An Aussie Goes to Hollywood Quiz | Awards and Festivals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Heath Ledger was only the second person to win an Oscar posthumously. Another Australian actor holds the dubious honour of being the first. Who was he?

Answer: Peter Finch

Peter Finch was born in England but moved to Australia when he was ten. His posthumous Oscar was for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in the movie 'Network' (1976). He died of a heart attack in January 1977. The 1976 Academy Awards Ceremony took place in March 1977.

2. Lizzy Gardner shared an Oscar for Best Costume Design for 'The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert'. She made a very dramatic impact at the Awards Ceremony in a dress made of what?

Answer: American Express Gold Cards

The dress had been originally proposed for use in the movie but American Express did not agree to provide the cards. American Express was contacted again after Gardner and Tim Chapple were nominated for Best Costume Design for 'Priscilla'. This time they came to the party and provided Gardner with enough cards to make the dress. All the cards were in her name but were missing a number making them unusable.

3. Geoffrey Rush won an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. For which movie did he win this award?

Answer: Shine

Geoffrey Rush has appeared in all four movies. However, it was his performance as David Helfgott in 'Shine', an Australian piano virtuoso, who suffered a nervous breakdown and spent years institutionalised, that won him the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

4. Nicole Kidman won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her performance as Virginia Woolf in 'The Hours'. For what other movie has she been nominated for the same award?

Answer: Moulin Rouge

In 'Moulin Rouge' Kidman played the part of Satine, a courtesan and cabaret singer. Nicole Kidman has appeared in all these movies but 'Moulin Rouge' was the only other one she has received an individual acting Oscar nomination for.
Halle Berry beat out Nicole Kidman, Sissy Spacek and Renee Zellwegger to win the 2001 Oscar for her performance in 'Monster's Ball'.

5. He has been voted one of the sexiest men alive; has left his mark on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; been our all singing and all dancing 'Boy from Oz'; and has even hosted the Oscars. Who is this famous Aussie?

Answer: Hugh Jackman

Hugh Jackman hosted the 81st Academy Awards in 2009. He has starred in a number of movies including 'Australia', 'Van Helsing', 'Kate and Leopold', 'The Prestige' and as Wolverine in 'The X-Men' series. He starred in the Broadway production of 'The Boy from Oz' based on the life of another noted Australian, Peter Allen. In 2008, People Magazine named him The Sexiest Man Alive.

6. Orry-Kelly was born a New South Welshman but made his name as a Hollywood costume designer. He won three Oscars for Best Costume Design. One of these movies was NOT one of them. Which was it?

Answer: Gypsy

He received a nomination for 'Gypsy'. The award was won by Mary Wills for 'The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm'.

7. Adam Elliott won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2003 for 'Harvey Krumpett'. What style of animation did he use for this film?

Answer: Stop motion

The technique used in 'Harvey Krumpett' was stop motion and Elliott describes his style as claymation. Stop motion involves physically moving inanimate objects, such as clay figures, and then shooting them one frame at a time. This is a time consuming process for the animator.

For example, 'Harvey Krumpett' has a running time of 23 minutes and Elliot was usually only able to shoot 5 to 10 seconds of footage a day.

8. It is true Russell Crowe was born in New Zealand and is related to a couple of famous New Zealand cricketers but his acting career took off in Australia. For which movie did he win an Oscar?

Answer: Gladiator

Crowe has starred in all of these movies and did receive a nomination for 'A Beautiful Mind' but it was his performance in 'Gladiator' that saw him win the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. In 'Gladiator' he played a Roman general, Maximus Decimus Meridius, who was asked by the Emperor Aurelius to succeed him.

The Emperor's son Commodus had other ideas and Maximus went from Roman general to gladiator. Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a cousin of Martin and Jeff Crowe; both former test cricket captains for New Zealand.

9. Heath Ledger sadly won posthumously the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the Joker in 'Dark Knight'. He had previously received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for another movie. Which movie was it?

Answer: Brokeback Mountain

'Brokeback Mountain' portrayed the complex relationship between two cowboys and won for its director, Ang Lee, the Best Director Oscar. Heath Ledger played the part of Ennis del Mar, the ranch hand who fell in love with the rodeo rider, Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal)
It did not win the Best Movie Oscar; this award was taken out by 'Crash'. Philip Seymour Hoffman garnered the Best Actor award for his performance in 'Capote'.

10. Which of these is NOT an Australian director who has been nominated for an Oscar for Best Director?

Answer: Barry McKenzie

Barry McKenzie was a fictional character in the movie 'The Adventures of Barry McKenzie'.

Peter Weir has been nominated for 'Witness', 'Dead Poets Society', 'The Truman Show' and 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'.

Bruce Beresford has been nominated for 'Tender Mercies'. Another of his movies 'Driving Miss Daisy' won the Oscar for Best Picture but he was not nominated for Best Director.

Scott Hicks directed and was nominated for 'Shine'; the movie which gave Geoffrey Rush his Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Source: Author cazza2902

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nannanut before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

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