A brief history of posthumous Oscars
Monday, April 5, 2021 at 9:00AM 
Before the Oscar nominations were announced, some pundits predicted as many as four posthumous nominations. Obviously, there's Chadwick's Boseman's Best Actor bid for Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. His feverish take on August Wilson's Levee was indeed nominated and, at this point in the awards season, feels bound for victory. The other potential posthumous honors, those that didn't effectively happen, were Jack Fincher (Mank) in Best Original Screenplay, Chadwick Boseman again in Supporting Actor (Da 5 Bloods), and Michael Wolf Snyder (Nomadland) in Best Sound. With that in mind, it's easy to wonder how common it is for AMPAS to honor artists who have already passed.
For trivia purposes, here's a list of all posthumous Oscar nominations divided by category. Only competitive prizes were included, so no honorary awards...
BEST PICTURE
- 1959) Sam Zimbalist, Ben-Hur *WINNER*
- 1979) Robert Alan Aurthur, All That Jazz
- 1995) Mario Cecchi Gori, Il Postino
- 2008) Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, The Reader
BEST ACTRESS
- 1928/29) Jeanne Eagels, The Letter
BEST ACTOR
- 1955) James Dean, East of Eden
- 1956) James Dean, Giant
- 1967) Spencer Tracy, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
- 1976) Peter Finch, Network *WINNER*
- 1994) Massimo Troisi, Il Postino
- 2020) Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- 1984) Ralph Richardson, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes
- 2008) Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight *WINNER*
;)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- 1927/28) Gerald Duffy, The Private Life of Helen of Troy
- 1939) Sidney Howard, Gone with the Wind *WINNER*
- 1945) Tess Slesinger, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
- 1991) Carol Sobieski, Fried Green Tomatoes
- 1995) Massimo Troisi, Il Postino
- 2011) Bridget O'Connor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
- 2016) August Wilson, Fences
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- 1954) Lamar Trotti, There's No Business Like Show Business
- 1979) Robert Alan Aurthur, All That Jazz
BEST EDITING
- 1963) Frederic Knudtson, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
- 1971) Stuart Gilmore, The Andromeda Strain
- 1981) Robert L. Wolfe, On Golden Pond
;)
BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN
- 1958) William A. Horning, Gigi *WINNER* (Color)
- 1959) William A. Horning, Ben-Hur *WINNER* (Color)
- 1959) William A. Horning, North by Northwest (Color)
- 1959) Richard H. Riedel, Pillow Talk (Color)
- 1960) Eric Orbom, Spartacus *WINNER* (Color)
- 1963) William Ferrari, How the West Was Won (Color)
- 1965) David Hall, The Greatest Story Ever Told (Color)
- 1973) William Kiernan, The Way We Were
- 1982) Dale Hennesy, Annie
- 1986) Boris Leven, The Color of Money
- 2006) Gretchen Rau, The Good Shepherd
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- 1945) Allen Davey, A Song to Remember (Color)
- 1948) Joseph H. August, Portrait of Jennie (Black-and-White)
- 1965) William C. Mellor, The Greatest Story Ever Told (Color)
- 1969) Harry Stradling, Hello, Dolly!
- 1980) Geoffrey Unsworth, Tess *WINNER*
- 2002) Conrad Hall, Road to Perdition *WINNER*
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- 1951) Gile Steele, Kind Lady (Black-and-White)
- 1951) Gile Steele, The Great Caruso (Color)
- 1952) Gile Steele, The Merry Widow (Color)
- 2007) Marit Allen, La Vie en Rose
- 2012) Eiko Ishioka, Mirror Mirror
BEST SCORE
- 1942) Frank Churchill, Bambi
- 1945) Jerome Kern, Can't Help Singing (Musical)
- 1956) Victor Young, Around the World in 80 Days *WINNER*
- 1970) Alfred Newman, Airport
- 1972) Raymond Rasch and Larry Russell, Limelight *WINNER*
- 1976) Bernard Herrmann, Obsession
- 1976) Bernard Herrmann, Taxi Driver
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- 1937) George Gershwin, "They Can't Take That Away from Me" from Shall We Dance
- 1942) Frank Churchill, "Love Is a Song" from Bambi
- 1945) Jerome Kern, "More and More" from Can't Help Singing
- 1946) Jerome Kern, "All Through the Day" from Centennial Summer
- 1946) James V. Monaco, "I Can't Begin to Tell You" from The Dolly Sisters
- 1951) Bert Kalmar, "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" from The Strip
- 1956) Victor Young, "Written on the Wind" from Written on the Wind
- 1991) Howard Ashman, "Beauty and the Beast" from Beauty and the Beast *WINNER*
- 1991) Howard Ashman, "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast
- 1991) Howard Ashman, "Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast
- 1992) Howard Ashman, "Friend Like Me" from Aladdin
BEST SOUND
- 1976) Harry W. Tetrick, King Kong
- 1976) Harry W. Tetrick, Rocky
- 2014) Walt Martin, American Sniper (Mixing)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- 1972) Arnold Peri, Malcolm X
- 1978) Albert Lamorisse, The Lover's Wind
- 2013) Gil Friesen, 20 Feet from Stardom *WINNER*
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
- 1968) Walt Disney, Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day *WINNER*
- 1977) John Hubley, A Doonesbury Special
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
- 1992) Thomas C. Goodwin, Educating Peter *WINNER*
- 2011) Gail Dolgin, The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
- 1945) Joseph O'Brien, Your National Gallery
- 1952) Gordon Hollingshead, Desert Killer
- 1952) Gordon Hollingshead, Thar She Blows!
