Arguably the most coveted award in acting, winning an Oscar should be every actor’s dream, except maybe for those who stumbled into the profession. Since the award was instituted in 1929 to acknowledge excellence in moviemaking, numerous performers have unexpectedly snagged the gong. Peculiar among that bunch are those whose acting careers weren’t a conscious decision.
Actors like Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence secured the esteemed award after serendipitous encounters with key players who got them started in the industry. But unlike the performers below, McConaughey and Lawrence were already interested in being part of the movie industry before getting the opportunity that kickstarted their careers. Here are five actors who stumbled into acting and won the Academy Award.
1. Mo’Nique
Mo’Nique began her career as a stand-up comedian after her brother dared her to perform at an open mic night in their hometown. She took to the stage and received a standing ovation that marked the beginning of her showbiz career. After she started gaining mainstream recognition through several comedy shows, the Maryland native quit her job at a phone company to focus on pursuing an entertainment career.
Transitioning into acting, Mo’Nique immediately rose to prominence with her portrayal of Nikki Parker in The Parkers (1999 – 2004). Half a decade later, her interpretation of an abusive mother in Lee Daniels’ Precious (2009) won her an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. The film also won her BAFTA and Golden Globe Awards in the same category.
2. John Wayne
Before becoming one of the most accomplished performers of Hollywood’s Golden Age, John Wayne played football on an athletic scholarship at the University of Southern California. He lost his scholarship and dropped out of college following a bodysurfing accident that ended his football dreams. His coach helped him land a job as a propman at Fox Film Corporation where he befriended John Ford, a renowned director of the era. Ford handed Wayne bit parts in several projects which inadvertently launched his career.
After his first starring role in 1930’s The Big Trail, John Wayne toiled to gain traction in the industry. By the 50s, he had become an established performer with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This was for his role in Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). Two decades later, Wayne’s performance as Rooster Cogburn in True Grit (1969) earned him his only Oscar win. He also directed 1960’s The Alamo which received at least seven nominations for the Academy Awards.
3. Charlize Theron
From The Devil’s Advocate to Monster, Mad Max, and Fast & Furious, Charlize Theron has an intimidating acting portfolio. However, acting wasn’t her first love. She stumbled into the profession after a knee injury derailed her dancing dreams. The South African performer attended Joffrey Ballet School in New York, hoping to pursue a dancing career. But when her knees gave out, she was forced to consider other career options.
Charlize Theron moved to Hollywood to try acting but made no progress until a chance encounter with a talent manager at a Hollywood bank. John Crosby advised Theron to consider acting after witnessing her exchange words with a teller who refused to cash her check. He introduced Theron to an acting school and some casting agents, setting her up to become a professional actor. She has received three Oscar Best Actress nominations thus far, including her first and only win in 2004 for playing Aileen Wuornos in Patty Jenkins’ Monster.
4. Harold Russell
Harold Russell will always be remembered as the first amateur actor to bag the Oscars. He won the prestigious award in 1947 for portraying Homer Parrish in William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). Russell had lost his hands serving the US Army and was featured in Diary of a Sergeant (1945), a short film about his medical rehabilitation. After seeing his story, Wyler was compelled to cast the World War II veteran in The Best Years of Our Lives, which revolved around the societal issues veterans faced upon returning from the war.
Harold Russell’s performance contributed to the film’s resounding success, earning him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He won the award alongside a special Academy Honorary Award “for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives.” Instead of pursuing an acting career thereafter, Russell took Wyler’s advice and returned to Boston University to complete his college education. “Wyler told me I should go back to college because there wasn’t much call for a guy with no hands in the motion picture industry,” said the veteran during an interview with The Los Angeles Times in September 1996.
5. Haing S. Ngor
Another non-professional actor to win an Oscar, Haing S. Ngor’s portrayal of Dith Pran in Roland Joffé’s The Killing Fields (1984) bagged several prestigious awards, including an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Originally a physician, Ngor survived the ruthless Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. He escaped to Thailand and eventually settled in the United States in 1980.
While attending a Cambodian wedding around Los Angeles in 1983, he met The Killing Fields’ casting director Pat Golden, who introduced him to the film’s director for a screen test. Drawing from his ugly experience of the Khmer Rouge regime, Ngor put up an impressive audition that landed him the role. The film’s success launched his acting career. He appeared in several small and big screen projects until his death in February 1996. Check out some of the best courtroom moments in movies.
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