The only person named Oscar to ever win an Oscar
Throughout the extensive history of the Oscars, many great artists have been rewarded for their pioneering efforts and incredible artistic achievements. Ranging from ‘Best Visual Effects’ to ‘Best Production Design’, the highly anticipated awards ceremony not only acknowledges the appeal of the industry’s most beloved stars but also celebrates the hard work and skills of the crew members who bring the directors’ visions to the silver screens.
Since the first edition of the Oscars in 1929, a lot of Academy Award-winning legends have come and gone while being immortalised in the record books maintained by the important cultural institution. However, have you ever wondered whether someone named Oscar has ever managed to enter the Academy’s elite hall of fame? If, like me, you thought that there has to be multiple Oscar winners named Oscar, prepare to be surprised.
According to the records, the only Oscar to have ever won an Academy Award is the great American lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, and he didn’t just win one. His first win came courtesy of Norman Z. McLeod’s 1941 musical Lady Be Good, which won Hammerstein and composer Jerome Kern the Academy Award for ‘Best Original Song’. Their song ‘The Last Time I Saw Paris’ ended up winning the coveted prize, even though it hadn’t been written for the film.
During an appearance on Ed Sullivan’s Toast of the Town, Hammerstein revealed that he was inspired to write the song after Hitler’s army entered Paris in 1940. Instead of the highly mythologised Parisian nightlife, he started thinking about the city’s buildings and trees. Hammerstein said: “Pretty soon, I found myself writing a song about these things. I didn’t know if I would ever see Paris again. I was afraid that I wouldn’t, and I tried to sketch a little picture of the city as I had known it, so I could preserve the memory for myself and for anyone else who cared about it as I did.”
Hammerstein followed up his success with another ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar (shared with Richard Rodgers) for ‘It Might as Well Be Spring’, featured in Walter Lang’s 1945 musical State Fair. In addition to his Academy Award wins, Hammerstein also received multiple Tony Awards while also influencing other prominent artists like Stephen Sondheim. While Hammerstein remains the only Oscar to ever win an Oscar, he’s definitely not the only one who had the opportunity to do so.
Other artists like Oscar Homolka and Oscar Millard have picked up nominations as well, but nobody has been able to enter the incredibly niche club whose only member is Hammerstein. However, that might not be the case for much longer since Oscar Isaac has certainly demonstrated the potential to win an Academy Award in the near future. Propelled by impressive performances in films like Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter, Isaac might just break Hammerstein’s record sooner than you think.
