, 25 to be exact), but his Oscar win goes under the radar despite the song he won for being a mega hit. Prince won in the same year, too, for his work on "Purple Rain," making 1985 the first Oscars where multiple black nominees won their Oscars.
Lionel Richie
AP Photo
Award won: Best music, original song
For: "White Nights," for the song "Say You, Say Me"
Year: 1986 — 58th Academy Awards
Richie, much like Stevie Wonder, has won a bunch of Grammys (four, significantly less than Wonder), and is famous for his iconic tunes. The Academy recognized one of them in 1986, although this win curiously seems to go under the radar still.
Cher
AP Photo/Lennox McLendon
Award won: Best actress
For: "Moonstruck"
Year: 1988 — 60th Academy Awards
Cher is best known for being Cher. The multi-hyphenate is an icon and while her music from the 1980s is still very much remembered today, her film work is less so.
Cher was nominated for best supporting actress for "Silkwood" in 1984. Four years later, she won best actress.
Kevin Costner
AP Photo/Bob Galbraith
Award won: Best director and best picture
For: "Dances With Wolves"
Year: 1990 — 63rd Academy Awards
Not only did you probably not know that Kevin Costner has won an Oscar, he's actually won two.
Costner's directorial debut "Dances with Wolves" won seven Oscars in total, with Costner taking home two for best director and best picture. He was also nominated for best actor for the film, too, but lost to Jeremy Irons in "Reversal of Fortune." These three nominations are Costner's only two nominations.
Whoopi Goldberg
AP Photo/Bob Galbraith
Award won: Best supporting actress
For: "Ghost"
Year: 1991 — 63rd Academy Awards
Goldberg is another star who is mostly famous for being an icon, but Goldberg was actually nominated for best actress for "The Color Purple" in 1986 before winning best supporting actress for the classic romance "Ghost." Goldberg played pretend-psychic Oda Mae Brown.
Plus, Goldberg is also one of the few EGOT winners — she's won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony.
Marisa Tomei
AP Photo/Bob Galbraith
Award won: Best supporting actress
For: "My Cousin Vinny"
Year: 1993 —65th Academy Awards
Yep, Aunt May from the MCU has won an Oscar! Aside from nailing the role as Spider-Man's (Tom Holland) aunt, Tomei is actually a three-time Oscar-nominee, all for best supporting actress.
She was nominated in 2002 for "In the Bedroom" and in 2009 for "The Wrestler" but won on her first nomination in 1993, co-starring with Joe Pesci.
Peter Capaldi
AP Photo/Lois Bernstein
Award won: Best short film, live action
For: "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life"
Year: 1995 — 67th Academy Awards
Capaldi is known internationally as a former Doctor Who, while he's also appeared in "World War Z," "The Personal History of David Copperfield," and will appear in the upcoming DC movie "The Suicide Squad."
But hardly anyone knows that the former Doctor is an Oscar-winner, too, sharing the award with Ruth Kenley-Letts. "Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life" actually tied for the Oscar with another short film – "Trevor."
Eminem
AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Award won: Best music, original song
For: "8 Mile," for the song "Lose Yourself"
Year: 1996 — 68th Academy Awards
Eminem was so convinced that he wasn't going to win this award that he stayed at home. Nonetheless, he became the first rapper to win the award and shared it with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto.
Eminem also starred in "8 Mile," but finally appeared at the Oscars 17 years later, giving a surprise performance of "Lose Yourself" on Sunday's 2020 Oscars ceremony.
Jim Rash
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Award won: Best adapted screenplay
For: "The Descendants"
Year: 1996 — 68th Academy Awards
Jim Rash is best known for playing Dean in "Community," and also make a cameo in "Captain America: Civil War." But Rash isn't just an actor, he's also a writer.
He put his writing skills to good use for "The Descendants," which starred George Clooney and was nominated for best picture. Rash co-wrote the script with director Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon.
Nicolas Cage
AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Award won: Best actor
For: "Leaving Las Vegas"
Year: 1996 — 68th Academy Awards
Cage is almost universally known for being that wacky actor from "National Treasure," and that "Not the Bees" GIF. But he also beat Anthony Hopkins and Sean Penn to win best actor in 1996. He was nominated for the same award in 2003 for "Adaptation."
Anna Paquin
AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac
Award won: Best supporting actress
For: "The Piano"
Year: 1996 — 66th Academy Awards
Yep, Rogue from the "X-Men" movies is an Oscar-winner. In fact, she's actually the second-youngest Oscar-winner in history, winning at 11-years-old (Tatum O'Neal holds the record at age 10).
"The Piano" was Paquin's acting debut but while her career got off to a flying start, she hasn't been nominated since.
Matt Damon
AP Photo/Susan Sterner
Award won: Best original screenplay
For: "Good Will Hunting"
Year: 1998 — 70th Academy Awards
Everyone knows that Ben Affleck won best picture for "Argo," and everyone knows that Matt Damon has been nominated for a bunch of acting Oscars including best actor for "The Martian."
But not everyone knows that Damon and Affleck penned a screenplay together, got that made into "Good Will Hunting" and then won an Oscar for that screenplay. Oh, and Robin Williams won best supporting actor for that movie, too.
Gwyneth Paltrow
AP Photo/Reed Saxon
Award won: Best actress
For: "Shakespeare in Love"
Year: 1999 — 71st Academy Awards
Paltrow is probably best known for her role in the "Iron Man" saga as Pepper Potts, plus her wellbeing company Goop, but Paltrow actually gave one of the most memorable Oscar speeches ever.
The actress broke down when she won for "Shakespeare in Love," which went on to win best picture over "Saving Private Ryan." This win and nomination are the only ones to date for Paltrow, however.
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