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Tandy wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Daisy Werthan, in Bruce Beresford’s Driving Miss Daisy. Gregory Peck presents the award.
I never expected in a million years that I would ever be in this position. It’s a miracle. And I thank my lucky stars and Richard and Lili Zanuck who had the faith to give me this wonderful chance. And also, most especially, to that forgotten man, my director Bruce Beresford. The cast that was with me which made a wonderful, happy family. It was a pleasure to go to work with them all each day. And to Sam Cohn, who takes such good care of me. Thank you, the Academy, and all of you. I am on cloud nine!
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Foster wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of rape victim Sarah Tobias in Jonathan Kaplan’s The Accused. Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman present the award.
This is such a big deal and my life is so simple. There are very few things: there’s love and work and family. And this movie is so special to us because it was all three of those things. And I’d like to thank all of my families, the tribes that I come from . . . . And most importantly my mother Brandy, who taught me that all of my finger paintings were Picassos, and that I didn’t have to be afraid. And mostly that cruelty might be very human, and it might be very cultural, but it’s not acceptable. Which is what this movie’s about. Thank you so much.
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Hoffman wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Rain Man (1988) of Raymond Babbitt, an idiot-savant who is reluctantly cared for by his younger brother (Tom Cruise). Hoffman:
Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh…I’m supposed to be jaded by this point. I’m very honored and I thank the Academy for your support.
Hoffman forgets to mention Cruise and Director Barry Levinson in his acceptance speech, but adds later in the ceremony:
In my nervousness I left out the director’s name, and I left out Tom’s name. Tom, thank you very much. I love you very much.
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Lewis garners the Best Actor Academy award for his portrayal of Christy Brown, an artist stricken with Cerebral Palsy who teaches himself to paint using only his left foot in Jim Sheridan’s My Left Foot (1989).
. . . all our desire to make the film, all the strength that we needed, all the pleasure that we took in making the film came from Christy Brown. When he was alive he needed very little encouragement to make his voice heard. Now he needs a little more. And I’m truly grateful to you that in honoring me with this award you’re encouraging Christy to carry on making his mark. Thank you very much indeed.
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Cher wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Loretta Castorini, a Brooklyn bookkeeper who falls in love with the brother (Nicholas Cage) of the man she’s supposed to marry, in Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. Paul Newman (with Chevy Chase) presents the award.
. . . . When I was little my mother said, “I want you to be something.” And I guess this represents twenty-three or twenty-four years of my work, and I’ve never won anything before from my peers. I’m really, really happy. I’d like to thank everyone I worked on with the movie [sic]. They were really fabulous. It was really a great experience for me . . . . And I don’t think that this means that I am somebody, but I guess I’m on my way. Thank you.
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Douglas wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of “Greed is good” corporate raider Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1987). Douglas:
A large part of this award belongs to Oliver Stone. And not only as the director, but having the courage to cast me in a part that not many people thought I could play. So I’ll always be eternally grateful to him for that. And as a writer, Oliver, with Stanley Weiser, wrote a part that was the best part that I’ve ever had in my career.
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Matlin wins the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of deaf student Sarah Norman who falls in love with her teacher (William Hurt) in Randa Haines’s Children of a Lesser God. William Hurt presents the award. Matlin gives her acceptance speech in sign language with Jack Jason interpreting.
I just want to thank a lot of people. I, to tell you the truth, I didn’t prepare for this speech. But I definitely want to thank the Academy and its members. And I want to thank all those special people in the film. And I can name them: Randa Haines, Patrick Palmer, the entire cast and crew, and particularly William Hurt for his great support and love in this film. And I want to thank my mother and father, Eric, Marc, Gloria, Zachary and Liz. They are here tonight with me. And I just want to thank all of you. I love you.
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Paul Newman wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Fast Eddie Felson who teaches his younger protegé (Tom Cruise) the art of pool hustling in Martin Scorcese’s The Color of Money (1986). Robert E. Wise accepts the award for Newman who is not present, with an interjection by Bette Davis:
Just a moment. I would like to congratulate Paul. I’m sure he’s listening; he is not here tonight. And this award, Paul, is long overdue. Robert Wise, a great friend of Mr. Newman’s, is accepting for him. And Mr. Wise is the winner of two Oscars himself: “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story.” Yes. Now, now you get on. That’s right.
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Hurt wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of homosexual prisoner Luis Molina who becomes unlikely friends with his cellmate (Raul Julia) in Héctor Babenco’s adaptation of Manuel Puig’s novel Kiss of the Spiderwoman. Hurt:
I share this with Raul. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom [miming his heart beating quickly with his hands], you know… It’s incredible. I didn’t expect to be here so I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I want to thank the courageous people in Brazil with whom I made this film. Saudade, Brazil. I am very proud to be an actor. Thank you very much.
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F. Murray Abraham takes the Academy Award win for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in Milos Forman’s biopic Amadeus. Abraham:
You know, it’s easy to gamble everything when you’ve got nothing to lose, and Milos Forman had a great deal to lose when he gave these brilliant roles to Tom Hulce and me. And his courage became my inspiration. There’s only one thing that’s missing for me tonight and that is to have Tom Hulce standing by my side. [Music starts.] Wait a minute! Wait, I still have more time! Half of this statue belongs to my beloved wife Kate. Thank you.
