{"id":1154,"date":"2026-03-09T17:17:37","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:17:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/?p=1154"},"modified":"2026-03-09T17:17:37","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T17:17:37","slug":"the-best-oscar-acceptance-speeches-of-all-time-including-matt-and-ben","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/?p=1154","title":{"rendered":"The best Oscar acceptance speeches of all time, including Matt and Ben"},"content":{"rendered":"

What makes an exemplary Oscar speech?<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the million-dollar question facing each new crop of winners, who are frequently tasked with finding fresh things to say at the Academy Awards (live Sunday, March 15, on ABC and Hulu, 7 p.m. ET\/4 PT) after a months-long parade of awards shows. Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Kaluuya nailed the assignment in recent years, giving speeches that struck an endearing balance of humor and sincerity, but always with a dash of the unexpected. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Many winners opt for a timely message, while others resort to rattling off a list of names. But after years of watching innumerable speeches, here are those in a category all their own:<\/p>\n

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10. Meryl Streep (2012)<\/h2>\n

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Did Meryl Streep really need her third Oscar win for, of all films, \u201cThe Iron Lady\u201d? Not really. She was the weakest contender for best actress that year, and her earlier nods for \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada,\u201d \u201cDoubt\u201d and \u201cJulie & Julia\u201d were more deserving. But her pitch-perfect speech made up for it: She\u2019s at once self-deprecating, joking that \u201chalf of America\u201d groaned when her name was called. Streep then gets sentimental, reflecting on the community she has cultivated over 40 years in Hollywood. \u201cI look out here, and I see my life before my eyes,\u201d she said. \u201cMy friends, thank you, all of you \u2013 departed and here \u2013 for this inexplicably wonderful career.\u201d<\/p>\n

9. Joe Pesci (1991) <\/h2>\n

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Patty Duke (\u201cThe Miracle Worker\u201d) and Rita Moreno (\u201cWest Side Story\u201d) memorably delivered some of the shortest speeches in Oscar history. But it\u2019s hard to top Joe Pesci, who charmingly maintained his tough-guy persona with a five-word address as he accepted best supporting actor for \u201cGoodfellas.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s my privilege. Thank you,\u201d he said, flashing a sheepish grin before ducking offstage.<\/p>\n

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8. Anna Paquin (1994) <\/h2>\n

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Rule of thumb: Every Oscar speech should start with at least 20 seconds of gleeful hyperventilating. Taking best supporting actress for \u201cThe Piano,\u201d 11-year-old Anna Paquin spent most of her time onstage in stunned excitement, wide-eyed and gulping before letting out a quick \u201cthank you\u201d to the Academy. Her iconic outfit \u2013 a purple vest and bejeweled beanie \u2013 is the cherry on top of an already adorable moment.<\/p>\n

7. Hattie McDaniel (1940)<\/h2>\n

Sixty years before Halle Berry\u2019s emotional win for best actress, Hattie McDaniel made Oscar history as the first Black honoree, earning best supporting actress for \u201cGone With the Wind.\u201d The moment\u2019s weight was not lost on the ever-poised McDaniel, who was seated in a far corner of the room away from the event\u2019s white guests. \u201cI sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel,\u201d she said, burying her face in a handkerchief as she exited the stage.<\/p>\n

6. Michael Caine (2000)<\/h2>\n

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Winners often acknowledge their fellow nominees with a few obligatory words. But accepting best supporting actor for \u201cThe Cider House Rules,\u201d Michael Caine graciously spent his whole speech f\u00eating the young men in his category, including Tom Cruise (\u201cMagnolia\u201d), Michael Clarke Duncan (\u201cThe Green Mile\u201d), Jude Law (\u201cThe Talented Mr. Ripley\u201d) and 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment (\u201cThe Sixth Sense\u201d). \u201cHaley, when I saw you, I thought, \u2018Well, that’s me out of it,\u2019 \u201d Caine said, earning laughs. \u201cI’m basically up here, guys, to represent you as what I hope you will all be: a survivor.\u201d<\/p>\n

5. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (1997)<\/h2>\n

Tinseltown\u2019s favorite bros were delightfully unbridled as they accepted the statuette for best original screenplay for \u201cGood Will Hunting.\u201d \u201cI just said to Matt, ‘Losing would suck and winning would be really scary,’ \u201d Affleck quipped. They proceeded to ping-pong names back and forth, shouting and pointing at their families like an impromptu wedding toast. \u201cAnd thank you so much to the city of Boston!\u201d Affleck breathlessly concluded, a hilarious chef\u2019s kiss from Beantown’s unofficial spokesman.<\/p>\n

4. Ruth Gordon (1969)<\/h2>\n

Ruth Gordon is deliciously unsettling in \u201cRosemary\u2019s Baby,\u201d which makes her warm and scintillating speech that much more amusing. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how encouraging a thing like this is!\u201d the supporting actress winner exclaimed, looking back on her 50-year career and wondering why \u201cit took me so long.\u201d \u201cThank all of you who voted for me,\u201d she said with a smile. \u201cAnd all of you who didn\u2019t, please excuse me!\u201d<\/p>\n

3. Cuba Gooding Jr. (1997) <\/h2>\n

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Accepting the award for best supporting actor for \u201cJerry Maguire,\u201d Cuba Gooding summoned the sort of TV magic that we all tune in for but rarely get. What begins as your standard feel-good speech soon becomes a race against the playoff music to thank as many people as possible. \u201cOh, my goodness! Here we are!\u201d Gooding yells giddily, triumphantly jumping and fist-pumping the air. His palpable joy is infectious, bringing the entire crowd to its feet by his dozenth proclamation of \u201cI love you!\u201d<\/p>\n

2. Louise Fletcher (1976) <\/h2>\n

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With just 22 minutes of screen time, Louise Fletcher won best actress for playing the venomous Nurse Ratched in \u201cOne Flew Over the Cuckoo\u2019s Nest.\u201d She began by thanking voters with a joke about her chilling performance: \u201cAll I can say is I’ve loved being hated by you.\u201d But what makes this speech an all-timer is Fletcher\u2019s moving pivot to sign language, choking up as she pays tribute to her deaf parents: \u201cI want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n

1. Olivia Colman (2019) <\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Accepting best actress for \u201cThe Favourite,\u201d Olivia Colman gave us everything we could want in an Oscar win: tears, laughter, amazement and a frenzied air-kiss to Lady Gaga. \u201cIt\u2019s genuinely quite stressful,\u201d Colman said as she took the stage, beaming as she pointed to her statue. \u201cThis is hilarious!\u201d The beloved Brit zigzags through a marathon of emotions: crying as she thanks her husband and kids, and recalling her humble start as a cleaner. She also takes a beat to recognize Glenn Close, the award\u2019s presumed front-runner and an eight-time Oscar nominee. (\u201cYou\u2019ve been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be!\u201d) Cheeky, heartfelt and endlessly rewatchable, Colman delivered the kind of speech that reminds us why we love awards season so much.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The best Oscar acceptance speeches of all time, including Matt and Ben<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What makes an exemplary Oscar speech? That\u2019s the million-dollar question facing each new crop of winners, who are frequently tasked with finding fresh things to say at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1154"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1154\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkmania.pl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}