The first actor to refuse an Academy Award
Since the first Academy Awards in 1929, the annual ceremony has become one of the most coveted and anticipated events in the film world, with the awards themselves having such a cultural impact as to completely redefine the careers of filmmakers who receive them.
Chances are that even the most casual members of the public, those who are disinterested in film and have no knowledge of the industry, will have some basic awareness of the Oscars. They have become such a monumental part of popular culture that parties are thrown and bets are placed in anticipation and celebration of the yearly event. There are some, however, who don’t hold the Academy in such high regard.
Feelings within the film community are mixed on how deserved the status the awards hold is, but even within the industry – the very people up for recognition – there lies some disdain for the ceremony and the members of the Academy themselves. For some, they simply believe that there are more important things at stake.
This was most famously the case with Marlon Brando in 1973, who sent Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather to accept the ‘Best Actor’ award in his stead to draw attention to the mistreatment of her community. There was also the instance of writer Dudley Nichols in 1935, the first refusal of an Oscar ever, who declined to accept his ‘Best Screenplay’ award in solidarity with the writer’s strike and welcomed the prize only once the dispute was over.
For others, the Oscars represent something that they disagree with, and they just flat-out refuse any involvement with the ceremony altogether. In 1971, just under a decade after refusing the nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, George C. Scott asked for his name to be removed from the ballot for ‘Best Actor’. His performance in the 1970 film Patton as General George S. Patton had been received with ecstatic acclaim, but the actor wanted nothing to do with the Academy.
“I respectfully request that you withdraw my name from the list of nominees,” he wrote in a telegram to the Academy members before stating his frank opinions on the whole affair. “It’s a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons.” Whilst making clear his dislike of the Oscars, Scott nevertheless maintained respect for his fellow nominees, clarifying that “My request is in no way intended to denigrate my colleagues.”
Despite these efforts, Scott went on to win the 1971 Academy Awards for ‘Best Actor’. Needless to say, Scott was not in attendance at the ceremony, and Patton producer Frank McCarthy took the stage to accept the award on Scott’s behalf. A man of principles, Scott took the overruling of his request very seriously, and the following day he handed his golden statue back to the Academy.
