This article was originally published on WHerMoments
Most people in the movie industry consider winning an Academy Award the pinnacle of their careers. But this was not the case for Hollywood legend George C. Scott. The headstrong actor, known for his gruff demeanor, proved he wasn’t in it for the accolades when he rejected an Oscar in 1971. His response to being given the award caught everyone off guard — and still holds a bizarre place in Academy Award history.
He won all the awards
If you look at Scott's career, though, you'll see that the great actor won almost every award going. These included a Best Actor Golden Globe for 1970's Patton as well as an Emmy and a Golden Globe for 1997’s 12 Angry Men.
He was also awarded an Emmy for the and an Emmy for an episode of Hallmark Hall of Fame from 1971. And then there were the Oscar nods.
The Oscars come calling
We know Scott won the Oscar for Patton, but he also received three other nominations in fewer than 15 years. Scott first caught the Oscar voters’ attention in 1959, when he received a Best Supporting Actor nod for playing Claude Dancer in that year’s Anatomy of a Murder.
However, Scott was not exactly grateful to be recognized by the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Scott refuses to accept the call
Far from being pleased with the honor, the star in fact asked for his nomination to be withdrawn. He then repeated this request when he was nominated in the same category for a performance in 1961’s The Hustler.
And Scott even warned that he would snub the Academy if he was similarly recognized for his lead role in 1970’s war epic Patton.
He didn't even show up to the ceremony
Nevertheless, Scott still received his first Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of General George S. Patton.
And much to the surprise of presenter Goldie Hawn, Scott’s name was read out as the winner of the award at the ceremony in 1971. But the then-43-year-old actor was as good as his word and was nowhere to be seen.
Scott stayed at home
In fact, Scott was fast asleep in the upstate New York home he shared with his third wife, Canadian actress Colleen Dewhurst, and their boys, Campbell and Alex. In the actor’s place, Patton producer Frank McCarthy took to the podium to accept the accolade on Scott’s behalf.
This made the star the first actor in Oscars history to publicly turn his nose up at the prestigious award.
The speech on the night
There was no mention of why Scott refused the award on Oscar night. Frank McCarthy simply walked up to the stage and accepted the Academy Award from Goldie Hawn.
In a brief speech, McCarthy said, "In voting this award, I think that the Academy has distinguished itself. I think it has done itself a great deal of good." But what was Scott’s problem with the Oscars?
It began with The Hustler
Well, the Academy shouldn't have been surprised by Scott's no-show. After all, the actor first rejected the awards ceremony when he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Hustler.
Apparently, at that point, he simply wired the Academy, "No thanks," upon hearing of his Oscar nod. The Oscars didn't withdraw his nomination, but Scott figured that would be the last he would hear from them.
He thought that was the end of it
According to The Washington Post, Scott later spoke about rejecting the Oscar nod for The Hustler. He said he only regretted that he "wasn't able to shock the academy into doing something constructive" about the ceremony.
The actor said it was basically a popularity competition with no merit. So he was no doubt shocked when another nomination came his way for Patton.
His rejection letter
Scott was polite enough at first, though. After hearing about his nomination for Patton, Scott sent the Academy another telegram.
It read, "I respectfully request that you withdraw my name from the list of nominees. My request is in no way intended to denigrate my colleagues. Furthermore, peculiar as it may seem, I mean no offense to the Academy. I simply do not wish to be involved." But he wasn't always so polite.
He didn't mince his words
This nomination — and eventual win — didn't relax his opinion on the awards game. In a slightly stronger statement after the 1971 awards show, the actor was forthright with his thoughts.
Time quoted him as saying, "The whole thing is a... meat parade. I don't want any part of it." The Guardian wrote that he said, "It is a meaningless, self-serving meat parade. It is barbarous and innately corrupt." And Roger Ebert had it as the Oscars being a "meat market —barbaric and innately corrupt." But whatever the exact quote, the sentiment is the same.
Not everyone agreed
The rest of Hollywood was split down the middle when it came to Scott’s views. Ryan O’Neal, who was nominated for Best Actor alongside Scott, offered his support.
However, more established names, including renowned producer Ross Hunter and veteran actor Gregory Peck, criticized Scott for his lack of gratitude.
Scott never changed his mind
But, when asked about his controversial stance just a day after his Oscar victory, Scott was surprisingly blasé. The star simply replied, “No feeling about it one way or another.”
