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Sure, comedians are called upon almost every year to serve as host of the Academy Awards (everyone from Bob Hope to Johnny Carson to Billy Crystal to Chris Rock, Jon Stewart and Ellen Degeneres have served as hosts), but how are comedians usually represented for the acting work they do? Check out this scorecard of how comedians have been rewarded on Oscar night.
- Best Actor - 1949 - Charlie Chaplin, The Great Dictator (Nominated; lost to Jimmy Stewart, The Philadelphia Story)
- Best Supporting Actor - 1957 - Red Buttons, Sayonara (Won)
- Best Supporting Actor - 1975 - George Burns, The Sunshine Boys (Won)
- Best Actor - 1977 - Woody Allen, Annie Hall (Nominated; lost to Richard Dreyfuss, The Goodbye Girl)
- Best Actor - 1981 - Dudley Moore, Arthur (Nominated; lost to Henry Fonda, On Golden Pond)
- Best Actress - 1985 - Whoopi Goldberg, The Color Purple (Nominated; lost to Geraldine Page, A Trip to the Bountiful)
- Best Actor - 1987 - Robin Williams, Good Morning, Vietnam (Nominated; lost to Michael Douglas, Wall Street)
- Best Supporting Actor - 1987 - Albert Brooks, Broadcast News (Nominated; lost to Sean Connery, The Untouchables)
- Best Actor - 1989 - Robin Williams, Dead Poet's Society (Nominated; lost to Daniel Day-Lewis, My Left Foot)
- Best Supporting Actor - 1989 - Dan Aykroyd, Driving Miss Daisy (Nominated; lost to Denzel Washington, Glory)
- Best Supporting Actress - 1990 - Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost (Won)
- Best Actor - 1991 - Robin Williams, The Fisher King (Nominated; lost to Anthony Hopkins, The Silence of the Lambs)
- Best Supporting Actor - 1997 - Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting (Won)
- Best Actor - 2003 - Bill Murray, Lost in Translation (Nominated; lost to Sean Penn, Mystic River)
- Best Actor - 2004 - Jamie Foxx, Ray (Won)
- Best Supporting Actor - 2004 - Jamie Foxx, Collateral (Nominated; lost to Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby)
- Best Supporting Actor - 2006 - Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls (Nominated; lost to Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine)
- Best Supporting Actress - 2009 - Mo'Nique, Precious (Won)
- Best Original Screenplay - 2011 - Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids (with Annie Mumolo)
- Best Supporting Actress - 2011 - Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids (Nominated, lost to Octavia Spencer, The Help)
- Best Original Screenplay - 2014 - Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine (nominated)
- Best Actor - 2015 - Steve Carell, Foxcatcher (nominated)
Perhaps because comedians are so rarely recognized for their contributions to film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has seen fit to award Honorary Oscars (sometimes called Lifetime Achievement Awards) on many occasions in the past. Here is the list of comedians how have been awarded Honorary Oscars:
- 1928 - Charlie Chaplin (for directing The Circus)
- 1937 - Edgar Bergen
- 1940 - Bob Hope (for services to the Motion Picture Industry)
- 1944 - Bob Hope (for services to the Academy)
- 1952 - Bob Hope (for "contribution to the laughter of the world")
- 1952 - Harold Lloyd
- 1959 - Buster Keaton
- 1960 - Stan Laurel
- 1971 - Charlie Chaplin
- 1973 - Groucho Marx
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