Who was the first actor to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar-winning actor?
Surely one of the biggest challenges that comes with being an actor is portraying someone who already exists.
Biopics have routinely presented us with performances that we can’t help but compare to the subject. Can the actor truly nail their mannerisms? Their tone of voice? Their innate essence? It’s a tough job to be handed, and something that is usually only tackled by truly skilled stars.
But what about when the person you’re playing is also an Academy Award winner? Hollywood is the kind of industry that it’s easy to get caught up in, especially when it comes to trying not to compare yourself to others. Thus, being asked to play a character who, in real life, proved themselves to be one of the greatest actors of all time, is surely enough to make you have a nervous breakdown.
The more iconic the star, the harder it is. Look at the various actors who have played Marilyn Monroe. She might not have been an Oscar winner, but she is one of the most recognisable stars of all time. You don’t have to be familiar with her work to be aware of what she represents – something Andy Warhol, of course, explored with his pop art portraits of her, reflecting her transcendence from human to icon and image. To take on the part of Monroe is always going to receive criticism because there’s so much we already believe we know about her – no one will ever be truly satisfied.
Regardless of this pressure, some actors are brave enough to take on the role of another famous star, and luckily for a certain Australian actor, her decision paid off, and she became the first person to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar winner.
So, who was the first actor to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar-winning actor?
In 2004, Martin Scorsese released the biographical epic The Aviator, which took audiences back to the Golden Age of Hollywood. Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Howard Hughes, the film producer who was also a successful aviation pioneer, with the film charting his mental struggles as he rose to become one of the most powerful people in the world.
While DiCaprio gave a great performance, it was Cate Blanchett who walked away with an Oscar, winning ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for her portrayal of Katharine Hepburn. The timeless star, who won four Oscars during her career for performances in movies such as Morning Glory and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, is often regarded as one of the best actors of all time. It was a big role for Blanchett to take on, but she nailed it, beating the likes of Laura Linney and Natalie Portman for the coveted golden statuette.
The Aviator featured the relationship between Hughes and Hepburn, which lasted for several years during the 1930s. He even bought the rights to The Philadelphia Story for her so that she could appear in the film, and this allowed her to return from a period of being known as ‘box office poison’. Their story is an iconic part of Hollywood history – Hepburn, the independent and steadfast actor, and Hughes, the obsessive producer.
Blanchett set a cinematic record by becoming the first star to win an Oscar for playing an Oscar-winner, proving her skills as one of the greatest stars of her generation.
