Tom Cruise Receives His First Oscar

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Tom Cruise is a highly successful actor and producer who has received numerous Oscar nominations over his 40-year career, but has never won a competitive Academy Award. This year, however, he received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards, recognizing his lasting contributions to film.

Tom Cruise accepted an award this weekend at a ceremony celebrating him alongside Debbie Allen, Wynn Thomas, and Dolly Parton.

As part of a long, heartfelt speech, Cruise spoke about why he loves moves so much…

Movies help me understand and value people from all walks of life. They remind me that despite our differences, we actually have a lot in common. When we’re all watching together in a theater, we share the same emotions – we laugh, we feel, and we dream together – and that’s what makes cinema so powerful and important to me. Filmmaking isn’t just my job, it’s a core part of who I am.

You can watch Cruise’s entire acceptance speech below:

In the past, special honorary Oscars, like the one Tom Cruise received, were presented during the main Academy Awards show in February or March. However, to shorten the length of the Oscars broadcast, the Academy began holding a separate event called the “Governors Awards” each fall to recognize these achievements.

It was great that Tom Cruise had the chance to accept his award and properly thank everyone who supported and inspired him. His speech was excellent – it probably would have been considered too long if broadcast on TV and sparked comments on social media. But, shouldn’t a moment like Tom Cruise winning his first Oscar have been part of the actual Oscars show?

I get why the awards ceremony moved these prizes off the main Oscars show, but I still don’t think it’s the best solution.

The Movies Nominated For the Most Oscars With Zero Wins

Double Indemnity (1944)

Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity is a must-see film noir classic, telling the story of an insurance salesman entangled with a captivating and dangerous woman played by Barbara Stanwyck. It was a critical success and received seven Oscar nominations, recognizing Stanwyck, Wilder, and the film itself. However, it faced tough competition that year from Going My Way, which ultimately won seven Oscars, including Best Director and Best Picture. Stanwyck also lost her Best Actress bid to Ingrid Bergman for Gaslight.

The Godfather Part III (1990)

The first two Godfather films were huge successes at the Oscars. The original won three Academy Awards, and Part II won six, with both films taking home the Best Picture prize. While 1990’s The Godfather Part III wasn’t as popular, it still received seven Oscar nominations, including nods for Best Director and Best Picture. However, 1990 belonged to Kevin Costner, who won both Best Picture and Best Director for Dances With Wolves instead of Francis Ford Coppola.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Though now considered a 1990s classic – and currently ranked #1 on IMDb’s Top 250 Movies list – The Shawshank Redemption didn’t win any Oscars in 1994. That year was highly competitive; the film received seven nominations, including Best Actor for Morgan Freeman and nominations for Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture, but went home empty-handed. In fact, even the incredibly popular Pulp Fiction only won one award – for Quentin Tarantino’s screenplay – demonstrating how tough the competition was.

The Elephant Man (1980)

Despite being a critically acclaimed film based on a remarkable true story, The Elephant Man didn’t win any awards at the 1981 Oscars. Director David Lynch has been nominated for Best Director three times – for The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive – but has yet to win an Oscar.

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Anthony Hopkins’ film received eight Oscar nominations but didn’t win any awards. While he’s a two-time Oscar winner for The Silence of the Lambs and The Father, this particular movie – a Merchant Ivory adaptation of a Kazuo Ishiguro novel – came up empty-handed. It was nominated for Best Actress (Emma Thompson), Best Actor (Hopkins), Best Director (James Ivory), and Best Picture. Schindler’s List, directed by Steven Spielberg, was the big winner that year, though Spielberg himself has also experienced Oscar snubs. Read on for more details…

American Hustle (2013)

It’s rare for a movie to receive ten or more Oscar nominations and win nothing at all. That’s exactly what happened with American Hustle. Despite being nominated for ten awards – including Best Picture, Best Director, and awards for its design, editing, screenplay, and supporting actors – it didn’t win a single one. That year, films like 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and Dallas Buyers Club all took home multiple Oscars. American Hustle wasn’t the only notable film to be completely shut out, though; Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street also failed to win any of its five nominations.

Gangs of New York (2002)

Despite receiving 10 Oscar nominations, Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York didn’t win any awards. Looking back, it’s surprising, especially considering Harvey Weinstein’s strong campaigning and a standout performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill the Butcher. Day-Lewis ultimately lost Best Actor to Adrian Brody in The Pianist, and Scorsese lost Best Director to Roman Polanski. Chicago took home the biggest prize that year.

True Grit (2010)

The 2010 remake of True Grit received ten Oscar nominations, significantly more than the original 1969 film, which only earned two: Best Actor for John Wayne and Best Original Song. Interestingly, John Wayne won the Oscar for his role in the original, but the Coen brothers’ remake, starring Jeff Bridges, didn’t win any of its nominations. That year, The King’s Speech, directed by Tom Hooper, won both Best Picture and Best Director.

The Color Purple (1985)

Steven Spielberg has experienced both triumphs and disappointments at the Oscars. His film Schindler’s List won seven awards, including Best Picture, from its twelve nominations in 1994. Earlier, in 1986, The Color Purple earned eleven nominations but didn’t win any awards; Out of Africa took home Best Picture that year. More recently, the 2023 film adaptation of The Color Purple received only one nomination, recognizing Danielle Brooks’ performance as Sofia.

The Turning Point (1977)

Before Steven Spielberg’s The Color Purple, only one movie had ever received 11 Academy Award nominations without winning a single one: the 1977 ballet drama The Turning Point, directed by Herbert Ross. Like a perfectly timed performance, a film’s release date is crucial for awards success, and The Turning Point unfortunately came out in a very competitive year. It was up against major hits like Star Wars, Annie Hall, The Goodbye Girl, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Despite being well-liked by both audiences and critics, it became known as the biggest Oscar disappointment in history up to that point.

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2025-11-17 19:27