SANDY KOZEL

On April 7, 1970, the legendary actor John Wayne wins his first—
and only—acting Academy Award, for his star turn in the director
Henry Hathaway’s Western True Grit.

Wayne appeared in some 150 movies over the course of his long
and storied career.

He earned his first Oscar nomination, in the Best Actor category,
for Sands of Iwo Jima (1949). The Alamo (1960), which Wayne
produced, directed and starred in, earned a Best Picture
nomination.

Wayne’s Oscar for True Grit at the 42nd annual Academy Awards
in 1970 was generally considered to be a largely sentimental win,
and a long-overdue reward for one of Hollywood’s most enduring performers.

John Wayne (Marion Robert Morrison)
(May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979)

By the time James Cameron (71) took the stage to accept his
Academy Award for Best Director on the night of March 23,
1998, the Oscar dominance of his blockbuster film Titanic
was all but assured.

Titanic tied the record for most Oscar nominations with 14—
joining 1950’s _All About Eve—_and by night’s end would
tie with Ben Hur (1959) for most wins by sweeping 11
categories, including the
coveted Best Picture.

   

Hattie McDaniel and Clark Gable from Gone with the Wind.

An epic Southern romance set during the hard times of the
Civil War, the movie swept the prestigious Best Picture,
Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Art Direction, Film
Editing, and Actress categories.

However, the most momentous award that night undoubtedly
went to Hattie McDaniel for her portrayal of “Mammy,” a
housemaid and former enslaved woman. McDaniel, who
won the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award, was the
first African American actress or actor ever to be honored
with an Oscar.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1895, McDaniel demonstrated
her talents as a singer and actress while growing up in
Denver, Colorado.

With the onset of the Great Depression, she was forced to
take work as a ladies’ washroom attendant in a Milwaukee
club.

On August 26, 1951, McDaniel suffered a stroke,
complicated by diabetes and a heart ailment,
and was admitted to the Temple Hospital in
Los Angeles.

She died of breast cancer on October 26, 1952.

     
    
     
  The Godfather (1972) 

Robert Selden Duvall (January 5, 1931 – February 15, 2026)

Robert Duvall died Sunday,February 15, at his ranch in
Middleburg, Virginia. He was 95.

    
1962        
        

       
         
1979  

1983

1993

     
1997                                 1998

                                

                                 2003