In 1934, for the first time in the Oscar history, the film One Night got all the major awards: the best film, director, screenplay, the best actor and actress. In 1974, Robert De Niro was the first actor to receive a statuette for the film that was not in English, and in 2001, Halle Berry became the first black actress to receive the “Oscar” for the leading female role. The 85th Oscar award ceremony also has a great chance to set new records and make new discoveries.
1. Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln
If Daniel Day-Lewis receives the Best Actor award for the role of Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln movie, he will be the first actor in the history of cinema to obtain three statuettes for the main role. The record still belongs to Jack Nicholson, but one of his three statues was awarded for his minor role in the Terms of Endearment movie.
2. The President Oscar
Moreover, Day-Lewis has a chance to become the first actor to receive an award for his portrayal of the American president. In the history of American cinema, there have been a lot of films with “presidents”, but only five actors have been honored with a nomination for the best presidential role so far. Anthony Hopkins has been nominated twice for the role of Richard Nixon in 1995, and for his supporting role in Amistad, directed by Spielberg in 1997, where Hopkins played the U.S. President John Quincy Adams (the ex-President already by the time of making the film). By the way, Amistad is also dedicated to the struggle for abolition of slavery in the U.S. – the topic which Spielberg has once again returned to in Lincoln.
3. Youngest Female’s Oscar Nomination
This year, the Academy Awards ceremony may also be marked by the world’s youngest winner in the “Best Actress” nomination, if 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, who played the main role in the movie Wild Animals of the South, wins the award. At the moment, the record holder for the “youngest” Oscar is Marlee Matlin, who received her statuette at the age of 21 for the role in the Children of a Lesser God movie (1986).
4. Youngest Director Nominated
Wild Animals of the South can be called the “youngest” film, nominated for the Oscar award this year. In addition to young Wallis, the director of the film, 30-year-old Benh Zeitlin, could become the youngest winner in the “Best Director” nomination. However, he will not be the youngest nominee: in 1992, 24-year-old John Singleton got the nomination for the movie Boyz n the Hood, and, despite the award not being received, he has been holding the title of the youngest director ever nominated for an Oscar award for more than ten years.
5. 2013 Oscar Nomination Number Record
The 85th Oscar ceremony will be held on February 24. The record for the biggest nomination number belongs to Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (12 nominations), including the Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor nominations.
