Throughout Hollywood’s rich history,
only slightly more than a handful of Canadians have won Academy Awards. The National Film Board has won a bunch of
times for their marvellous documentaries, but our quiz this time is about
Canadians (most of whom no longer live in the Great White North) who’ve taken
home an Oscar statue.
Mary Pickford (who’s real name is
Gladys Louise Smith and whose home stood on what is now the Hospital For Sick
Children on University Avenue in Toronto) won the Academy Award in 1928/19 for
her work in the motion picture “Coquette”.
The award ceremony was held in April of 1930. That same year, in November, Montreal born Norma
Shearer, won the ‘Best Actress In A Leading Role’ Oscar for her work in the film “The Divorcee”. The Oscars and Canada have a long tradition. It’s not just a very large tradition.
So wrap yourself up in the Canadian flag
(which incidentally is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year)
and have a great time with this quiz, eh?
QUESTIONS
1. This Hollywood character
actor was born in Toronto on April 5, 1883 (which would mean that he’s definitely
passed on). He made his Broadway debut
in 1924 and in 1929 moved to Hollywood where he worked on movies such as “The
Virginian” with Gary Cooper (1929), the title role in “Abraham Lincoln” (1930),
“The Devil and Daniel Webster” (1941) and “Yankee Doodle Dandy” with Jimmy
Cagney. The motion picture that won
Walter his Oscar in 1948, co-starred Humphrey Bogart and Tim Holt and was about
the adventures of three men searching for gold in the hills of Mexico. This movie was directed by Walter’s son John. His last name is the same as a major Texas city
(although it’s spelled slightly differently).
Who is he?
2. His role of
Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” may be this Oscar winning actor’s most
famous role in a motion picture, although many fans still remember him as
Klingon General Chang in 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country”. He won the Oscar in 2011 for a movie that
also starred Ewan McGregor. He was born
in Toronto, but spent a lot of time in England, which may account for his
slight British accent. He’s equally at
home on the big screen or as a guest star on a television series. His daughter, Amanda is also an actress. His last name is the same as the professional
craftsman that you’d call if your sink or toilet didn’t work. Can you name this Academy Award winning
actor?
3. The director of
the biggest movie of 1996 was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario in 1954 and moved to
Hollywood in 1971. He’s a
writer/producer/director and inventor. Some
of the movies he’s directed are: “Aliens”, “The Terminator”, “Terminator 2:
Judgment Day”, “The Abyss” and “Avatar”.
He’s won three Academy Awards, all for the same movie about a ship on
its maiden voyage in 1912 that hits an iceberg and sinks. What’s this famous Canadian’s name?
4. This politically
aware Quebec born director has been nominated for an Academy award three
times. He won the ‘Best Foreign Film’
Oscar in 2004 for “The Barbarian Invasions”.
Who is he? Is it: a. Denis
Villeneuve b. Denys Arcand c. Philippe Falardeau
5. This Canadian born
actress, who moved to New Zealand at an early age, was the youngest ever (age
11) Academy Award winner in 1994. The
movie she won for was “The Prize”. It
was her first film. She co-starred in
the “X-Men” movie series as well as the TV series “True Blood”. Who is this delightful actress?
ANSWERS
1. It was Walter Huston, writer/director John Huston’s
father and Anjelica Huston’s granddad who won the ‘Best Actor In A Supporting
Role’ Academy Award in 1948 for “The Treasure of The Sierra Madre” with
Humphrey Bogart. Walter had been nominated
in the same category in 1943 for “Yankee Doodle Dandy” with Jimmy Cagney. He also won a Golden Globe in ‘48 for “The
Treasure of The Sierra Madre”, which was directed by his son John Huston, who won
two Oscar’s that year for ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Writer, Screenplay’, thus
making Walter and John the first father/son combination to win Academy Awards
in the same year. Walter’s granddaughter
Anjelica, won her Academy Award in 1986 for the film “Prizzi’s Honor“, which
was also directed by her father John.
Walter Huston’s final film was “The Furies” with Wendell Corey and
Barbara Stanwyck in 1950. He died on
April 7th that year.
2. Christopher
Plummer won the 2011 Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for the
movie “Beginners”. I’m not sure this is
a distinction, but Mr. Plummer was the oldest actor to ever win an Academy
Award (at least to date, we’re all getting up there after all). He’s the great grandson of Canadian Prime
Minister John Abbott, who served from 1891 to 1892. Christopher has three movies scheduled for
release in 2015, “Danny Collins”, “Pixies” (voice only) and “Remember”.
3. James
Cameron, was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario in 1954. He’s created an amazing body of work in
Hollywood with such films as “Aliens”, “Avatar” and “The Terminator”, but it
was as Director of “Titanic” that he won the Oscar in 1998. In total that March night “Titanic” won 11
Oscar statues. Cameron is currently
working on “Avatar 2, 3 and 4” due out in 2017, 2018 and 2019
respectively. Two untitled “Terminator”
movies were recently announced. The
first is scheduled for 2017. Not sure if
James is writing, producing or directing or all three. Will Arnold be back? Stay tuned!
4. The correct answer is b. Denys Arcand. Denys studied
history at the Universite de Montreal. He
worked for the National Film Board (NFB) for many years. A feature length NFB documentary on the
textile industry was so controversial that it was withdrawn from circulation by
the NFB. His films had been nominated for
Academy Awards twice before, once in 1987 for “The Decline of The American
Empire” (which also won the prestigious Critics Prize at the Cannes Film
Festival) and again in 1990 for “Jesus of Montreal”, which won 10 Genie Awards
in Canada as well as the Jury prize at Cannes.
Denys is a Companion of the Order of Canada as well as a star on
Canada’s Walk of Fame.
5. In 1994, Anna
Pacquin took home the Oscar Statue as ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for the 1993
movie “The Piano”. Anna was born in
Winnipeg on July 24th (my birthday as well) 1982. Her father is Canadian born and raised, her
mother was originally from New Zealand, which is where the family moved when
Anna was 4 years old. Anna is famous
around the world for playing mutant superheroine Rogue in the “X-Men” series of
films. In 2008, she was cast as waitress
Sookie Stackhouse in the TV series “True Blood” (although she shot the pilot in
2007). On the set, Anna met (and later
married) her “True Blood” co-star (and now husband), Stephen Moyer. The couple has two children
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