He was filming The Hospital at the time, a drama-comedy which — in the face of the previous furor — would help land Scott a fourth Oscar nomination just a year later... One he would also reject.
What happened to his Oscar?
Scott later told TV Guide that he'd wanted the Academy to hand his award to the Patton Museum, but he'd been thwarted by a breakdown in communication. Instead, the accolade was donated to the Virginia Military Institute’s George C.
Marshall Foundation Library in Lexington, VA. More than 50 years on, George C. Scott’s award for playing George S. Patton is still on display at the George C. Marshall.
No one answered back
And it seems that if George C. Scott asked you to do something, you probably just did it.
Maureen Stapleton, his co-star in 1971’s Plaza Suite, once apparently pleaded to the film’s director, Mike Nichols, “I don’t know what to do — I’m scared of him.” To which Nichols replied, “My dear, everyone is scared of George C. Scott.”
The one award he did like
However, there was one industry honor that the ornery actor did actually treasure. And, strangely enough, it was the New York Film Critics Award Scott was given for the Patton performance that won him his Oscar.
Colleen Dewhurst, his then-wife, apparently said, “George thinks this is the only film award worth having.”
Putting in an appearance
Nonetheless, Scott seemingly did not hold a grudge against the Oscars. In fact, he actually attended the ceremony in 1983, despite not being nominated in any category.
He was seen laughing at Honorary Award winner Mickey Rooney’s quip about feeling so elated that he would “even kiss Louis B. Mayer.” And some believe that, far from bringing the Oscars into disrepute, Scott’s protest actually benefited the awards.
A help not a hindrance
Speaking in February 2018, Dennis Bingham, Film Studies Program Director at Indiana University, explained that in the early 1970s the Academy Awards “were in one of their periodic spells where the public was questioning their legitimacy.”
By giving the highly resistant Scott an Oscar, it was a great way of proving that the best person — no matter how reluctant — was always rewarded.
He wasn't alone
Scott may have been the first actor to decline an Oscar, but he was not the first Oscar winner to shun the prize. That dubious honor went to screenwriter and director Dudley Nichols.
He refused to pick up his award for penning 1935’s The Informer due to a writer’s strike. And Scott would not be the last person to do so either.
Marlon Brando’s no-show
Marlon Brando’s performance in The Godfather is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s most iconic. However, the legendary actor had little interest in receiving any recognition for it.
In fact, after being nominated for Best Actor in 1973, Brando sent someone else in his place to the ceremony. That someone was a Native American woman named Sacheen Littlefeather.
Political statement
Brando wanted to protest the harsh treatment Native Americans received, believing that a cameo from Littlefeather was the perfect way to do so. Brando was announced as the winner of the Oscar, and so Littlefeather took to the stage.
Sadly, the poor woman had to endure a chorus of jeers from the Hollywood audience and only got to deliver part of the speech.
A prescient statement
This statement Brando wrote was printed in full in the press the next day. It read, "For 200 years, we have said to the Indian people who are fighting for their land, their life, their families, and their right to be free: 'Lay down your arms, my friends, and then we will remain together.
Only if you lay down your arms, my friends, can we then talk of peace and come to an agreement which will be good for you.' When they laid down their arms, we murdered them."
A heartfelt refusal
Later, the statement read, "The motion picture community has been as responsible as any for degrading the Indian and making a mockery of his character, describing him as savage, hostile, and evil. It's hard enough for children to grow up in this world.
When Indian children watch television, and they watch films, and when they see their race depicted as they are in films, their minds become injured in ways we can never know."
A long-coming apology
In 2022 the Academy actually apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather for the treatment she received on Oscar night. "The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified," the Academy's apology read.
And while this was certainly a historic moment, Littlefeather was not the first woman to be mistreated on Oscar night.
The case for Hattie McDaniel
In the nightclub of a Los Angeles hotel in 1940, Hattie McDaniel took to the stage. Clad in a turquoise dress and with white flowers cascading through her hair, she looked every inch the part as she accepted her Academy Award.
But behind the scenes, segregation still divided the movie industry — and McDaniel’s moment in the spotlight was bittersweet.
A trend-setter
At the time, opportunities for African Americans were scarce. In fact, black actors were almost exclusively limited to subservient roles.
But instead of fighting the stereotype, McDaniel embraced it, becoming an immediate success. And in 1934, she bagged her first major role, earning hundreds of dollars and a movie credit to her name.
