It’s never too late to take home one of the most recognizable and famous awards in film. The Academy Awards have seen countless phenomenal winners and nominees over the past century, as taking home an Oscar is a lifelong dream for many filmmakers and performers. Even though we are still a few years away from the big 100th Academy Awards, let’s take a look at some of the oldest Oscar winners and nominees in the history of the ceremony. These individuals showed how years of experience in their craft have led to immense growth in their skill and artistry, adding the iconic gold statue to their already extensive trophy cases.
Since film production and theatrical releases aren’t just single dates, these records are based on the date that an individual receives their nomination (for the oldest nominees) or when they receive their actual Oscar (for the winners) in order to keep the math consistent.
Who Are the Oldest Oscar Nominees?
Taking a page from the ceremony itself, let’s take a look at the oldest Academy Award nominees before getting to the winners. Nearly in his 90th decade, Christopher Plummer was 88 years old when he was nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in All the Money in the World. Plummer was not only the oldest nominee for this category specifically but for all the acting categories available.
The most seasoned nominee for Best Actor in a Leading Role goes to Anthony Hopkins, whose recent nomination for The Father earned him the record at 83 years old. Emmanuele Riva has been the oldest nominee for Best Actress in a Leading Role since 2013 when she was nominated for Amour at 85 years old. In the director’s chair, John Huston was 79 years old when he was nominated for Best Director for Prizzi’s Honor. Though some of these nominees didn’t win their awards, they deserve commendations for being competitive in some of the most talent-laden categories.
However, topping even Plummer’s record in the acting categories, John Williams was 90 years old when he received his nomination for Best Original Score for his work on The Fabelmans. When Williams received his whopping 53rd Oscar nomination, he became the oldest Academy Award nominee when looking at every category.
Who Are the Oldest Oscar Winners in the Five Biggest Academy Awards Categories?
Christopher Plummer’s record as the oldest acting nominee isn’t the only piece of history he has with the Oscars. For his role in Beginners, Plummer took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and, at 82 years old, was the oldest person to win this award. Peggy Ashcroft would take home the counterpart record, as she was 77 years old when she won her Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for A Passage to India. Ashcroft has held that record for 38 years, with no other winner of the category coming particularly close.
As the titular character of the film Driving Miss Daisy, Jessica Tandy became the oldest Best Actress at 80 years old when she won the award. The film was a commercial and critical success thanks to the chemistry and performances of Tandy and Morgan Freeman. The movie continues to be a beacon of wholesomeness, having been the last PG-rated film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Though directing can be a taxing and exhausting endeavor, Clint Eastwood showed that being three quarters into a century only means you have that much more experience in executing your vision. At 74 years old, Eastwood won Best Director for Million Dollar Baby, becoming the oldest recipient of the award in that category. In fact, he is the only director to win this award while in his 70s, as the next oldest winner was only 69 years old.
At an impressive 83 years old, Anthony Hopkins became the oldest winner of the Best Actor award. Adding onto the loftiness of this achievement is the fact that he is not just the oldest Oscar winner for this category, but the oldest Academy Award winner in any acting category. Hopkins took home the statuette for his performance in The Father, gaining recognition as the most long-lived recipient of this acting award. In this film he played the role of an elderly father suffering from dementia, giving a performance that earned praise for its depth and portrayal of the disease. The age of this elderly character was not just a non-influential trait, but was integral to the narrative direction and themes of the movie itself. However, as impressive as this record is, there’s another individual who holds the record as oldest Academy Award winner of all time.
Who Was the Oldest Oscar Winner of All Time?
The oldest Oscar winner doesn’t belong to the five most popular categories at the Academy Awards. While roles like directors and actors understandably hold much of the limelight, this particular honor goes to someone in a different role in film production. Instead, at a wise 89 years old, James Ivory won the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for his immense contributions to Call Me By Your Name.
James Ivory wrote and co-produced the film adaptation based on the 2007 novel and was originally slated to co-direct as well, though he was ultimately dropped from that position. Nonetheless, the film was a massive critical success, with plenty of recognition to go around for Ivory’s work. Not only did he win the Oscar, but he also took home the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, the Writers Guild of America for Best Adapted Screenplay, and a number of other awards from different organizations.
Winning an Academy Award is an achievement that many people yearn for, but few achieve. However, these actors, directors, and writers prove that it’s never too late to achieve a lifelong dream. In fact, it might just take decades of experience to hone one’s craft and evolve as an artist, creating a magnum opus that’s worthy of such incomparable acclaim.
