The world is gearing up for the 88th Academy Award ceremony where as one of our columnists said this week, Oscar most certainly has an Irish accent this year. Ireland, that little island off the coast of Europe, boasts of nine nominations this year.
Saoirse Ronan is up to Best Actress for “Brooklyn.” Michael Fassbender is in the running for the Best Actor gong for “Steve Jobs,” and Lenny Abrahamson is up for Best Director for “Room” to name by a few.
The carpet shouldn’t be red tomorrow night…it should be green, white and orange!
To prep for the big night we decided to take a look at the best Irish moments of all time at the Academy Awards:
Peter O'Toole
Peter O’Toole, born in Connemara, rose to international stardom when he played the lead role in Lawrence of Arabia in 1962.
Despite being nominated for 8 Oscars in the Best Lead Actor category, he has never won one - making him the titleholder for that record. However, in 2003, the Academy honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Sadly in 2013 O'Toole passed away.
Peter O’Toole receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award:
Liam Neeson
Antrim native Neeson was nominated for Best Lead Actor for his role in 1993’s ‘Schindler’s List.’ Though Neeson didn’t win, the film scooped up seven Oscars in 1994.
Trailer for ‘Schindler’s List’:
Stephen Rea
Belfast born Rea is yet another Irish actor to be nominated for the Best Lead Actor Academy Award, but didn’t win it.
In 1993, he was nominated for his role in ‘The Crying Game,’ a film about the IRA, which won at that year’s Oscar’s for Best Writing.
Trailer for ‘The Crying Game’:
Richard Harris
Harris, born in Limerick, was nominated for two Oscars - one in 1964 for ‘This Sporting Life’, and one in 1991 for ‘The Field.’ He didn’t win either time though.
A segment on Richard Harris and his role in ‘The Field’:
Barry Fitzgerald
Finally, an Irishman who won at Oscar!
Barry Fitzgerald was born in Dublin in 1888. In 1945 he won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in ‘Going My Way.’ He was also nominated for the same film for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the first time an actor achieved that feat.
Oscar rulings have since changed to prevent the same actor for being nominated for those two awards from the same film. ‘Going My Way’ won an impressive seven Oscars in 1944.
Trailer for ‘Going My Way’:
Daniel Day-Lewis
Though born in England, Day-Lewis holds dual citizenship between the UK and Ireland and currently calls Co Wicklow home.
This talented actor has won three Oscars during his career. In 1990, he won Best Actor for ‘My Left Foot,’ in 2003 for Best Actor in ‘Gangs of New York,’ and in 2007 for Best Actor again in ‘There Will Be Blood.’ In 1994, he was nominated but did not win for his role in ‘In the Name of the Father.’
‘My Left Foot’ trailer:
Brenda Fricker
Born in 1945 in Dublin, Fricker has a career that has spanned decades.
In 1990, she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for ‘My Left Foot,’ for which fellow Irishman Daniel Day-Lewis was also nominated and won.
Here, a scene from ‘My Left Foot’ with Brenda Fricker and Daniel Day Lewis:
Jim Sheridan
Dublin born Jim Sheridan has made several films that revolve around the Irish experience. Three of his films, ‘My Left Foot,’ ‘In the Name of the Father,’ and ‘In America,’ were all nominated for Oscars, but didn’t win any big awards.
Brenda Fricker and Daniel Day-Lewis, however, were under his directing for their wins from ‘My Left Foot.’
Trailer for ‘In the Name of the Father’:
‘Once’
This 2006 film set in modern day Dublin won the Oscar for best Best Original Song for Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s song ‘Falling Slowly.’ Hansard himself is a Dublin native.
Here’s the song ‘Falling Slowly’ from ‘Once’:
‘The Departed’
‘The Departed’ made a big splash at the Academy Awards when it brought home four awards that evening - Best Directing for Martin Scorcese, Best Editing, Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Writing. Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting actor, but didn’t win.
The film is said to be inspired by the notorious Irish-American Boston mobster James Whitey Bulger. Trailer for ‘The Departed’:
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