Every rock star to have won an Academy Award
Winning an Academy Award is a significant feat that even some of Hollywood’s most well-respected names haven’t been able to achieve. The annual ceremony began in 1929, when a mere 270 people gathered at a private function. Since then, the ceremony, also known as the Oscars, has become the most prestigious in cinema, highly publicised and watched by tens of millions in America alone each year.
The Oscars have handed out 3,140 statues since its inception, yet huge names, from Peter Sellers to Samuel L. Jackson, have never taken home a prize. Similarly, some of the most influential directors of all time, such as Stanley Kubrick and Wim Wenders, have been snubbed by the Academy. In contrast, a large handful of musicians have been lucky enough to take home one of the coveted golden statues, even though the music industry also has its own equivalent to the Oscars – the Grammys.
Regardless, the significance of music cannot be ignored within cinema. Some of the best soundtracks ever made have been created by rockstars, and it is only fair that these contributions are given the same respect as other filmmaking components. Plenty of musicians have successfully taken home awards for Best Original Song or Best Original Score; however, this article will specifically hone in on the rock musicians that have taken home a prize from the Academy.
One of the most prominent examples of a rockstar taking home an Academy Award is Prince, who earned the now-obsolete award for Best Original Song Score. This was, of course, for his rock musical Purple Rain, directed by Albert Magnoli, who later became the star’s manager. Although Prince contributed tracks to other films, such as Batman and Happy Feet, his work for Purple Rain was the only time he ever recieved a nod from the Academy. Prince accepted the award in a sparkly purple outfit and said he “could have never imagined this in my wildest dreams.”
Another pertinent example is Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. Alongside Atticus Ross, the musician began scoring television shows and films in 2010, starting with The Social Network. The pair have been highly successful in their frequent collaborations, most recently helming the soundtracks behind Bones and All and Empire of Light. Reznor and Ross took home the award for Best Original Score at the 83rd Oscars for The Social Network and again at the 93rd ceremony for Soul alongside Jon Batiste.
Other massive names include Bob Dylan, who took home a Best Original Song award for ‘Things Have Changed’ from the film Wonder Boys. During his speech, which Dylan accepted via satellite due to a busy touring schedule, he thanked “the members of the Academy who were bold enough to give me this award for this song, which obviously is a song that doesn’t pussyfoot around nor turn a blind eye to human nature.”
Elton John and Phil Collins have both recieved Oscars for Disney-related projects. John’s song ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ from The Lion King won an Oscar, and Collins won one for ‘You’ll Be in My Heart’ from Tarzan. John also got lucky almost 25 years later with the song ‘(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again’ from the Rocketman biopic. Find the full list of Oscar-winning rockstars below:
Every rock star to have won an Academy Award:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Bob Dylan
- Phil Collins
- Elton John
- Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
- Prince
- Jared Leto
- Stevie Wonder
- Annie Lennox
- Cher
- Isaac Hayes
- The Beatles
- David Byrne
- Randy Newman
- Melissa Ethridge
- Christopher Cross
- T Bone Burnett
- Carly Simon
