Team Top Ten: Women Who Deserve An Honorary Oscar
Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 9:28PM Amir here, to bring you this month’s Team Top Ten on a topic that remains one of our biggest collective pet peeves here at The Film Experience.
Every year when the Academy announces the list of recipients of the Honorary Oscar, we can expect only one thing: they will all be men. Sure, the odd woman wins the award here and there, but consider this: between 1993, when the honor was bestowed upon Deborah Kerr, until 2009, when Lauren Bacall shared the award with two men, not a single woman was deemed worthy of the biggest honor AMPAS has to offer. Apologists can point to the fact that men have run the industry at large since its inception. They would be right; the industry as a whole is equally at fault, if not more, but take a look at the list of women still awaiting their first statue – or *gasp* first nomination – and tell me they don’t deserve better than one golden man every sixteen years. If the drought is as depressingly long this time as it was between Kerr and Bacall, it can be 2025 before we see another lady take home an honorary Oscar!
Deborah Kerr in 1993 and Lauren Bacall in 2009 and a great chasm between them
We know all too well that complaining about the Academy’s decision doesn’t get us anywhere, but since we found recently that they do have a listening ear, we’ve decided to do our part and help them correct this injustice. Let’s give voters the benefit of the doubt and assume that all they really needed all these years was a list of suggestions. So, here is ours: the top ten women who most deserve an honorary Oscar, under the following three criteria: they need to be alive, above the age of 55 and Oscar-less.
GIVE THESE WOMEN THE HONORARY!
[tie] 10. Marni Nixon
You may not know what Marni Nixon looks like, but I guarantee you know what she sounds like. If you've seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, The Secret Garden (1949), The King and I, An Affair to Remember, West Side Story, or My Fair Lady, you have heard Nixon's golden voice coming from the mouths of some of Hollywood's most legendary actresses. As if it isn't hard enough work to try to make your voice sound just like someone else's, in some instances Nixon had to do so in secret, the studios wanting to hide the dubbing from their big stars. Nixon's onscreen credits may number only in the single digits (her role as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music being the most famous by far), but had she actually performed the roles she dubbed onscreen, she would have had at least two Oscar nominations by now. She's an indelible part of film history, and she never received any onscreen credit for her most famous work. If that isn't cause to give someone an Honorary Oscar, then I don't know what is.
-Daniel Bayer
10 more legends to honor after the jump!
[tie] 10. Jeanne Moreau
Sublimely melancholic in Louis Malle's one-two punch breakthrough (Elevator to the Gallows and The Lovers), irresistibly free-spirited and dangerously passionate in François Truffaut's masterpiece Jules et Jim, flamboyantly toxic in Jacques Demy's scintillating black diamond Bay of Angels, Jeanne Moreau stands as the female embodiment of one of the most influential movements in the history of cinema: the French new wave. Much like the groundbreaking works of the brash young directors who made her a star, her unconventional beauty defied preconceived standards, her brazen charisma and unpredictable stylings magnetized audiences around the world, while her singular choices (Antonioni, Welles, Losey, Buñuel, Fassbinder...) made her an eternal symbol of artistic freedom.
-Julien Kojfer
9. Mia Farrow
It takes more than fine acting to build the kind of enduring legacy that awards bodies were made to honor. The most enduring movie stars are those with that magic trifecta of inspired performances, uniquely storied celebrity, and the good luck to have appeared in (multiple) cinematic classics. On all three counts Mia Farrow is an inarguable winner. Even if she'd only had Rosemary's Baby she'd be worth honoring. Perhaps her decision to rarely venture outside Woody Allen's filmography for half her career dimmed the recollection of her extraordinary range within it (watch Alice, Broadway Danny Rose, and The Purple Rose of Cairo back to back and try to convince yourself it's the same actress!).
-Nathaniel R.
8. Maureen O’Hara
Irish actress and singer, Maureen O'Hara, may never have received a single Oscar nomination during her film career which began in the 1930s at the age of 19 in films like Hitchcock's Jamaica Inn and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and continued into the 1990s with Only the Lonely opposite John Candy. Nor was she a larger-than-life movie-star whose legend grew over the years like a Marilyn Monroe or a Bette Davis. But, she was a singular beauty effortlessly able to cross genres (from Musicals to Westerns to Swashbucklers) and her motherly devotion in a pair of Family Films (the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street and as matriarch to Hayley Mills and...Hayley Mills in the original Parent Trap) is still beloved by multiple generations. But it is perhaps for her work with director John Ford (whom she worked with 5 times) that her real gifts as an actress were utilized. Playing tough yet warm Irish women in the Best Picture winner How Green Was My Valley and The Quiet Man with John Wayne (whom she also worked with 5 times), Ford brought out something in her that made her a legend in her own right--a fire within that burns as bright as the golden shine of an Honorary Oscar should to celebrate her remarkable career.