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Duvall wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of country western singer Mac Sledge in Bruce Beresford’s Tender Mercies. Duvall:
I think we set out to make a film, a very truthful film, a very good film. I think Bruce Beresford, Horton Foote, the Hobels, EMI, should all be commended for a very wonderful job that they did in putting this film together. I think it’s a valid film, valid enough that we have gotten very much applause of a certain kind from certain members of the country western community, such as my friend Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings. And this is certainly a very high level of criticism coming from those people.
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Kingsley wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in Richard Attenborough’s biopic Gandhi. Kingsley:
This film was dedicated to Pandit Nehru, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, and Motilal Kothari, all men of great vision and courage. It was made by my friend Sir Richard Attenborough, another great man of vision and courage. And for all the men and women who worked on the film, this is an Oscar for vision, for courage, and for acting and for peace. Thank you.
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Fonda wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his role of Norman Thayer, Jr. in Mark Rydell’s On Golden Pond. Fonda plays a retired university professor, who, while staying at his Summer cottage in New Hampshire with his wife (Katharine Hepburn) reconnects with his daughter (Jane Fonda) whom he has not seen after many years. Fonda is not present, but his daughter Jane Fonda accepts the award in his absence:
I know that he feels that he would never have won this if it hadn’t been for Katharine Hepburn. And if “On Golden Pond” is one of the highlights of his life, one of the main reasons is because of her, having the chance to work with her and to become her friend.
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DeNiro nabs the Best Actor win at the Academy Awards for his portrayal of the life and death of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta in Martin Scorcese’s biopic Raging Bull. DeNiro:
I want to thank everyone. Since it’s said so often, but it’s true and it’s…what can I say? I want to thank . . . . Vickie La Motta and all the other wives, and Joey La Motta even though he’s suing us. I hope that settles soon enough so I can go over to his house and eat once in a while.
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Hoffman wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of divorced dad Ted Kramer who fights his wife (Meryl Streep) for custody of his son in Robert Benton’s drama Kramer vs. Kramer. Jane Fonda presents the award.
I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are a part of an artistic family. There are sixty thousand actors in this Academy – pardon me – in the Screen Actors Guild, and probably a hundred thousand in Equity. And most actors don’t work, and a few of us are so lucky to have a chance to work with writing and to work with directing. Because when you’re a broke actor you can’t write; you can’t paint; you have to practice accents while you’re driving a taxi cab. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost and I am proud to share this with you. And I thank you.
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Jon Voight wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance of a paralyzed Vietnam veteran in Hal Ashby’s Coming Home. Ginger Rogers and Diana Ross present the award. Voight:
I’m carrying with me all the men who gave me so much of their experience to deal with, who have contributed so much: the people in chairs, and the veterans, and the civilians, and the walkers, who are so strongly represented in what I’d call my work. Thank you very much.
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Dreyfuss wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a feckless Off-Broadway actor who takes in an unemployed dancer (Marsha Mason) and her daughter (Quinn Cummings) in Herbert Ross’s film adaptation of Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl. Sylvester Stalone presents the award. Dreyfuss:
I didn’t prepare anything. Ahhm… [laughs]. Wait a second, am I here? Yes, okay. First I will embarrass Ray Stark by saying that I owe him everything; and he is a great man. To Herb Ross, who is the only true gentleman I’ve ever known in my life. To Herb, Marsha, and Neil, and Quinn. I could go on and on and on and I don’t want to leave. Can I rent this [referring to the podium] now? Thank you very much.
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Finch wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a disturbed news reporter in Sydney Lumet’s satirical drama Network. Finch’s character Howard Beale breaks down on national television exclaiming, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Liv Ullmann presents the award and Paddy Chayefsky and Eletha Finch accept the award for the deceased Finch. Finch is the first actor to posthumously win an Academy Award for acting.
. . . . before he died he said to me, “Darling, if I win I want to say thanks to my fellow actors who have given me encouragement over the years; and thanks to Paddy Chayefsky who have given him the part; and thanks to Barry who have tell us to come from Jamaica, to come and do this part.” And he says, “Most of all, thanks to you, darling, for sending the right vibes the right way. And thanks, the members of the Academy Award.” Thank you all.
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Nicholson wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a psychiatric patient who rallies his fellow inmates to rebel against the ward’s head nurse Ratchet (Louise Fletcher) in Milos Forman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Art Carney presents the award. Nicholson:
Well, I guess this proves there are as many nuts in the Academy as anywhere else. But, since you gave me the chance, I’m really happy to get an opportunity to thank Saul and Michael and Louise and Brad and Lawrence and Bo, and all of the guys in the company, all of the feebs brigade . . . (And) last but not least, my agent, who about ten years ago advised me that I had no business being an actor. Thank you.
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Carney wins the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of a displaced New Yorker who is forced to travel across the country with his cat when his apartment building is demolished in Paul Mazursky’s Harry and Tonto. Glenda Jackson presents the award.
. . . . [Thanks to] my agent/manager/father-confessor, William Francis Xavier McCaffrey, for twenty-five years, who said two words to me: Do it! You are old! Thank you very much.
