THE Oscar has added many different award categories throughout its history, with one being added after the success of a 1980s drama, The Elephant Man. The Oscars are easily the most prestigious award in the film industry, with the first ceremony taking place in 1929. Throughout the history of the Oscars, many award categories have been added and removed over the years; most recently the award for Best Sound Editing, which was withdrawn in 2019.
In 2024, the Oscars announced the creation of a new award category that will recognize a film’s casting decision. The first Academy Award for Best Achievement in an Ensemble will be awarded at the 98th ceremony in 2025; this is the first new award category since the creation of the Best Feature Film category in 2001. Other new categories may be created in the future, as seen in the film industry’s campaign for the Best Stunt Award. In 1980, critical backlash and campaigning led the Academy to create a new award following the success of The Elephant Man.
How The Elephant Man Took to the Oscars, Adding a New Category
The Elephant Man received 8 Oscar nominations in 1981
The black and white drama film The Elephant Man was released in 1980. Starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins, the film portrays the true story of John Merrick, a man who lived with severe physical deformities in 19th century England; His physical appearance caused him to be ostracized and ridiculed by society, and he suffered difficulties moving and sleeping (via British). The film depicts Merrick’s life working as an exhibit in a freak show before being found by surgeon Frederick Treves, and the two form a close friendship as Treves learns more about Merrick’s condition.
The Elephant Man was released to critical acclaim and is widely considered one of John Hurt’s best films. It received eight Oscar nominations in 1981, including for Best Picture. Many believed that makeup artist Christopher Tucker should have received Academy recognition for his work in recreating Merrick’s physical appearance for the film. However, at the time, there was no award category to recognize makeup and special effects in a film. The reaction for not recognizing The Elephant Man as her makeup effects were so extreme that the Academy announced it would create a new makeup award for future ceremonies.
Who holds the record for most wins in best makeup since its creation
The first award for best makeup was awarded in 1982
Until the 1980s, only special achievement awards were given by the Academy to two makeup artists; they were awarded to William J. Tuttle in 1964 for 7 Faces of Dr. and John Chambers in 1968 for Planet of the Apes. In 1981, the creation of the Oscar for Best Makeup was announced, which allowed full recognition of makeup effects in cinema. The first prize was awarded at the 54th ceremony in 1982 for Rick Baker, who won for his work on An American werewolf in London.
| Rick Baker Oscar nominations for best makeup | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Result |
| 1982 | An American werewolf in London | Gain |
| 1985 | Greystokes: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes | Named |
| 1988 | Harry and the Hendersons | Gain |
| 1989 | Coming to America | Named |
| 1995 | Ed Wood | Gain |
| 1997 | The crazy teacher | Gain |
| 1998 | Men in black | Gain |
| 2000 | Life | Named |
| 2001 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Gain |
| 2008 | Norbit | Named |
| 2011 | The Werewolf | Gain |
Since its creation, Rick Baker holds the record for most Oscar nominations for Best Makeupreceiving 11 nominations between 1982 and 2011. He also holds the record for most wins, winning 7 times for his makeup effects in films, including Ed Wood, Men in black and The Werewolf, and is considered one of the best practical makeup artists in the industry. The most recent award was given at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony to Mark Coulier, Nadia Stacey and Josh Weston for their work on Poor things; Although the nominations have not yet been announced, this Oscar award would not have existed if not for the success of The Elephant Man in 1980. Source: British
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