-Andrew Stewart
7. Angela Lansbury
What makes one worthy of an Honorary Oscar? With the 18 (non winning) Emmy nominations and the five Tony Awards Angela Lansbury's place as a legend of the small screen and the stage would seem more assured than her place as a legend of the big-screen. But even in the face of Jessica Fletcher and Mrs. Lovett, Lansbury's place in the "greats" of movie history is assured. She's one of the few still active performers from the Golden Age of Hollywood and although she never reached the popularity level of her peers (damn those fair but unspectacular MGM films of the forties) her contribution to cinema is surely indelible. From her two early nominations by age 20, the overbearing mothers of the 50s, the singing witches of the 70s and the iconic voice-work of the 90s Angela's importance to cinema is evident. And that's not even counting her unfortunately less fêted (but still exemplary) work in films like The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and All Fall Down. Whether Honorary Oscars are created for excellent also-rans or illustrious non-winning careers Lansbury is deserving of the prize either way.
-Andrew Kendall
6. Doris Day
In her heyday, Doris Day was the biggest female screen star, regularly topping box-office charts and named the biggest star of the year on several occasions - she still ranks at #6 in the all-time charts. Those dollars only ever led her to one Oscar nomination - for the first of her Rock Hudson collaborations, Pillow Talk - despite earlier, defter performances in comedy, drama and musicals (head to Love Me or Leave Me first), the latter being the arena she's always been most famous for. The HFPA gave her their lifetime achievement prize all the way back in 1989, but despite continued campaigning (not from Day herself, wrapped up in animal welfare causes and happy retirement), AMPAS has never bitten. Day's cinematic reputation is rather faded these days, but almost any of her films, regardless of their individual quality, still demonstrates the warm charisma and vibrant individualism that made her such a star in her day.
-David Upton
5. Kathleen Kennedy
Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Sixth Sense, Back to the Future, Persepolis, Jurassic Park… I’m tempted to simply list producer Kathleen Kennedy’s credits here and call it a day, but then listing a dozen of the most popular films ever made would be scratching the surface. In terms of the most financially successful producers in history she is second only to Steven Spielberg, with whom she co-founded Amblin Entertainment. She has eight – count ‘em eight – Oscar nominations in the Best Picture category, stretching from ET to Lincoln, without a win. If that wasn’t enough she is currently slated to take over leadership of Lucasfilm from George himself. Do I need to go on? (I could) What are honorary Oscars for, if not to honor monumental careers like this one? The only reason not to is that she is still going so strong she would probably deserve a second honorary trophy a decade down the road.
- Michael C.
4. Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is called the Doyenne of French Cinema for a reason. There is of course Leslie Caron, Jeanne Moreau, Fanny Ardent and Isabelles Huppert and Adjani. All exemplary. But Deneuve is Deneuve. Her work is her life is her work. She’s a solid gold bona fide star; an actress, a singer, an icon with a magnetic presence. She adds 100% more robust glamour and sultry skill to all her films — whether with Buñuel, Vadim, Demy or Truffaut or countless other notable filmmakers. Hey, not too many internationally-renowned actresses can say they sang with Joe Cocker, dated Clint Eastwood, speak four languages and design greetings cards. Pretty busy and eclectic, eh, particularly for someone with 100+ film appearances over 50+ years and her face on every key fashion magazine since, like, year dot. At 69 she looks as remarkable as ever. At 69 she performs as magnificently as ever. Look at Belle de Jour, Repulsion, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Place Vendôme, Tristana and— after feeling the Denevue delirium — furrow your brow at her lack of an Oscar among her achievements. Then look at Un Flic, Hustle, The Hunger, The Last Metro, Ma saison préférée, Dancer in the Dark, 8 Women, Kings and Queen, Time Regained, Indochine and furrow your brow into infinity. Admittedly, she got a nomination for that last one. She won an Honorary Golden Palm from Cannes. At the very least she deserves an Honorary Oscar. Really, she deserves a couple.
