Who is the only actor to appear in three consecutive ‘Best Picture’ winners?
Some actors might go their whole lives without starring in a ‘Best Picture’ Oscar winner, but that doesn’t mean that they’re not incredibly talented.
I mean, Martin Clunes has appeared in one while Isabelle Huppert hasn’t. It really doesn’t mean much at all. Still, it’s surely a good feeling to be able to say that you’ve been in a film that has either won or been nominated for one of the highest honours in the industry.
One of the most impressive actors to check off an impressive number of ‘Best Picture’ nominees was John Cazale, whose five movie credits before his tragic death all earned a nomination, three of which – The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The Deer Hunter – won the coveted prize.
These weren’t consecutive wins, though. That prize went to someone else who was cutting his teeth on the big screen long before Cazale, having entered the world as far back as 1866. Cinema might not have been a thing when this actor was born, but he soon set a record for appearing in the most consecutive ‘Best Picture’ winners, although he never won an acting trophy from the Academy Awards.
So, who appeared in three consecutive ‘Best Picture’ winners?
I’m talking about Harry Davenport, who lent himself to many classic movies throughout the years, becoming best known as a character actor, and you might not know his name, but you’ll surely know his face, having starred in the festive classic Meet Me in St Louis alongside the likes of Little Women, Kismet, and, of course, Gone With the Wind.
The actor was actually prolific, and between the three years he starred in ‘Best Picture’ winners, he racked up tens of credits. In 1937 alone, he appeared in 17 movies, which began his winning streak with The Life of Emile Zola. The movie saw him play Chief of Staff, which wasn’t a big role, but he could still call himself part of a ‘Best Picture’ winner by the end of it.
The next year, he played the Night Court Judge in You Can’t Take It With You, Frank Capra’s charming romantic comedy also featuring big names like Lionel Barrymore and James Stewart. Yet again, he wasn’t exactly a leading character, but Davenport delivered exactly what was needed. He’d now made another ‘Best Picture’ winner. If I were a filmmaker, I would’ve raced to find a role for Davenport in my next film, because it seemed like he was somewhat of a lucky charm, a rabbit’s foot dangling from the sprocket holes of a celluloid strip.
His streak continued with the biggest film of his career, Gone With the Wind, the highly controversial epic romance directed by Victor Fleming. Alongside a cast brimming with talent, from Clark Gable to Vivien Leigh, Davenport played Dr Meade, an elderly man who joins the Ku Klux Klan. He had a bit more of a meaty role to get stuck into here, although it wasn’t exactly the most pleasant.
Still, Davenport found himself on the side of success once again with this one, although the next ‘Best Picture’ nominated movies he starred in were less fortunate. The titles All This, and Heaven Too and Foreign Correspondent, both competed against each other at the 13th Academy Awards, so you’d think he would’ve easily kept up his streak for a fourth year, but it would be a film that he wasn’t in – Rebecca – that won, instead.