She survived the controversy
However, the movie, Judge Priest, is not remembered fondly today. In fact, it did little more than provide a vehicle for the controversial actor Stepin Fetchit, who attracted criticism for furthering stereotypes of African Americans as lazy and dim-witted.
Despite this, McDaniel’s career survived unscathed and by 1935 she was being cast in even bigger roles.
An alliance with Clark Gable
That year, she appeared in the MGM movie China Seas alongside Clark Gable, who would become a close friend. And in 1936, she performed in Show Boat once more — this time singing in Universal Pictures’ take on the musical.
And it was that role that would propel her to stardom beyond her wildest dreams.
Gone with the Wind
At the time, Hollywood producer David O. Selznick had just bought the rights to the novel Gone with the Wind for a whopping $50,000.
And as excitement around the upcoming picture grew, the hunt began for a black actress to play the role of Mammy — a slave who plays a central role in the Civil War-era drama.
A ringing endorsement
Among those up for the role was actress Louise Beavers, fresh from an acclaimed performance in Imitation of Life and even First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s own personal maid.
However, the American performer Bing Crosby had seen McDaniel in Show Boat and suggested to Selznick that she would be perfect for Mammy.
Not everyone was happy
Apparently, Selznick agreed and McDaniel was cast in the role of a lifetime.
But from the beginning, the story – with its southern heroine and sympathetic depiction of slavery – was the target of criticism from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP.
McDaniel makes her presence felt
Although the association had concerns about the source material’s offensive language and difficult themes, Selznick sought to reassure them that his adaptation would take a sensitive approach. And even though some racial slurs made it into the script, the worst of them remained on the page.
In fact, some believe that McDaniel’s refusal to speak certain words played a part in their removal.
The segregation barrier
Eventually, Gone with the Wind was released to great fanfare and acclaim. But as the stars arrived at Loew’s Grand Theater in Atlanta, Georgia for the premiere, McDaniel did not appear at their side.
In fact, the state’s segregation laws barred her from attending. But when her co-star Gable threatened to boycott the event in solidarity, she persuaded him to ignore the controversy and attend.
A roadblock to success
However, it was far from the last time that McDaniel’s race would prevent her from celebrating her success. In fact, it wasn’t until the actress directly approached Selznick armed with glowing reviews that the producer put her forward for an Academy Award.
In the running for Best Supporting Actress, she helped Gone with the Wind set a record with 13 Academy Award nominations.
The fateful night
On February 29, 1940, McDaniel arrived at the Coconut Grove nightclub inside Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel. She and her escort were there for the Oscars ceremony, but the hotel did not usually welcome African Americans.
And although Selznick had pulled some strings to get the ban lifted, McDaniel was forced to sit separately from her co-stars on a small table at the back.
"A credit to my race"
Despite the obvious prejudice against her, McDaniel took home the award. And after climbing onto the stage to collect it, she gave a memorable speech.
“I shall always hold it as a beacon for anything that I may be able to do in the future,” she is reported to have said. “I sincerely hope that I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry.”
The NAACP spoke out
Although McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award, her portrayal of Mammy drew condemnation from the NAACP and other similar organizations. According to them, she was guilty of perpetuating the stereotypes that confined black actors to menial roles.
Moreover, they accused her of profiting from these negative depictions.
No complaints from McDaniel
However, the actress herself never accepted these accusations. And although she found herself typecast as a domestic servant throughout her career, she often rebuffed her critics with a witty retort.
“Why should I complain about making $700 a week playing a maid? If I didn’t, I’d be making $7 a week being one,” McDaniel is once reported to have said.
Even in death
After Gone with the Wind, McDaniel took a series of similar roles before landing the lead in Beulah, a popular radio show. But just as she was making the leap into television in 1952, she died of breast cancer.
And even though she asked to be buried in the Hollywood Cemetery, the cruelty of segregation struck once more. Barred by a whites-only policy, she was instead interred at Los Angeles’ Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery instead.
A lasting legacy
Today, McDaniel’s descendants take an active role in promoting her legacy — including installing a memorial in the Hollywood Cemetery, now known as Hollywood Forever.
And 70 years after McDaniel defied segregation to accept her Academy Award, black actress Mo’Nique accepted her own Oscar — dressed in a blue gown with white gardenias in her hair.