-Craig Bloomfield
3. Gena Rowlands
When Tilda Swinton was asked if she thought about Gena Rowlands while filming her genius performance in Julia, she gave, as usual, the best possible answer: "Yes I was, but then again, I'm always thinking about Gena Rowlands." It's bad enough when the Academy board passes over brilliant actresses every year for Honorary Oscar attention, but Rowlands is something else: the brilliant inventor of a whole kind of acting, blending Method intensity and preparation with freewheeling, extravagant, knife-edge improvisations that can be tragic, comic, or both. If she "only" had her co-creations with Cassavetes to her name she'd already deserve a statuette or two. When you add the frighteningly cold academics, the Depression-era chanteuses, the nurturers, the kooks, the villains, and the late-in-life romantics Rowlands has rendered so indelibly over the years, the bareness of her mantel is all the more staggering. We all live under her influence, and are much the better for it.
- Nick Davis
2. Agnes Varda
Being Jacques Demy's widow and muse should be enough to warrant Agnès Varda an Honorary Oscar but in a career that has spanned over five decades she has done much more than that. Part of the Rive Gauche film movement (the nouvelle vague's even more rebellious sibling) she created films that deal with mortality, time and a revised social realism. That she continues making movies well in her 80's should be proof of how committed she remains to her passion for the medium. Yet despite her achievements, she's remained strangely unknown outside a circle of devout cinephiles. When asked in an interview if she wanted to be famous she cleverly replied "No. I would like my films to be shown more".
-Jose Solis
1. Liv Ullmann
The triple-threat Ullmann is accomplished enough as a writer and director to merit attention, but it's as an actress that she's won most of her acclaim, and deservedly so. Merely limiting the conversation to her collaborations with Ingmar Bergman, for whom she was the most consistently great member of an impressively talented stock company, there are more than a few strong candidates for the title of best performance ever filmed: particularly the fiercely enigmatic Elisabeth of Persona, the insidiously childish Maria of Cries and Whispers, and the profoundly level-headed, complex depiction of an extraordinarily normal woman, Marianne, of Scenes from a Marriage. Broaden your perspective to include her great work for other world-class filmmakers, most notably Jan Troell, and you end up with a picture of a woman whose middle-level work is as exemplary as the highest career peaks of many truly wonderful actresses. Two Oscar nominations and no wins doesn't even begin to approach the level of acclaim she's earned.
-Tim Brayton
Amendment
Due a mistake on my (Amir's) part, our ballot didn't go out to one of our contributors, Glenn Dunks, in time. Had his late vote counted, Claire Denis would have ranked tenth, breaking the current Marni Nixon and Jeanne Moreau tie. I promise a Denis retrospective in the future to make up for this error!
Trivia
• The four women at the top of the list were head and shoulder above the rest in terms of point totals and within their ranks, Liv Ullmann was the clear favorite. There was never any doubt that Bergman’s muse would top the list, given that she appeared on all but three ballots, and topped four of them.
• We’ve already established that readers are more protective of Glenn Close's legacy than Team Experience is. Yet again, she missed our cut when she seemed like a natural choice... but not by much this time! Here are our 13th to 20th suggestions: Glenn Close (actress), Juliet Taylor (casting director), Patricia Norris (costume designer), Emmanuelle Riva (actress), Eleanor Parker (actress), Debbie Reynolds (actress), Elaine May (writer/director/actress).
More Women We Love: Claire Denis and Glenn Close
• There are six Francophone ladies in the top 20, but that’s not where it ends. Danielle Darrieux, Chantal Akerman, Edith Scob and Isabelle Adjani all had their fans. Other non-English speakers we’d like Oscar to embrace are: Machiko Kyo, Lina Wertmueller, Fernanda Montenegro, Setsuko Hara, Gina Lollobrigida, Agnieszka Holland and Carmen Maura.
• Costumers and writer/directors aside, one of the things this poll really brought to light was the lack of lengthy careers for female talent behind the camera. This isn’t so much the fault of women as it is of an industry that doesn’t nurture their talents in these areas. Something is clearly broken when, despite our very best efforts to be open-minded, we could barely come up with anyone who met our criteria in almost all below the line aspect of cinema. Here’s hoping this situation changes in the next few decades.
Reader Comments (76)
billybil: ?!?!?!?!?
cmg & dave -- not being willing to show shouldn't matter. That didn't stop them from honoring Jean Luc Godard recently
billybil -- yeah i don't understand what you're going on about. FACT: Honorary Oscars exist and they're given out every year to men for all sorts of reasons.
