The Academy Awards is the event that honors movie actors, directors, writers, producers etc., and is considered a big deal for both the actors and the public. If you make it to the Oscars as an actor, then you have it made. If you win the best actor or best actress award, then you are considered to be one of the best actors of all time. The Oscars have an interesting history, and it is always fun to see who will win.

It was about eighty years ago that the Academy Awards show first started. The show was created as a way to recognize and award the actors and actresses who gave outstanding performances. The Oscar award is a statue of a knight holding a sword, standing on top of a film roll. At first, an actor was celebrated for his or her overall performance in all their movies. This was rather confusing, so they changed it to highlight just one great film each year. The best actor or best actress award goes to this person.

In the earliest years, all the actors were grouped into one category, whether they were main stars or not. However, soon after, organizations such as the Screen Actors Guild changed this and the best supporting actor and best supporting actress categories were introduced. The change was made because only the leads were winning the awards, because their roles allowed them more screen time. In the early years, only an American actor could be considered for an award. Now, of course, other countries are well represented.

With the Academy Awards having gone on for such a long time, you might think that there have been a lot of repeat winners for best actor. However, this occurrence has actually been quite rare. Movie actors who have won more than one statue encompass such names as: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Tom Hanks, Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Cooper and Dustin Hoffman. Nearly every actor aspires to win an Oscar at some point.

Usually, this prestigious award is only given to dramatic, character actor performances. Comedies are usually over-looked when it comes to handing out the acting awards, as are young actors. In more recent years, the category of "animated picture" has been added, and they are usually light-hearted films, but other than for special effects, film editing or the music, these are usually not numbered among the movies for nominated actors. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule. The host of the academy awards is usually somewhat of a comedic professional. Jokes are made throughout the night about the actors and actresses, and depending on the host, political jokes are made as well.

The Oscar awards show is a great vehicle to give recognition to good actors, directors, writers, producers etc. The best actor and best actress award winners are usually able to make many more great films. It is pretty cool to watch something that started so small turn into such a large production. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate the talent that these film actors have. The Academy Awards should be a lasting tradition.

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