The firstAcademy Awardswere presented back in 1929 on a lovely day in May. The attendance for the ceremony back then was only about 270 people and tickets were a mere $5. Now, 95 years later, the film industry and its audience have grown immensely.More categories were put into placefor the Oscars, the attendance grew, and more actors were nominated as the years went on. We have watched our favorite stars and movies win that golden statue at least once for whatever reason, be it Best Actor or Best Soundtrack. Walt Disney himself won the most Oscars, with 59 nominations and 22 wins under his belt, before he passed away.
Still, the Oscars is not a perfect awards show. There is stillplenty of room for improvementand additions. With numerous amounts of wins and losses throughout the Academy Awards, that makes us wonder: has there ever been a tie in the Oscars? It seems like an unfathomable idea that two actors or movies can win the same award. After all, the Oscars tend to be pretty detail-oriented when it comes to counting the votes. There’s no way that ties are acceptable in the industry, right? Could it be possible? Has it ever been possible? And if so, how exactly does tying in the Oscars work?
Has There Ever Been a Tie at the Oscars?
The short answer is yes, it’s possible for winners to tie at the Oscars. It is a very rare case when this happens. Back in 1932, two actors tied for the Best Actor category: Wallace Beery for his role inThe ChampandFredric March forDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This happened during the fifth Annual Academy Awards by a mere technicality. March won the Oscar for this classic horror adaptation of an intriguing story and accepted the award. However, as the ceremony was coming to a close, the people who ran the numbers of the votes found that Beery was exactly one vote away from tying with March. So, maybe the first-ever Oscar tie wasn’t technically a proper tie. But it was enough for the industry to give credit to Beery’s work, specifically forThe Champ. With the rules of the Oscars at the time stated, both March and Beery got a statue for their respective films.
As far as we’re aware, when it comes to ties today in the Academy Awards, both winners will share the title that they have won (for example: Best Director), and each will receive their own statue. March and Beery were just the first examples of this Oscar rule being enforced. At least the winners don’t have to trade off one statue every other year.
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How Many Ties Have There Been?
We have already mentioned one example of a tie for Best Actor at the Oscars, and how rarely this occurrence happens. But what if we told you that a tie has happened more than once? The tie back in 1932 was the first ever one at the Oscars. Since then, during the 95 years of Oscars history, there have been a total of six ties. The most famous tie happened in 1969 whenKatharine Hepburn (forA Lion in Winter)and Barbra Streisand (forFunny Girl) were tied for Best Actress. Just like the first tie in 1932, this tie 37 years later is another technicality. Hepburn would have won the Oscar herself if an exception hadn’t been made for Streisand to become a member in 1967.Funny Girlpremiered in the fall of 1968, yet because of this exception, Streisand was nominated for her debut film and was one vote away from winning. In the end, this Best Actress award was considered a tie and both actors shared the glory.
Between the 1932 and 1969 Oscars, two documentaries in 1950 tied for Best Documentary (Short):So Much So LittleandA Chance to Live. Then in 1987, the two documentariesArtie Shaw: Time is All You’ve GotandDown and Out in Americawere nominated and tied for Best Documentary Feature. In 1995, tying for the category Best Short Film (Live Action), was the two short filmsTrevorandFranz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life. Finally, the last tie happened more recently in 2013 between the filmsZero Dark ThirtyandSkyfallfor Best Sound Editing.
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Just because Oscar ties are an extremely rare circumstance, that doesn’t mean that it never happens. As much as the Oscars are known for several things, both positive, like acknowledging new talent, and negative, likesnubbing those who deserve an award, it’s nice to see some form of fairness. Granted, the Oscars and the film industry are not the best examples of being completely fair. But to recognize that more than one person (or film or editing factor) can earn an award, even if it’s off by one vote, is not something to be viewed lightly. Fairness can happen in the industry along with sharing a simple title. As uncommon as ties are, at least the Academy Awards know it’s never impossible.
Every Tie at the Oscars (So Far):
Fredric March —Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hydeand Wallace Beery —The Champ
Best Actor
A Chance to LiveandSo Much So Little
Best Documentary Short
Katharine Hepburn —A Lion in Winterand Barbra Streisand —Funny Girl
Best Actress
Artie Shaw: Time is All You’ve GotandDown and Out in America