It stands to reason that, since that is a fact, we are only playing by the academy's own rules to think that some women would be worthy of receiving them as well. It's not so much "give everywhere who ever lost one a makeup trophy" as "these are extraordinary talents"... but seriously I don't get the resistance to Mia Farrow. At all. Yes, she's a legend. Hugely famous since the late 60s and with a handful of invaluable classics on her resume (which most actors can't claim) and a rich history with another Oscar'ed legend + all the humanitarian work. I frankly didn't think she'd be a controversial choice... though i know it's highly unlikely that AMPAS will recognize her since they obviously werent fans despite various terrific performances (and no nominations)
I think of honorary oscars as something you give to people who are essentially retired so I am horrified that that Kathleen Kennedy is so high. Come on, people! This girl is still on top of her game!
I think Farrow is still too young for this and could win a competitive Oscar if she cared (and she doesn't care since Husbands and Wives). Wait till she's 75+.
I wanna roll around in this list. Yes to all these fabulous choices.
I think the honoring of Marni Nixon would be so subversive of them, wouldn't it? Like actually acknowledging behind-the-curtain messy movie shit that they try so hard to cover up, even now.
If I wanted to be a cold hard realist I think the top six on this list have the best shot for this at some point in the next 15 years or so. They all clearly have their vocal fans and supporters and I could imagine a scenario where the Academy suddenly bumps its head on a toilet and discovers momentary good taste, like those times when they honored Godard, Bacall, Altman, Cardiff, Wajda and Ray.
I'd love to see Mia get the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award over an Honorary Oscar and I'm sure that would mean so much more to her anyways.
I agree with billybil. As nice as it would be to see Angela Lansbury and Liv Ullmann finally snag Oscars, I think the honorary ones should go to people who've truly revolutionized the industry in unsung roles. (A nomination is no slight and few actresses are lucky enough to receive that.)
To that end, I'd love to see a Marni Nixon or Kathleen Kennedy (but wait a few years... there's plenty of time for her to get one competitively) get one. Ditto Elaine May, Agnes Varda and Lina Wertmueller. I don't necessarily love their work, but I could accept Penny Marshall and Nancy Meyers getting recognized in another decade or so for creating their own distinct brands of filmmaking in a male-dominated profession.
And, as a side note after reading further into the comments: I get that the Academy currently treats its honorary Oscar largely as a "make-up" award and overwhelmingly for men. But that doesn't make it right, on either count. In a perfect world, right?
Wow guys. Thanks. I actually thought I'd get ripped a lot harder than I did. (I'm sure most of you just decided I was a wacko with a spur in my butt so why bother to try to talk sense.)
Here's the thing - and I really appreciate W.J. for noting it - I am NOT saying honorary make up oscars should be given to men and I am not saying that just cause that's what they've been doing that's it right - I just feel (really strongly, obviously) that continuing to do the wrong thing is not the right thing.
And although I respect the hell out of you Nathaniel and truly enjoy your site and your input, Mia Farrow is NOT a legend and not HUGELY FAMOUS since the 60's. If you go to IMDB and look at their list of the MOST FAMOUS 100 ACTRESSES Mia Farrow doesn't even show up on the list. On the site FAMOUSACTRESSES.ORG she doesn't show up. Even on IMDB's list of Great Actresses of the 80s - 90s - 2000s Mia Farrow doesn't show up. She is a special actress who gave some beautiful performances but she is not a legend. In my opinion, I think MARSHA MASON is far more deserving of an Honorary Oscar than Mia Farrow. Marsha Mason was luminous and heartbreaking in several films and nominated for 4 Oscars (to Farrow's 0). To even suggest that Farrow deserves an Honorary Oscar more than Marsha Mason is embarrassing in my opinion and reflects a lack of respect for the Oscars as any sort of meaningful award.
billybil -- i don't know who made those lists but if i took IMDb lists seriously i would probably commit suicide. Many lists on the site seem to be made by people who are only in their 20s for example and those people can't possibly understand -- unless they're very well versed in their cultural history -- who was hugely famous and who wasn't. I mean consider "most popular people born on ____" invariably the #1 is something really embarrassing. Like, for instance on Natalie freaking Wood's birthday (a true legend) Julianne Hough is #1.
I mean. seriously? you want me to take IMDb rankings seriously?
