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2023 Oscar Firsts: MCU Takes Center Stage, John Williams Breaks Record as Eldest Nominee, and Steven Spielberg tied Martin Scorsese’s record
2023 Oscar Firsts: MCU Takes Center Stage, John Williams Breaks Record as Eldest Nominee, and Steven Spielberg tied Martin Scorsese’s record
The 2023 Oscar nominations were announced in Los Angeles on Tuesday morning, and the list includes several noteworthy firsts and achievements. For the first time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has broken into the acting categories, while composer John Williams has become the eldest nominee ever. In addition, Steven Spielberg has now tied Martin Scorsese’s record for the second most nominations for Best Director. Other nominees, such as Angela Bassett, Judd Hirsch, and Michelle Yeoh, have also made headlines for their impressive accomplishments.
2023 Oscar nominations marked several historic firsts:
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Angela Bassett’s portrayal in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” has earned her a groundbreaking nomination as the first performer ever to be recognized for their work in a Marvel Cinematic Universe production.
- Additionally, the movie “Black Panther” made history as the first superhero film to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Oscar in 2023.
- Angela Bassett has the third-longest time gap between her first and second Oscar nominations among actresses, with 29 years since her nomination for “What’s Love Got to Do With It” in 1993.
Judd Hirsch, star of “The Fabelmans,” has made history by beating Henry Fonda’s record for the longest time between Oscar nominations for an actor. Fonda previously held the record for his nominations for “The Grapes of Wrath” and “On Golden Pond,” which were 41 years apart. However, Hirsch has now broken that record, with 42 years between his nomination for “Ordinary People” in 1980 and his recent nomination this year.
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This year has seen a record-breaking number of Asian/Asian-American actors nominated, with four topping the list: Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and Hong Chau. It is the highest number of Asian/Asian-American actors to be recognized in a single year, marking a significant step towards greater diversity at the 2023 Oscar.
Michelle Yeoh’s nomination in the Best Actress category marks only the second time an Asian actress has been nominated in this category, following Indian-born Merle Oberon’s nomination in 1935.
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Remarkably, the Best Actor category features a roster of all first-time nominees, including Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Paul Mescal, and Bill Nighy. It is an unprecedented occurrence. The last time it happened was way back in 1934, which had only three nominees for Best Actor.
Jamie Lee Curtis received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” an achievement that comes 62 years after her mother, Janet Leigh, was nominated in the same category for her role in “Psycho” in 1960. Curtis and Leigh are now part of an exclusive list of third mother-daughter acting nominees featuring Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Diane Ladd and Laura Dern.
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With a total of nine nominations for Best Director, Steven Spielberg has now equaled Martin Scorsese’s record, putting them both in second place for the most nominations in this category. The top spot goes to William Wyler, who has been nominated 12 times.
- Spielberg has surpassed his own record for the highest number of individual Best Picture nominations as a producer, with a total of 12. Additionally, he has tied with William Wyler for directing the highest number of Best Picture nominees, 13.
Despite not receiving the Best Actor nomination in 2023, Tom Cruise has still achieved a milestone by earning his first Oscar nomination in 23 years for his role as a producer of “Top Gun: Maverick.” This nomination marks his return to the awards after his Best Supporting Actor nomination for “Magnolia” in 1998.
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Frances McDormand, who has won Best Actress three times, earned a nomination for her role as a producer of “Women Talking.”
Even Though is the most commonly recognized genre for acting, the biopic yielded only two nominations this year, with Ana de Armas nominated for “Blonde” and Austin Butler for “Elvis.” “The Fabelmans” features Michelle Williams and Judd Hirsch portraying characters inspired by real people, though not in the typical biopic style.
In 2023, Todd Field, a former actor turned writer-director, has received a Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for all three of his films – “In the Bedroom,” “Little Children,” and “Tár” – despite having directed only three movies so far.
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In 2023 “All Quiet on the Western Front” has earned nine Oscar nominations, making it the second most nominated foreign-language film, just behind “Roma” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which both received ten nominations each.
Mandy Walker’s nomination for Best Cinematography for “Elvis” marks only the third time a woman has been nominated in the category, following Rachel Morrison’s nomination for “Mudbound” and Ari Wegner’s for “The Power of the Dog.”
Each of the nominees for Best Director, who happens to be all men, also received nominations in the Best Original Screenplay category.
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The directing duo, The Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), have earned an Oscar nomination for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” making them the first pair of directors to be nominated since the Coen Brothers for “True Grit” in 2011.
John Williams, the composer of the soundtrack for “The Fabelmans,” has surpassed his previous record for the most nominations for Best Score, with a new tally of 48. He also holds the distinction of being the living person with the most nominations, with a total of 53.
- John Williams made history at the age of 90 as the first person in their nineties to receive an Oscar nomination, having received his first nomination at 35 years in 1968.
Two actors from the same movie have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the fifth time in the last six years. This year, Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan received nods for their performances in “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Read more on Oscars.org ↵
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