What? I Didn't Win? Multiple Choice Quiz | Awards and Festivals

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. In the 2002 film 'Gangs of New York', this actor was simply the utter epitome of evil as Bill 'The Butcher' Cutting, one of the lords of the underworld of 19th century New York. Which previous Oscar winner was snubbed here?

Answer: Daniel Day-Lewis

Daniel Day-Lewis was excellent in his Oscar-winning performance as Christy Brown in the 1989 film 'My Left Foot', but his acting in 'Gangs of New York' was superior (in my view). Day-Lewis was beaten out for the Academy Award in March of 2003 by Adrien Brody for his stunning performance in 'The Pianist'.

2. Denzel Washington finally received his coveted Best Actor Oscar in March of 2002 for his performance as Alonzo Harris in 'Training Day'. Another performance that was overlooked that same year was submitted by which actor in the Ron Howard biopic of mathematician John Nash, entitled 'A Beautiful Mind'?

Answer: Russell Crowe

One cannot fault the Academy for rewarding the deserving Denzel Washington for 'Training Day', he really was convincing as the corrupt detective in that film, but Crowe's work in 'A Beautiful Mind' as the schizophrenic Nobel Prize-winning mathematician John Nash may very well have been his career best performance. Unfortunately for Crowe (or fortunately, depending on how one looks at it), he had already won an Oscar the previous year for his role in the film 'Gladiator' (a lesser performance, in my view).

3. Two excellent performances were overlooked during the Oscar awards ceremony in 2001. One was submitted by Ed Harris as the troubled title character in the biopic 'Pollock'. Equally troubled was the character (Marquis de Sade) portrayed by which previous Oscar winner in the film 'Quills'?

Answer: Geoffrey Rush

Russell Crowe, who portrayed the hero Maximus in the film 'Gladiator', won the Oscar in March of 2001 despite the knockout performances of both Geoffrey Rush and Ed Harris. Geoffrey Rush had previously won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the 1996 film 'Shine'.

4. The 1998 film 'American History X' featured a tour de force performance by which young actor who nonetheless failed to garner an Oscar award for his remarkable acting achievements?

Answer: Ed Norton

The winner for Best Actor that year was Roberto Benigni for his performance in 'Life is Beautiful'. In my view, Benigni's performance was a bit more obnoxious than it was magnificent. Norton's performance as ex-neo-nazi Derek Vinyard in the emotionally jarring 'American History X' will go down as one of history's finest.

5. In March of 1996, Nicolas Cage was awarded an Oscar for his work in 'Leaving Las Vegas'. Among the losers that year was which future Oscar winner who played an unapologetic murderer languishing on death row?

Answer: Sean Penn

Admittedly, the Academy had a difficult decision to make in 1996 between Cage and Penn, with Cage ultimately coming out on top. Oddly enough, in my view neither Cage nor Penn won Oscars for their best career performances. Penn should have won for 'Dead Man Walking', while Cage put in a superior performance in the film 'Adaptation' (for which he was nominated in 2003).

6. This is a special case, but in my opinion, the actor who submitted the best leading performance of 1993 was Ben Kingsley, who wasn't even nominated for his role as the almost saintly Itzhak Stern in which monumental film?

Answer: Schindler's List

Okay, some may suggest that Kingsley was not the 'lead' actor in 'Schindler's List'; regardless, his performance should have somehow been recognized. Kingsley, of course, had already won a Best Actor Oscar for his unbelievable portrayal of Mohandas K. Gandhi in the 1982 film 'Gandhi'.

'Schindler's List' featured Kingsley as the accountant Itzhak Stern, who helped run the successful business of Oskar Schindler during World War II. Stern was able to do this while living within a Nazi death camp, and also was pivotal in assisting Schindler with saving the lives of the many Jews who worked within Schindler's business.

7. Denzel Washington, winner of the Oscar in 2002, was himself snubbed nine years previous. Which figure of American history did Denzel portray in a 1992 spot-on performance that was nonetheless unrewarded?

Answer: Malcolm X

Denzel Washington, who has been awarded twice by the Academy, once as a supporting actor in the 1989 film 'Glory', and once for the 2001 film 'Training Day', was thundering in his role as American civil rights leader Malcolm X in 1992. Nonetheless, he was beaten out that year by another deserving actor, namely Al Pacino for 'Scent of a Woman'.

8. One cannot fault the Academy for rewarding Dustin Hoffman, one of Hollywood's all-time greats, for his touching performance in the 1988 film 'Rain Man', but there was one superior performance that I believe was overlooked. Edward James Olmos was remarkable as the math teacher Jaime Escalante in which inspirational film of that same year?

Answer: Stand and Deliver

Edward James Olmos submitted the performance of his career as Jaime Escalante in 'Stand and Deliver', a film about a teacher in East Los Angeles who works magic by helping a group of underprivileged Hispanic kids to learn calculus. This was Olmos' first and only career nomination as Best Actor. For Hoffman, his Oscar win for 'Rain Man' was his second career award, his first being for the 1979 film 'Kramer vs. Kramer'.

9. Dustin Hoffman's turn to be overlooked came during the April 1983 Oscar ceremony, when he was beaten out by the incredible Ben Kingsley for 'Gandhi'. Hoffman was equally brilliant in his turn as which character in the 1982 comedy 'Tootsie'?

Answer: Michael Dorsey

In fact, Hoffman really played four roles in the film 'Tootsie'. Michael Dorsey was his actual character, while Dorothy Michaels was his female persona. On top of that, Dorsey/Michaels played the characters Emily and Edward Kimberley in the soap opera within the film. All this came to no avail for Hoffman, however, as he submitted this performance in the wrong year! Kingsley was simply too brilliant as Gandhi, and could not have come off unrewarded.

10. One of the most entertaining comedians (and actors) of all-time had to be Peter Sellers. Sadly, his greatest career performance went unrewarded during the Oscar ceremony of April 1980. For which film, featuring Sellers as Chauncey Gardner, did the great comedic actor miss an Oscar that year?

Answer: Being There

Peter Sellers was the winner of a British Academy Award for his performance in the 1959 film 'I'm All Right Jack', but he never garnered an Oscar at the awards in the United States. He was also nominated for Best Actor for his performance(s) in the 1964 film 'Dr. Strangelove'. Sellers was beaten out by Dustin Hoffman in 1980, who won the award for 'Kramer vs. Kramer'.

In 'Being There', Sellers plays an ignorant gardener named Chance, who is forced to fend for himself in the 'real world' after his long-time employer's death. It's really a must see.

Thank you for playing this quiz, I hope you enjoyed it.

Source: Author thejazzkickazz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor skunkee before going online.
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What? I Didn't Win? Trivia Quiz

In the recent history of the Academy Awards there have been a number of snubs, deserved and otherwise, for marvelous acting performances. This quiz will explore some of these notable performances that did not garner Oscar gold.

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