Of those you have listed, my first thought was O'Hara. Natural beauty and delivery. Very underrated imho. I do agree its a great list and every one deserving.
Bardot changed the face of cinema and Contempt alone should have won her the prize.
Mary Wickes. White Christmas to Oklahoma to Postcards......
ANGELA LANSBURY is my #1 choice. One of the greatest actresses of all time who should've been given a lot more that 3 winless Oscar nominations for her astonishing film performances. The fact that she didn't win for The Manchurian Candidate is one of the biggest travesties in Oscar history. While she's the Queen of Broadway, Hollywood has always failed to appreciate her unique talent and give her roles that she deserves. The least they can do is to award Ms. Lansbury with an Honorary Oscar for her 70+ years of unforgettable achievements.
Fair enough Nathaniel - IMDB is not the arbiter of anything except IMDB. But Mia Farrow?!! I think it is marvelous that you are so respectful and such an admirer of hers and I do love how strongly you stand by your feelings. For me, she wouldn't even be in the top 70 but that's what makes the world go round.
It's a shame that Mia Farrow has never been nominated for an Oscar in her career, but I don't necessarily agree she deserves an Honorary one. Not over the likes of Lansbury, Moreau, Day, Varda, Reynolds, Rowlands, etc. However, what she really deserves and is long overdue for is the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for her activism. In fact, she should've gotten one years ago. No idea what the Academy is waiting for.
Kathleen Kennedy is ineligible for any Governors Awards since she currently serves as the Vice President of Board of Governors, the very same committee that votes on Governors Awards recipients each year. Either way, producers usually don't get Honorary Oscars, they have their own Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award that is awarded to "Creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production."
Whoever gets an Honorary Oscar this year, it needs to be a woman. Only 9 female recipients out of over 100 is a travesty. I don't understand why the Academy doesn't want to acknowledge this problem and do the right thing for a change. Why not to make an all-female lineup this year? They don't all have to be actresses. There are many deserving female below-the-line talents out there that deserves to be recognised as much as their male counterparts.
It's all subjective of course, but the great Angela Lansbury should top that list, IMHO.
Can't think of a more versatile performer, there is nothing she can't do. A truly phenomenal actress. 70+ career in showbiz and she still going strong.
Her film legacy is great and warrants an Honorary Oscar, but it's she is criminally underused and underrated by Hollywood. They didn't used her full potential even by a 10%. She would've been as famous and as celebrated as the likes of Meryl Streep. Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn if they gave her the roles those and other famed actresses were getting. Can you imagine how awesome it would have been if she got the chance to reprise her roles of Mame (damn you, Lucille Ball), Rose, Mrs. Lovett in film? Or if she was cast in something like Notes on a Scandal, Doubt, Atonement, Quartet, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Nine, Terms of Endearment. She would have been an Oscar winner by now, and probably multiple times.
At least we have such gems like The Manchurian Candidate, Gaslight, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Death on the Nile, All Fall Down, The Harvey Girls, State of the Union, The Court Jester, The Long, Hot Summer, The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, The World of Henry Orient, Something for Everyone, The Pirates of Penzance, The Company of Wolves, among many others and her priceless voice-over work in Beauty and the Beast, Anastasia and The Last Unicorn.
Give her the damn Honorary Oscar already, or better yet cast her in a great film role so she could win a competitive one!
billybil -- thanks for understanding even if you don't agree. on your mention though i looked at that famousactresses.org thing which i'd never heard of and jesus it is random so the person spoiled a perfectly good url. I mean MERYL STREEP and BETTE DAVIS aren't even listed. It looks like the site just selected people as they thought of them during the mid 90s and just left it at that with occassional updates for new hotties
But anyway on the subject of Mia's fame. I stand firm: haircut crazes way before Jennifer Aniston, Time Magazine covers (rare for actresses), romances with frank sinatra and andre previn, truly classic films and big hit in the 60s (Rosemary's Baby), 70s (The Great Gatbsy - bad rep but it was big at the box office), Classic Woody Allen Films of the 80s, Global tabloid and legit press feeding frenzy over the Woody Allen breakup scandal, ongoing humanitarian crisis activism, etcetera.... The only thing she hasn't done fame-wise correctly is that she doesn't seem to care about her "celebrity" and doesn't feed it by continuing to act or engage in any red carpet business.
