“An Officer and a Gentleman” (1982) – Louis Gossett Jr. – Best Supporting Actor
Taylor Hackford’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” was a box office hit and was nominated for 6 Academy Awards back in 1982. It’s an incredible film that many Gen-Xers often overlook when it comes to ‘80s nostalgia and that’s a shame because the drama featured amazing performances from Richard Gere and Debra Winger. The drill sergeant, Louis Gosset Jr. has his stony demeanour crack just a bit and the performance won him Best Supporting Actor.
“Two Women” (1961) – Sophia Loren – Best Actress
For almost seventy years Sophia Loren has been a superstar, and if you ask any casual moviegoer to name films, she’s been in it would be tough to get an answer. Loren’s career was launched from being in films like “The Miller’s Beautiful Wife” and “The Gold of Naples” but it was only until “Two Women” a WWII drama directed by Vittorio De Sica that showcased Sophia Loren’s overpowering beauty and ferocity that led her to win an Oscar for Best Actress.
“Room at the Top” (1959) – Simone Signoret – Best Actress
The iconic acting of the talented Simone Signoret in Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “Les Diaboliques”, Ophüls’s “La Ronde”, and Jacques Becker’s “Casque d’or” were superb, but it was the adaptation of a discarded mistress in John Braine’s kitchen-sink drama that earned her Oscar-winning validation. The film’s location for shooting gave the film a gritty feel which was unusual for dramas at the time.
“The Bad and the Beautiful” (1952) – Gloria Grahame – Best Supporting Actress
From Vincente Minnelli and screenwriter Charles Schnee, the two painted a picture of the cutthroat business of movie-making. Kirk Douglas rises to power after being in many B-movie hits, but after skipping town and leaving for a small college to become an English professor, Dick Powell becomes the film’s tragic core. Douglas ends up buying the film rights to his novel and heads back to Hollywood with Gloria Grahame, Douglas’s wife. Even though she only had under ten minutes of screen time, she made every second count and won Best Supporting Actress.
“Captains Courageous” (1937) – Spencer Tracy – Best Actor
Director Victor Fleming produced “Captains Courageous” based off of the novel by author Rudyard Kipling. Spencer Tracy would go on to get his first Oscar win and second nomination. As a Portuguese fisherman, Tracy ends up rescuing an American shipping tycoon’s (Melvyn Douglas) wealthy son (Freddie Bartholomew). Even though Tracy’s accent isn’t perfect, the sincerity and passion of his performance was amazing.