Looking over this data, we can count 78 posthumous nominations divided by 63 nominees. The gender disparity is immense, both within the acting races and in general. Only eight women have ever been nominated after death, while men are as high as 55. Once the nomination is secured, 15 of these honors resulted in wins regarding the probability of victory. Percentage-wise, around 19% of posthumous nominations result in gold.
In terms of individual superlatives, Howard Ashman is the person with the most posthumous nominations. By the time this great lyricist passed away, he was already an Oscar winner, thanks to The Little Mermaid. Beauty and the Beast would nab him three other nods and one win, while Aladdin conquered him a fourth and final posthumous nomination. Still, William A. Horning rules in terms of Oscar after-death. The production designer would conquer three post-mortem Academy Awards for his opulent work in Gigi and Ben-Hur. The 1959 Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color has the most posthumous nominees of any lineup, counting three nominations for individuals no longer living. Of course, Horning counts for two of those.
The most represented category is Best Production Design, with all its different permutations, and Best Original Song. In both cases, we can count 11 nominees. That being said, while three designing Oscars were won posthumously, only one songwriter did. On the opposite end of the spectrum, five of the still-existent categories never featured any posthumous honor. They are Best Director, Supporting Actress, Makeup & Hairstyling, Visual Effects, and Animated Feature. International Feature doesn't count since, technically, no individuals are singled out by those prizes, only countries.
Overall, I was surprised by how common this Oscar phenomenon is, though there are some important facts to point out. Death doesn't automatically mean a victory, not by any means, not even when the nominated artist is as famous, beloved, celebrated as James Dean or Spencer Tracey. Furthermore, one can notice a vague decrease in the number of posthumous nominations as the decades go by. In the so-called "above the line" categories, the 2010s featured only a pair of nods, and even that is only true if one calls screenwriting above the line. That's nothing compared to some earlier periods like the 1950s, for example.
;)
I apologize for the morbidity of such awards-focused explorations. While I'm not trying to trivialize death or diminish the honor of these posthumous Oscar nominees, it may be easy to arrive at such unsavory conclusions. This write-up isn't meant to discredit these marvelous artists' worthiness, the value of their work, or the extraordinary nature of their post-mortem achievements. While an untimely demise helps construct an awards narrative, we shouldn't believe it's all about that. The showiness of craft, the quality of artistry are also important. As far as I'm concerned, if Boseman wins, he'll be one of the most extraordinary Best Actor winners in some time. I have to go back to Daniel Day-Lewis to find another victorious performance I love more in the category's chronology. What I'm saying is that when/if Boseman becomes the second leading actor ever to win an Oscar, I'll be one of the people applauding from home.
What about you? Are you excited about a potential Boseman win?
Reader Comments (23)
Thanks for stats. Yes, Boseman's win will be a good one, although he would be 6th in my personal list (Great year for leading Men). In comparison to past winners I'd say that Casey Affleck is better (even than Dey-Lewis' Lincoln).
Are these all posthumous at time of nominations or at time the ceremony was held? Is there a difference regarding wins?
I thought he was referring to DDL in There Will Be Blood, which to me is one of the all-time greats.
You are a master of your craft. Boseman will beat a master of their craft doing their best work and that is sad, but if you're going to be robbed then being robbed by somebody who met a tragic fate is palatable.
Kael, Ebert, Alves.
I second Casey Affleck, that is a devastating portrayal of self-destructive grief and the most deserving Best Actor winner of the 2010's after Daniel Day-Lewis.
I re-watched Ma Rainey over the weekend, and while it certainly doesn't feel very cinematic, the words and the performances carry it through. I prefer what Riz Ahmed and Anthony Hopkins are doing in their respective films, but on re-watch, I was really impressed at the way Boseman channels the energy of a much younger and more impulsive man. He has the kind of energy that makes him unpredictable and ultimately self-destructive, and I think Boseman, despite being in his early 40s and sick at this point, sells it. It would be a worthy Oscar winning performance.
Interesting there have been no posthumous Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress nominations.. only for Actor and Supporting Actor.
Any theories why the screenplay of Mank got snubbed? It literally begged for a nomination.
@ ME
The question would be: which actresses have died before their films were released (or before nominations were announced) after delivering Oscar-worthy performances? I’d be interested in that list.
@Me and Working stiff -- there is one posthumous actress nomination as cited in the list above 1928/29) Jeanne Eagels, The Letter. It's only Best Supporting Actress among the acting categories that hasn't had a posthumous nomination.
