20 of the worst Oscar winners in history

This is an archived page.

Tom Huddleston sorts the least deserving Academy Award winners

It’s Oscar season once again – and while Academy members scratch their heads trying to decide which of this year’s crop of worthy titles deserves to take home the big prize, we trawl the archives to uncover the worst Oscar offences of all time. From the film that beat ‘Citizen Kane’ to Best Picture to the time ‘Harry and the Hendersons’ walked away with a handful of gold, here are all the Academy’s biggest blunders in one handy list.

This is by no means a definitive rundown of all of Oscar’s shoddy decisions – we didn’t even have room to mention Celine Dion or ’Chicago’ – so if you really, really hate ‘Titanic’ or really, really love ‘Forrest Gump’, tell us about it in the comments box below.

8. John G Avildsen for ‘Rocky’

Best Director, 49th Academy Awards, 1977

We’ve nothing against ‘Rocky’ – it’s a solid slice of old-fashioned underdog wish fulfilment – but could the Academy really justify the decision to grant it not just Best Picture but the directing award for journeyman John G Avildsen, whose ensuing career – ‘The Karate Kid’ trilogy, anyone? – only makes this award seem all the more ridiculous.

It could’ve been: Alan J Pakula for ‘All the President’s Men’, Martin Scorsese for ‘Taxi Driver’ (not nominated) or Sidney Lumet for ‘Network’.

◄ Previous Next ►

Browse through our list of Oscar blunders

Check out our UK film release calendar

Don't miss a movie in the next 12 months

Get your diaries out. We’ve scoured the film release schedules to bring you a month-by-month calendar of every new movie coming to cinemas until next Spring