5 of the biggest Oscar upsets of all time


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SALT LAKE CITY — In our article "2013 Oscar predictions and dark horses" we laid out who the front-runners are for the 85th Annual Academy Awards.

"Argo" and Daniel Day-Lewis are sweeping pretty much every award they can, but that doesn't mean they're an absolute lock to win. Looking back at history here are five of the biggest Oscar surprises in the award's 85-year history.

How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley

How Green Was My Valley over Citizen Kane - Best Picture

In 1942, the drama "How Green Was My Valley" won five Academy Awards including best picture. The film about a family's struggles in a Welsh mining town is considered a classic.

So, if it's considered a classic why is it a surprise it won best picture? Well, that's because it beat out what is considered by many as the greatest film ever made.

"Citizen Kane" was nominated for nine Oscars and walked away with just one. Orson Welles tried things that had never been done on film before and he proved to not only be wiser than his years, but also years ahead of his time.

While "How Green Was My Valley" will always be considered an excellent film, its win over "Citizen Kane" will always be considered one of the greatest Oscar upsets of all time.

Rocky
Rocky

Rocky over All the President's Men, Network and Taxi Driver - Best Picture

In 1977 "Rocky" was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and went home with three of them. The little film about an underdog boxer won for best director, best film editing and to everyone's surprise, best picture.

While everyone seemed to love "Rocky" no one thought it had a chance against huge films like "Network," "All the President's Men" and especially "Taxi Driver." But much like it's titular character "Rocky" surprised everyone and beat the competition.

Well, I guess that's not totally true considering Rocky lost to Apollo at the end of the film. So, maybe it was more like "Rocky II." Never mind, let's just move on.

Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive"
Tommy Lee Jones in "The Fugitive"
Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List"
Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List"

Tommy Lee Jones over Ralph Fiennes - Best Supporting Actor

Tommy Lee Jones shocked just about everyone when his name was announced as the winner of best supporting actor in 1994.

Jones won for his role in "The Fugitive" and the truth is, he was the star of that movie. It was a well-paced, entertaining thriller with a fine performance from Harrison Ford, but it was Lee's Sam Gerard that stole the show.

While Lee's work in "The Fugitive" truly was excellent, most thought Ralph Fiennes would win the award for his haunting performance in "Schindler's List."

Steven Spielberg's black and white film was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven, including best picture.

Fiennes won just about every award he was nominated for with his portrayal of the unforgiving Nazi, Amon Goeth, but the big one got away and was snatched up by Tommy Lee Jones instead.

Roberto Benigni in "Life is Beautiful"
Roberto Benigni in "Life is Beautiful"
Tom Hanks in "Saving Private Ryan"
Tom Hanks in "Saving Private Ryan"

Roberto Benigni over Tom Hanks - Best Actor

Who can forget Roberto Benigni winning the Academy Award for best actor in 1999?

After his name was announced he climbed over chairs and put on a show as he approached the podium. While that was surprising, most everyone was still trying to recover from not hearing Tom Hanks' name announced.

Hanks was nominated for his work in "Saving Private Ryan" and many considered it his best performance. Yes, better than "Forrest Gump," "Philadelphia" and even "Splash." Sorry, you've got to mention "Splash" when you get the chance.

While many were surprised Hanks didn't get his third Academy Award, not too many people were disappointed that Benigni got the award for his fine work in "Life is Beautiful."

Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan - Best Picture

Let's stick with upsets involving Steven Spielberg shall we?

In 1999 "Shakespeare in Love" had a few Oscar upsets including Gwyneth Paltrow over Cate Blanchett and Meryl Streep for best actress. Then there was Judi Dench who won best supporting actress over Kathy Bates even though Dench was only on screen for a total of eight minutes.

But the biggest surprise of the night is when "Shakespeare in Love" was named the best picture of the year over "Saving Private Ryan."

Shakespeare in Love
Shakespeare in Love

Nearly everyone thought the war epic was a shoo-in for the Academy's highest honor, well, everyone except for the Academy that is.

Some say this wasn't just an upset but a mistake. I'm not here to say one way or another, but it was a shock for pretty much everyone when presenter Harrison Ford read the name "Shakespeare in Love" at the end of the broadcast and not "Saving Private Ryan."

What are the biggest Oscar upsets that come to your mind? Did the Academy get these choices right or did they make a mistake? Let us know on the comment boards, Facebook or send me an email.

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John Clyde

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