To watch an actor play another performer is a pleasure. There's wonderment to be found in these Matryoshkas of acting within acting, be it the porn inexpressiveness of Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights or the desperate showboating of Judy Garland in A Star Is Born. Not surprisingly, if we peruse the history of the Academy Awards, we'll find numerous instances of thespians nominated for giving life to fictional actors or real-life stars of the past. Perhaps no other profession is so generously dramatized in the annals of acting awards.
This season, Renée Zellweger won the Best Actress trophy for resurrecting the ghost of Garland for one final performance. There were two other actors-as-actors performances nominated. While we don't see much of Scarlett Johansson's Nicole onstage, her profession as an actress is a central part of the characterization in Marriage Story. On the other hand we see Leonardo DiCaprio's Rick Dalton at work, and layers of performance unraveling in glorious Panavision.
After the jump a quick trip through Oscar history of actors who won gold playing other actors…
EMIL JANNINGS, THE LAST COMMAND
Best Actor, 1928
KATHARINE HEPBURN, MORNING GLORY
Best Actress, 1933
RONALD COLMAN, DOUBLE LIFE
Best Actor, 1947
BARBRA STREISAND, FUNNY GIRL
Best Actress, 1968 (tied with Katharine Hepburn in The Lion in the Winter)
RICHARD DREYFUSS, THE GOODBYE GIRL
Best Actor, 1977
MAGGIE SMITH, CALIFORNIA SUITE
Best Supporting Actress, 1978
JESSICA LANGE, TOOTSIE
Best Supporting Actress, 1982
DIANNE WIEST, BULLETS OVER BROADWAY
Best Supporting Actress, 1994
MARTIN LANDAU, ED WOOD
Best Supporting Actor, 1994
GWYNETH PALTROW, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE
Best Actress, 1998
CATE BLANCHETT, THE AVIATOR
Best Supporting Actress, 2004
JEAN DUJARDIN, THE ARTIST
Best Actor, 2011
EMMA STONE, LA LA LAND
Best Actress, 2016
RENÉE ZELLWEGER, JUDY
Best ACtress, 2019
For brevity's sake, we didn't include any characters who are more singers than actors. The same goes for vaudeville comedians and cabaret performers, among a panoply of other similar folks. Still, we can safely say the Academy has a type when it comes to what it considers Oscar-worthy roles. In any case, we now welcome Renée Zellweger's Judy Garland to this list of sterling achievements. Did you applaud that particularly victory on Sunday night?