A couple of candidates:
Carole Lombard - To Be or Not to Be (would have nominated her instead of double nominee Wright, who won supporting)
Jean Harlow - Saratoga (unlikely)
Q: What about you? Are you excited about a potential Boseman win?
A: No, I want the masterful performance of Anthony Hopkins to win.
Jeanne Eagels only sort of counts. Back in 1928-29 they didn't really have nominees. Eagels was only one of five names mentioned for Best Actress, and even then, because she had died, they brought in Corinne Griffith for The Divine Lady as a substitute, so Eagels was probably not under consideration at all by the time it came for choosing a winner.
Personal note. Her performance is really incredible, justifying her legendary reputation, which is pretty much forgotten today, unfortunately. I once watched her version of The Letter back to back with Bette Davis'. The two versions are almost complementary as the 1st version mostly takes place with the events leading up to the murder which starts off the 2nd version.
I'll be applauding the man but not this performance.
Boseman and Hopkins are two of the best nominees ever in this category. The choice is agonizing. But as I have ever only given one tie for Best Actor (Dern and Ejiofor in 2013) and consequently vowed to never do it again, I believe Boseman deserves the Oscar. But if Hopkins wins, I will be very, very happy.
Your taste is...individual, but your writing superlative. As someone mentioned you are the next Ebert. Can't wait for when you break out on your own and I'll have another site to bookmark and read every day.
I know a lot of people (including myself) like Riz Ahmed’s and Anthony Hopkins’s performances more, but to those suggesting Chadwick Boseman winning will be some sort of travesty, no. Just no. Would he be winning for this role if he were still alive? Tough to say, but he’d definitely at least be in the running, so it’s not like people are ONLY voting for him because of his untimely passing. I know some of you insist it should be all about the quality of the performance, but seriously, when has it EVER been about that? Awards are subjective to begin with, and yes, there are other factors besides quality of work that Oscar voters take into consideration. Chadwick Boseman winning is the right call this year for the Academy. Riz Ahmed will have plenty more opportunities to win, and giving it to Hopkins when he’s already won an Oscar would get negative publicity no matter how deserving the performance is. And you know it.
If you’re really of the mind that Hopkins or Ahmed is being “robbed,” just consider that their stock for future nominations/potential wins is way up now. Hopkins could probably waltz his way to Oscar #2 in the next 2-3 years if he rides this wave of momentum The Two Popes and The Father have given him to land one more juicy role, especially if it’s in the Supporting Actor category. He’ll be viewed as overdue for a second Oscar, and since he’s most likely the runner-up this year, a win should be pretty easy with a role even close to these last two performances he’s been nominated for.
Interesting collection of info. Since Boseman is nominated I don't think it's morbid to look at the frequency of this type of nod being given.
The first posthumous nominee I recall is Peter Finch. I don't remember if he was already nominated when he died suddenly or if the process had begun and the nominees hadn't been announced but it was awfully close to happening. Though his work and reputation were both highly thought of he was not expected to win since the three other performers nominated up to that point, Jeanne Eagels, James Dean and Spencer Tracy, had lost.
When it became a distinct possibility that he might win there was grumbling that they might not allow his wife to accept for him. Purportedly this was because it needed to be someone connected to the film, but the obvious reason was because the Finches were an interracial couple (he Australian/she Jamaican). There was an outcry at the blatant racism and ridiculousness of the issue, but the producers and network wouldn’t budge going so far as to threaten to cut her mike off if she ascended the stage should he win. When he was indeed the winner it was announced that Paddy Chayefsky was accepting for him. Chayefsky took the stage but was having none of it and said the only person who should be accepting the award was the person Finch wanted it to be, his wife Eletha, calling her up from the audience. She gave a lovely emotional speech as it always should have been.
The real question now, post-SAG, is if Davis can win too. If she does, this will be the first Best Actor/Best Actress winning duo since 1997's AS GOOD AS IT GETS, and the first *ever* from a non-Best Picture nominee,
Interesting statistics. Generally, I hate posthumous awards. Reward people who can enjoy the appreciation - not dead people. That said, there's no way I wouldn't have voted for James Dean once or twice if I'd had the opportunity. But generally I strongly dislike this practice.
Damn Edwin going all Three Artful up in hur.
It feels wrong that James Dean isn’t a posthumous Oscar winner. Especially for East of Eden.
It feels wrong that James Dean isn’t a posthumous Oscar winner. Especially for East of Eden.
A Boseman win would be an absolute tragedy.
The film, his performance and all other performances in it are okay. But nowhere near special.
In the years in which actors won posthumously, they deserved it. Ledger was miles ahead above all the other nominees. And Finch was very good. The only other nominee who was better that year was DeNiro in Taxi Driver, but it was too early for the Academy to give such a performance the Oscar in 1977. This year there are two performances that are so much better, Hopkins and Ahmet. Boseman performance is interchangeable with Yeun's for third or fourth place.