Oscars: 20 Best Speeches of the Past 20 Years

From heartfelt thoughts to unfettered exuberance, winning moments at the podium since '93. Plus: Six that went awry.
By Darren Franich
February 15, 2013 at 05:00 PM EST

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Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, and Jim Rash (2012)

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Though below-the-line categories like Best Adapted Screenplay aren’t usually Oscar speech thrillers, this one from The Descendants‘ threesome was excellent for several reasons. Before a single word was uttered Faxon and Community‘s Rash instantly deconstructed presenter Angelina Jolie’s self-consciously leggy stance (that year’s Oscars’ only instameme). Payne added to that clever irreverence by thanking his mom, who he admitted had made him promise to thank her ”just like Javier Bardem did [with] his mother.”

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Steven Soderbergh (2001)

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”I want to thank anyone who spends a part of their day creating. I don’t care if it’s a book, a film, a painting, a dance, a piece of theater, a piece of music. Anybody who spends part of their day sharing their experience with us. I think this world would be unlivable without art.”—Best Director win for Traffic

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Stanley Donen (1997)

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”Tonight, words seem inadequate. In musicals, that’s when we could do a song. So… Heaven, I’m in Heaven…”—Honorary Oscar, as he launched into song and tapdanced

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Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (2008)

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Irglova after host Jon Stewart brought her back on the stage: ”The fact that we’re standing here tonight… is just to prove that no matter how far out your dreams are, it’s possible.”—Best Original Song, ”Falling Slowly” in Once

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Jennifer Hudson (2007)

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”My grandmother was my biggest inspiration. She was a singer too. She had the passion but she never had the chance. That was the thing that pushed me forward.”—Best Supporting Actress in Dreamgirls

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Frances McDormand (1997)

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”I encourage writers and directors to keep these really interesting female roles coming, and while you’re at it you can throw in a few for the men as well.”—Best Actress in Fargo

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Emma Thompson (1996)

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”Before I came, I went to visit Jane Austen’s grave in Winchester Cathedral to pay my respects and tell her about the grosses. I don’t know how she’d react to an evening like this but I do hope she knows how big she is in Uruguay.”—Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility

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Cuba Gooding, Jr. (1997)

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”You can cut away. I won’t be mad at you.”—Best Supporting Actor in Jerry Maguire before jumping around the stage

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Three Six Mafia (2006)

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”George Clooney, my favorite. Man, he showed me love when I first met him.” —Best Original Song, ”It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow

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Dustin Lance Black (2009)

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”I heard the story of Harvey Milk, and it gave me the hope. It gave me hope to live my life. It gave me hope that one day I could live openly as who I am and that maybe even I could fall in love and one day get married.”—Best Original Screenplay for Milk

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Tilda Swinton (2008)

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”I have an American agent who is the spitting image of this [the Oscar trophy]. Really, truly. The same shaped head and, it has to be said, the buttocks.”—Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton

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Clint Eastwood (2005)

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”I watched Sidney Lumet out there, who’s 80, and I figure I’m just a kid… I’ve got lots of stuff to do yet.”—Best Director for Million Dollar Baby

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Kate Winslet (2009)

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”I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t made a version of this speech before. I was probably 8 years old and saying it into the bathroom mirror. And this [the Oscar] would have been a shampoo bottle. Well, it’s not a shampoo bottle now.”—Best Actress for The Reader

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Anna Paquin (1994)

Ten seconds of endearingly nervous gulping and wide-eyed stares as the audience laughed before she regained her composure and delivered a professional ”thank you” speech.—Best Supporting Actress for The Piano

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Forest Whittaker (2007)

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”Receiving this honor tonight tells me that it’s possible for a kid from East Texas, raised in South Central, L.A. and Carson, who believes in his dreams and commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and have them happen.”—Best Actor for The Last King of Scotland

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Robert Altman (2006)

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”I’m here I think under false pretenses and I have to get straight with you. About 10 years ago, 11 years ago, I had a total heart transplant. I got the heart of I think a young woman who was in her late 30s. By that calculation you may be giving me this award too early because I think I’ve got about 40 years left on it. And I intend to use it.”—Honorary Oscar

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Aaron Sorkin (2011)

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”Roxy Sorkin, your father just won the Academy Award. I’m gonna have to insist on some respect from your guinea pig.”—Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network

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Luke Matheny (2011)

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“Huh, I should have gotten a haircut. Hey, everybody!”—Best Live Action Short Film for God of Love

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Ennio Morricone (2007)

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This was made all the more touching by the fact that Morricone spoke Italian and presenter Clint Eastwood translated for him: ”He dedicates this Oscar to his wife Maria, who’s always been there with him all these years with enormous commitment and love, which he feels the same for her. Maria.”–Honorary Oscar

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Michael Caine (2000)

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”I was thinking back to how the Academy changed ‘the winner is’ to ‘the Oscar goes to.’ And if ever there was a category where the Oscar goes to someone without there being a winner, it’s this one. Because I do not feel like being a winner.”—Best Supporting Actor for Cider House Rules

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NEXT: Six to remember — but not to emulate

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WORST Gwyneth Paltrow (1999)

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The contents of the speech were loving and kind but the clearly overwhelmed actress weepily thanked everyone for two and a half minutes for her win.—Best actress for Shakespeare in Love

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WORST George Clooney (2006)

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We love the guy, but he concluded his speech with this weird tangent about how Hollywood people are out of touch, and that’s a good thing. ”We’re the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn’t really popular… I’m proud to be out of touch.” South Park would later savage this speech.

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WORST Jennifer Connelly (2002)

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The gifted actress brought a written speech, but it was just a list of people to thank, delivered in a monotone, with her face down the entire time.
Best Supporting Actress for A Beautiful Mind

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WORST Angelina Jolie (2000)

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”I’m so in love with my brother right now.”—Best Actress for Girl Interrupted. Still creepy.

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WORST Sean Penn (2004)

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When he won Best Actor for Mystic River, Penn started by saying that he hadn’t written a speech. Then he rambled. So, lesson learned: Write a speech! (He did years later when he won for Milk, and it was much, much better.)

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WORST Special prize to Elinor Burkett (2010)

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The most painfully and yet hilariously awkward speech in recent history was when Elinor Burkett suddenly ran onstage in the middle of Roger Ross Williams’ energetic acceptance speech for Music by Prudence and gave a mesmerizing random speech about her role models.

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