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Quiz about Who Won the Oscar for Best Actor

Who Won the Oscar for Best Actor? Quiz

This quiz will challenge your memory of who has won the Academy Award for Best Actor. All of these questions feature movies that did extremely well at the box office. Remember that the award is given the following year of the movie's release.

A multiple-choice quiz by CrowDad. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
CrowDad

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
331,693

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Easy

Avg Score
9 / 10

Plays
3543

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: shorthumbz (10/10), Guest 35 (10/10), Guest 24 (10/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Delivering quotes such as "stupid is as stupid does" and "life is like a box of chocolates" into the lexicon of pop culture, this actor brought a very special character to life in 1994. Which of these actors won the Academy Award for Best Actor? Hint

Morgan Freeman for "The Shawshank Redemption"

Tom Hanks for "Forrest Gump"

Nigel Hawthorne for "The Madness of King George"

Paul Newman for "Nobody's Fool"

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Question 2 of 10

2. As Lester Burnham, this actor experiences loss of job, spousal infidelity, and a mid-life crisis. Which of the following took home the 2000 Academy Award for Best Actor? Hint

Russell Crowe for "The Insider"

Denzel Washington for "The Hurricane"

Sean Penn for "Sweet and Lowdown"

Kevin Spacey for "American Beauty"

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Question 3 of 10

3. As the character Henry Higgins, this actor told us how the rain in Spain stayed mainly in the plain. Which of these actors won the Academy Award in 1965 for Best Actor? Hint

Peter Sellers for "Dr. Strangelove"

Richard Burton for "Becket"

Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady"

Anthony Quinn for "Zorba the Greek"

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Question 4 of 10

4. Elliot Garfield might best be remembered for playing guitar in the nude and not liking panties being left in the sink. Which of these actors portrayed this character in 1977, and won the Oscar as Best Actor? Hint

Woody Allen for "Annie Hall"

Richard Dreyfuss for "The Goodbye Girl"

John Travolta for "Saturday Night Fever"

Richard Burton for "Equus"

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Question 5 of 10

5. As the character Gordon Gekko, this actor delivered one of the most memorable lines in film history by telling us that "greed is good". Which of these actors won the 1988 Academy Award for Best Actor?
Hint

Michael Douglas for "Wall Street"

William Hurt for "Broadcast News"

Robin Williams for "Good Morning Vietnam"

Jack Nicholson for "Ironweed"

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Question 6 of 10

6. Besides being an excellent driver, the character Raymond Babbitt was also a big fan of Judge Wapner in "The People's Court". Which of these actors won the Oscar in 1989 for Best Actor? Hint

Tom Hanks for "Big"

Dustin Hoffman for "Rain Man"

Gene Hackman for "Mississippi Burning"

Max von Sydow for "Pelle the Conqueror"

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Question 7 of 10

7. As the sociopathic Dr. Lecter, this actor spoke of a meal that included fava beans and a nice chianti. Which of the following took home the Oscar in 1992 for Best Actor?

Hint

Robin Williams for "The Fisher King"

Anthony Hopkins for "The Silence of the Lambs"

Robert DeNiro for "Cape Fear"

Nick Nolte for "The Prince of Tides"

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Question 8 of 10

8. The character Ben Sanderson didn't know if his wife left him as a result of his drinking or if he started drinking because his wife had left him. Which of these actors won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Actor? Hint

Richard Dreyfuss for "Mr. Holland's Opus"

Sean Penn for "Dead Man Walking"

Nicolas Cage for "Leaving Las Vegas"

Anthony Hopkins for "Nixon"

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Question 9 of 10

9. In 1976, as the character Howard Beale, this actor encouraged us to get out of our chairs and go to our windows and stick our heads out and yell "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Which of these distinguished gentlemen won the Oscar for Best Actor? Hint

Giancarlo Giannini for "Seven Beauties"

Robert DeNiro for "Taxi Driver"

Peter Finch for "Network"

Sylvester Stallone for "Rocky"

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Question 10 of 10

10. As Frank Slade, this actor showed his skill as a dancer, a driver, and a defender. By helping his aide maintain his integrity, this character achieves his own redemption. Which of the following took home the 1993 Academy Award for Best Actor?
Hint

Denzel Washington for "Malcolm X"

Clint Eastwood for "Unforgiven"

Al Pacino for "Scent of a Woman"

Robert Downey, Jr. for "Chaplin"

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 06 2024 : shorthumbz: 10/10
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 35: 10/10
Oct 29 2024 : Guest 24: 10/10
Oct 17 2024 : Guest 73: 10/10
Oct 11 2024 : spanishliz: 9/10
Oct 11 2024 : CLeetz: 9/10
Sep 23 2024 : pughmv: 10/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

Answer: Tom Hanks for "Forrest Gump"

Hanks agreed to do the movie as soon as he read the script. His only stipulation was that events that take place in the movie were correct in historical order. Hanks' victory as Best Actor gave him two Oscars in a row because he also won for "Philadelphia" (1993).

