Every Irish Oscar Winner

Ben Moore

This took me a while but I waded through the official Oscar website googling every Irish, Scottish and English Sounding name I could find and have come up with the most complete list of Irish oscar winner I have seen on the net...

Included are people born in Ireland, Northern Ireland and those who hold dual citizenship with Ireland and another country.

If any of you know of any I have missed please let me know



CEDRIC GIBBONS
won 11 Best Art/Set Direction Oscars between 1930 and 1956

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1930)
The Merry Widow (1934)
Pride and Prejudice (1940)
Blossoms in the Dust (1941)
Gaslight (1944)
The Yearling (1946)
Little Women (1949)
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
Julius Caesar (1953)
Somebody Up There Likes me (1956)

Born in Dublin, Gibbons moved to study in New York and is credited with the design of the Oscar statuette.


GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
Best (Adapted) Screenplay Pygmalion (1939)

Born in Dublin, Shaw is the only person to receive a Nobel Prize and an Oscar (Pygmalion (1938)).



BARRY FITZGERALD
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Going My Way (1944)

Born in Dublin, Fitzgerald was the only actor ever nominated for the Academy Award for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor in the same year for the same role. After he received this double nomination, the Academy immediately changed their rules to prevent this from happening again, rules which have remained unchanged to this day.



MICHÈLE BURKE
has won two Oscars.

(shared) – Best Makeup Quest for Fire (1981)
(shared) Best Makeup Dracula (1992)

Born in Kildare, Michèle holds a US, EU and Canadian Passport she is also fluent in English, French, Spanish and some Irish.



JOSIE MCAVIN
(shared) – Best Art Direction Out of Africa (1986)

Born in Ireland, McAvin presented the IFI Irish Film Archive with her Academy Award and Emmy statuettes, along with a collection of books, photographs and sketches that she had collected throughout her distinguished career.



DANIEL DAY-LEWIS

is the only actor to have won Three awards for Best Actor at the Academy Awards.

Best Actor My Left Foot (1989)
Best Actor There Will Be Blood (2007)
Best Actor Lincoln (2013)

Though he was born in the UK Day-Lewis is also an Irish Citizen and lives here in Co, Wicklow.

Here are a few roles which he turned down:

Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003), a role in Terminator Salvation (2009), Jor-El in Superman: Man of Steel (2013), lead role in Mary Reilly (1996), a role in Cutthroat Island (1995), the lead role in The English Patient (1996), Simon Templar in The Saint (1997).

The late and great Sir John Gielgud had this to say about Day-Lewis,
“He had what every actor in Hollywood wants: talent. And what every actor in England wants: looks”.



BRENDA FRICKER
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Actress My Left Foot (1989)

Born in Dublin Fricker was once heard to say
“When you are lying drunk at the airport you’re Irish. When you win an Oscar you’re British.”



NEIL JORDAN
Best Original Screenplay The Crying Game (1993)

Born in Sligo, Jordan is quoted as saying,
“I’m fascinated by monsters, monstrous people and fascinated with illogic and irrationality.”



PETER O’TOOLE
Honorary Academy Award in 2003

Born in Connemara, acceptin the award O’Toole, at 78, vowed to
“…win the lovely bugger outright”.



CORINNE MARRINAN
Best Documentary Short – A Note of Triumph: The Golden Age of Norman Corwin (2006)

Though born in New York, Marrinan holds dual Irish & U.S. citizenship, and as part of her acceptance speech she said,
“I’d like to thank the Academy for seating me next to George Clooney at the nominee’s luncheon.”



MARTIN MCDONAGH
Best Short Film (Live Action) Six Shooter (2006)

Born in the U.K., McDonagh holds both Irish and U.K. passports. Since moving into film, McDonagh has frequently used actors that have also appeared in the original theatre runs of his plays.



GLEN HANSARD

(Shared) Best Song Once (2008)

Born in Dublin, Hansard was the first Irishman to win an Oscar for Best Song. He was offered a shot at the part of Rorschach in Watchmen (2009) but had to bow out due to the fanfare surrounding his Oscar nomination (and ultimate win) for song “Falling Slowly” from Once (2006).



RICHARD BANEHAM
(as part of a team) – Best Visual Effects – Avatar (2010)

Born in Ireland Baneham worked as an animator or animation supervisor for the following films, The Iron Giant, Cats & Dogs, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and oversaw the animation of the character of Gollum) on The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.



TERRY GEORGE AND OORLATH GEORGE

Father and Daughter

Best Short Film (Live Action) The Shore (2012)

Born in Belfast, Terry George is quoted as saying,
“Film today is more and more concentrated on the amusement park element. If a writer can attach an actor or a producer who has some clout, then you can arm yourself. Otherwise, a script simply becomes a road map to attract money and talent.”


Link to my blog where this appears along with other film reviews and trivia etc.

==> http://wp.me/p1MbTJ-n3

ShagNastii

*Googles Glen Hansard Rorschach*

Bit of a push to truly link the fact. But colour me surprised.

Ben Moore

Bump!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

What about yer woman the costume designer.... you know the one. Has she never won an Oscar?

Ben Moore

I just checked her imdb & wiki pages and there is no mention of Jenny Beavan being Irish!

She was born in the UK.

But if you know if she has dual citizenship please leave me a link and I'll include her.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I was actually talking about Joan Bergin. Surely that was obvious from my description

Ben Moore

Oops, it is late :-)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0074645/awards?ref_=nm_awd

Unfortunately no Oscars but loads of other ones.

MfMan

Greer Garson, though London-born, was raised mostly in Castlewellan.

Stephen Boyd, George Brent, Brian Donlevy, Sam Neill all Irish-born, but no Oscars as far as I know.

Ben Moore

Yep, Greer Garson didn't fit my bill.

Thanks to you and TICKLE_ME_ELMO for your suggestions!

Ken.

Does Peter O Toole not get in for his honorary Oscar?

Ben Moore

He is there :-)

Baze

Ben Moore wrote: »

JOSIE MCAVIN
(shared) – Best Art Direction Out of Africa (1986)

Born in Ireland, McAvin presented the IFI Irish Film Archive with her Academy Award and Emmy statuettes, along with a collection of books, photographs and sketches that she had collected throughout her distinguished career.

Yes and she is also the only Irish person ever to win both an Oscar and an Emmy (which are actually both on display in the lobby of the IFI if anyone who hasn't already seen them would like to take a look):

Ken.

Ben Moore wrote: »

He is there :-)

I do apologise. The auld eyesight must be on the way out.

Ben Moore

It's late ;-)

Ben Moore

But thanks for the O'Toole support :-)