Will -- i imagine they don't make huge efforts to correct this because sexism is still so prevalent that people hardly notice it -- especially in ways as unglamorous as sins of omission like the Honorary Oscars. Notice TFE is one of the only sites that ever bitches about this and everyone else is content to stay in the realm of racism when they want to talk about Hollywood's limited scope of vision.
All great nominees but I feel a few words for Debbie Reynolds are in order. She may not be as respected as an actress as some of the others but than neither really was Betty Bacall, and Debbie can sing! She's the very definition of the word trouper still going strong 65 years into her career, appearing in a theatrical film just last year. There's been times when she's been great: Molly Brown, Mother, The Catered Affair but she's never been bad. During her heyday she was a top box office star involved in one of the major scandals of the century. She has her share of classics: Singin' in the Rain, How the West Was Won, Tammy and the Bachelor, which provided her signature song-a number one hit. Plus she is a tireless proponent of film history and preservation. She maintained her costume collection for over forty years at a cost of millions of dollars in a quest to found a museum for them and only gave up under duress after every possible option had been exhausted and her health nearly wrecked. What MORE does the academy need than that? Perhaps there's resentment since they are one of the organizations that refused her assistance when she approached them.
Marni Nixon arguably played a part in more Oscar nominations than anyone else on this list, and by that measure, is probably responsible for more film revenue and residuals than anyone else on this list. I agree with many arguments for the others, but her vocal performances for The King and I, My Fair Lady, and West Side Story alone are worth commemorating.
Mia Farrow was so snubbed for Rosemary's Baby, but my God, that year was so great, who could we get rid of? I also think Julie Andrews should have been nommed for Star! If I had to, I would leave out Neal and Redgrave, but that would be so hard. I think 1968 was one of the best actressing years ever. It's a really tough call.
Even more egrarious than the lack of honorary Oscars for women is the lack of honorary awards for screenwriters. In the entire history of the Academy Awards there have been three: Noel Coward (1942), Charles Brackett (1957) and Ernest Lehman (2000). Seems pretty paltry, right? So why not bestow an Oscar on David Mamet, Lawrence Kasdan, David Webb Peoples, Melissa Mathison, Nancy Meyers or Neil Simon?
Kim Novak
brookesboy -- i need to rewatch that year. i'v enever seen STAR! all the way through. but i love Julie in anything.
What about Vera Miles? Why is she left out?
billybil: "I believe Gena Rowlands is one of the most amazing actresses we've ever had. Her performance in A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE blows me away every time I see it. But, again, how many movies has she made that were truly important films?"
Uh, you do know that John Cassavetes exists, right, and that Gena Rowlands has appeared in many of his films? Do you know how important her husband is to American film history? Her work alone with her husband ensures her legendary status. Faces (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress - look up what it takes to install a film in here), Minnie and Moskowitz, A Woman Under the Influence (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress), Opening Night, Gloria, Love Streams. Additional work with Woody Allen, Jim Jarmusch, and Terence Davies. She, with her husband, pioneered American independent film.
I'm suprised at the incredible lack of knowledge exhibited by the comment above. Get away from IMDB. Time to find some new film sites.
As for Lansbury, she just received her honorary Oscar. Important films? Gaslight (Bergman and Cukor), National Velvet (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress), State of the Union (Tracy, Hepburn, Capra), Samson and Delilah (de Mille), The Court Jester (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress), The Manchurian Candidate (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress), Beauty and the Beast (National Film Registry of the Library of Congress). Other work with Vincente Minnelli and John Frankenheimer.
Do you even watch films?
I have created a petition for Maureen to receive that Honorary Oscar. I know it's near impossible the Academy will ever take notice but it's still something I think should be done to show everyone how much we KNOW she deserves it and just remind everyone, fans included, how wonderful she is. Here is the link if you're interested, a signal boost would be appreciated as well!
https://www.change.org/petitions/academy-of-motion-picture-arts-and-science-present-maureen-o-hara-with-an-honorary-oscar-in-recognition-for-her-memorable-work-as-an-actress-in-the-motion-picture-business-spanning-more-than-6-decades
I'm very late to this conversation, but I have to say: KIM NOVAK! (and thank you, javier)
How have you forgotten Kim Novak? Picnic, The Man with the Golden Arm, Pal Joey, Vertigo, Bell Book and Candle, Kiss Me Stupid, Of Human Bondage.
The woman is 82 years old, appeared in some legendary films, has never been nominated.
Certainly, before Mia Farrow or Angela Lansbury (too late, I know) or Marni Nixon an award should be given to Kim Novak.