2. As Lester Burnham, this actor experiences loss of job, spousal infidelity, and a mid-life crisis. Which of the following took home the 2000 Academy Award for Best Actor?

Answer: Kevin Spacey for "American Beauty"

Spacey revealed that he was attracted to this role because the character Lester Burnham was closer to his personality than any of his previous roles such as "The Usual Suspects" and "Glengarry Glen Ross". Spacey also physically worked out to present a change in his character's physical evolution from being a little pudgy at the beginning of the movie to appearing buffed towards the end as he deals with his wife's infidelity and his attraction to his daughter's teenaged friend.

3. As the character Henry Higgins, this actor told us how the rain in Spain stayed mainly in the plain. Which of these actors won the Academy Award in 1965 for Best Actor?

Answer: Rex Harrison for "My Fair Lady"

Initially, Harrison was reluctant to take the role of Henry Higgins for the movie. His reticence stemmed from his experiences of performing the role on stage and Director George Cukor's plan to change the ending from that of the play. Harrison is probably best remembered for his ability to "talk to the animals" as the original Dr. John Dolittle.

Answer: Richard Dreyfuss for "The Goodbye Girl"

The Dreyfuss star was bright coming into this film after appearing in "Jaws" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". As a result, Neil Simon was willing to rewrite the screenplay to play to his strengths. At the time that Dreyfuss won this award, he was the youngest actor to have ever received this recognition.

Answer: Michael Douglas for "Wall Street"

Douglas's portrayal of Gordon Gekko was an amalgamation of several so-called corporate raiders of the '80s. Although he immediately signed on for the role after reading the script, Douglas later revealed that he was intimidated by the length of some of the monologues.

It is a good thing that he stuck with it because his performance in the movie brought him an Oscar and a sequel 23 years later.

6. Besides being an excellent driver, the character Raymond Babbitt was also a big fan of Judge Wapner in "The People's Court". Which of these actors won the Oscar in 1989 for Best Actor?

Answer: Dustin Hoffman for "Rain Man"

Hoffman spent two years practicing and perfecting the mannerisms and characteristics of an autistic savant. Hoffman's performance as Raymond Babbitt was widely praised by mental health professionals for dispelling misconceptions about autism and improving public awareness. This was Hoffman's second Oscar for Best Actor, his first came for his performance in 1979's "Kramer vs Kramer".

7. As the sociopathic Dr. Lecter, this actor spoke of a meal that included fava beans and a nice chianti. Which of the following took home the Oscar in 1992 for Best Actor?

Answer: Anthony Hopkins for "The Silence of the Lambs"

Hopkins, a noted perfectionist in preparing for his roles, studied criminal files of several serial killers to prepare for the character Hannibal Lecter. He also visited prisons, studied convicted killers, and attended a few of their court trials. In his long and distinguished career Hopkins has won numerous awards worldwide, including Emmys for his roles in television mini-series.

Answer: Nicolas Cage for "Leaving Las Vegas"

To prepare for the role of Ben Sanderson, Cage conducted extensive research to develop his character in "Leaving Las Vegas" by actual binge drinking in Las Vegas. With his Oscar victory, Cage was the fifth youngest to ever do so. Cage was also nominated for Best Actor for his performance in the 2002 film "Adaptation". Cage is Francis Ford Coppola's nephew and Sofia Coppola and Jason Schwartzman's cousin.

Answer: Peter Finch for "Network"

Finch was doing a promotional tour for the movie when he had a heart attack in the lobby of a Beverly Hills hotel. After he passed away, Finch became the first actor to win the Best Actor award posthumously. Finch was better known for his performances in English films and was recognized as Best Actor four times by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Finch was also nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the 1971 film "Sunday Bloody Sunday".

Answer: Al Pacino for "Scent of a Woman"

Pacino prepared for this role by attending a school for the blind. Pacino also revealed that his secret for appearing blind was to not allow his eyes to focus on anything. His preparation obviously helped as he finally won an Academy Award after receiving several nominations.

In addition to this Oscar, Pacino has received numerous awards from around the world recognizing his performances.

Source: Author CrowDad

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor jmorrow before going online.
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