Oscars by Numbers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Titanic

'Titanic', starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, equalled this feat in 1997. Although DiCaprio had already begun to establish himself with 'Romeo + Juliet' (1996), Winslet was then little known outside her native England. 'Ben-Hur' had set the achievement of 11 awards as a record in 1959. In 2003, 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' also equalled this feat.

Answer: 'All About Eve' (1950)

The other three came close, with 13 nominations each. 'All About Eve', the story of an ingenue who insinuates her way into the company of an ageing film star and her social circle, starred Bette Davis and Ann Baxter. It provided an early role for Marilyn Monroe and was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Answer: Annie Hall

'Annie Hall' won three other awards in addition to the one for Best Picture. It was directed and co-written by Woody Allen. Allen played the leading role of a neurotic actor who falls for the eponymous heroine, played by Diane Keaton.

Answer: True

Irving Thalberg produced three movies that won the award for Best Picture without any other: 'The Broadway Melody' (1928), 'Grand Hotel' (1932) and 'Mutiny on the Bounty' (1935). 'Grand Hotel' was one of the many collaborations between Thalberg and Greta Garbo, whom he brought with him to Hollywood.

Answer: 11

When this was achieved, it was hailed as the largest 100% win. Peter Jackson (Best Producer, Best Director, Best Writing) and Fran Walsh (Best Producer, Best Writing, Best Songwriting) won three Oscars each. This was the first time that two people associated with the same film won so many multiple Oscars.

Answer: True

'The Color Purple' was an adaptation of Alice Walker's famous novel of a black girl's painful growing up in the Deep South, starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover and Oprah Winfrey. Until 1985, 'Turning Point' had been alone in holding the record for the largest 100% loss in Oscars history, with an identical number of 11 unsuccessful nominations.

Answer: France and Italy

The first Foreign Language awards were not presented until 1947 and between them Italy and France won 25 of the first sixty-odd awards. The nearest runner-up, Spain, had won four Oscars from 19 nominations.

Answer: 'Gone with the Wind' (1939)

'Gone with the Wind' won Best Picture, Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Writing (Sidney Howard) and Best Actress in a Leading Role (Vivien Leigh). Clark Gable, however, failed to win Best Actor in a Leading Role. Hattie McDaniel won Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the first African American to win an Academy Award.

Answer: 33

Until 1993, 'The Apartment' (1960) had held the distinction of being the last black and white winner of the award for Best Picture. Although 'Schindler's List' won 7 awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, it failed to win any of the acting awards.

Answer: Walt Disney

Disney was actually nominated for 59 awards, winning 22 (plus receiving 4 testimonial/non-competitive awards), during a career that spanned more than 40 years. The majority of those were for Best Cartoon Short Feature.