Oscars by numbers: Best actors by height, best actresses by age
BY MICHAEL SMITH World Scene Writer
Friday, January 25, 2013
1/25/13 at 7:01 AM
People often say that when it comes to movie stars - and the movies as well - they don't make them like they used to. When it comes to Oscar-winning best actors, that appears to be true.
They seem to be making them taller.
Four of the five nominees for this year's award are at least 6 feet or taller in stature, with Denzel Washington right at that benchmark, Bradley Cooper an inch taller, and Daniel Day-Lewis and Hugh Jackman at 6 feet 2 inches, according to widely published reports of their heights.
John Wayne, at better than 6 feet, 4 inches tall, soared above all winners of the Oscar for best actor. Others who loomed large in the golden age of Hollywood include James Stewart, Gregory Peck and Gary Cooper, all listed at 6 feet 3 inches.
But these leading men towered over many of their Oscar-winning contemporaries, including Laurence Olivier (5 feet 10 inches), Humphrey Bogart (5 feet 9 inches), Charles Laughton (5 feet 8 inches), Bing Crosby (5 feet 7 inches) and James Cagney (5 feet 5 inches).
As this lineup of Oscar winners shows, the discussion of height begins with the Duke - John Wayne - and then it's all downhill from there.
Newest best actress nominees are age outliers
Age was served to young and old alike in this year's Academy Award race for best actress.
At 85, Emmanuelle Riva of "Amour" is the oldest nominee for best actress by five years over Jessica Tandy, who won at 80 for her starring role in "Driving Miss Daisy."
At 9 years old, Quvenzhane Wallis is four years younger than Keisha Castle-Hughes was when she was nominated for best actress at 13 in 2003 for her performance in "Whale Rider."
The next youngest nominee was 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence for "Winter's Bone" a couple of years ago; now 22, Lawrence is a favorite in the best actress category this year for "Silver Linings Playbook."
Youngest and oldest Oscar-winners for best actress
*2013 nominee
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Quvenzhane
Wallis*, 9
“Beasts of the
Southern Wild” |
Marlee
Matlin, 21
“Children of a
Lesser God” |
Audrey
Hepburn, 24
“Roman
Holiday” |
Jennifer
Jones, 25
“The Song of
Bernadette” |
Grace Kelly,
25
“The Country
Girl”
|
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Helen Mirren,
61
“The Queen” |
Meryl Streep,
62
“The Iron
Lady” |
Katharine
Hepburn, 74
“On Golden
Pond” |
Jessica
Tandy, 80
“Driving
Miss Daisy” |
Emmanuelle
Riva*, 85
“Amour" |
Original Print Headline: Oscar by number
Other Best Actor winners, by height
Actor Height
Gene Hackman 6'2"
Jon Voight 6'2"
Henry Fonda 6'2"
Sidney Poitier 6'2"
Burt Lancaster 6'2"
Forest Whitaker 6'2"
Colin Firth 6'2"
Clark Gable 6'1"
William Holden 5'11"
Paul Newman 5'10"
Kevin Spacey 5'10"
Rod Steiger 5'10"
Paul Muni 5'9"
Ernest Borgnine 5'9"
Roberto Benigni 5'6"
Richard Dreyfuss 5'5"
Associated Images:
AP file photos
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