Oscar flashback to 1998: Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Robin Williams and ‘Titanic’ ratings
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A blockbuster film tied big records, a legendary actor set a new record, a viewership record was achieved and the Academy celebrated its platinum anniversary in a big way. Billy Crystal hosted the 70th Academy Awards on March 23, 1998, where one film made a “titanic” splash, and the ceremony saw its highest viewership of all time, with more than 55 million people tuning in — a record that stands today not only for the Oscars, but all live awards programs.
It’s a film that people either love or hate (or at least wonder what all the fuss is about), but either way, the huge impact that James Cameron‘s “Titanic” made on the film industry cannot be denied. The most expensive movie ever produced up to that time, many doubted that the romantic tragedy would result in box office gold. However, “Titanic” went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time (a record it clung to for 12 years), to make stars out of leads Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio and to tie long-held Oscar records. In 1951, “All About Eve” set a record with 14 nominations (winning six); “Titanic” not only tied this record, but also tied “Ben Hur” (1960) with most wins ever at 11. Cameron took home statues for Best Picture (shared with Jon Landau) and Best Director; however, he failed to earn a bid for writing. It had been 32 years since “The Sound of Music” had won without a writing bid; “Titanic” was the seventh and last film to date to accomplish this feat.
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Two guys no one had ever heard of came out of nowhere with a script that blew us all away, and earned a comedy legend an overdue statue. These two fellows have gone on to be largely known as actors but have never won acting Oscars. Friends Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won Best Original Screenplay for “Good Will Hunting” that night, “got a better seat than Jack Nicholson” and have been return nominees many times since. This little low-budget film made a killing at the box office, and came into Oscar night tied with “L.A. Confidential” for second place with nine nominations, with “As Good As It Gets” close behind with seven. Each of these films earned a bid for Best Picture, and were the only films besides “Titanic” to achieve multiple wins. Each left the night with two victories, and all the acting winners came from these three films. The fifth and final Best Picture nominee was the fun British comedy “The Full Monty,” which claimed Best Original Musical/Comedy Score from its four nominations.
The second win for “Good Will Hunting” went to a beloved comedian who had received three bids in the lead category over the previous decade. Robin Williams finally left with statue in hand, winning Best Supporting Actor for his role as Will Hunting’s therapist. His competition included an actor who had previously won in lead, and would again almost 25 years later, Anthony Hopkins, who was competing for “Amistad.” The three remaining contenders each received their sole nomination that night: Robert Forster (“Jackie Brown”), Burt Reynolds (“Boogie Nights”) and Greg Kinnear, who was one of three acting noms for “As Good As It Gets.”
James L. Brooks‘ comedy/drama “As Good As It Gets” only won two awards, but they were both for the lead acting categories, making it the seventh, and to date last, film to win for both Best Actor and Best Actress. Surprisingly, despite seven major nominations, Brooks was shut out of the Best Director category (this slot was given to Atom Egoyan for “The Sweet Hereafter”). With his Best Actor victory, Nicholson became the third of six performers to claim three acting Oscars (Katharine Hepburn holds the record at four), and set a record for male with most acting nominations at 11 (he’d make it 12 in 2003). Two of his fellow nominees were also prior Best Actor recipients: Robert Duvall (“The Apostle”) and Dustin Hoffman (“Wag the Dog”). Rounding out the category were a veteran and a newbie, who were both up for their first acting nomination, and who had something else in common. Veteran actor Peter Fonda received his sole acting nomination for “Ulee’s Gold,” while Damon received his first of three acting nominations for “Good Will Hunting.” Damon won for writing that night, while Fonda had received a Best Original Screenplay bid (shared) for “Easy Rider” nearly 30 years before.
Nicholson’s “As Good As It Gets” co-star Helen Hunt claimed a Best Actress victory on her first nomination. Also up for the first time were Helena Bonham Carter (“The Wings of the Dove”) and Judi Dench (“Mrs. Brown”), who would win in supporting the following year for “Shakespeare in Love.” The Best Actress winner from 1966 was competing, with Julie Christie (“Afterglow”) earning her third of four nominations. Rounding out the category was Winslet, up for her first lead bid for “Titanic” (she had competed in supporting for “Sense and Sensibility” in 1996). It would be 11 years and four more nominations before Winslet would finally be an Oscar-winner; however, she has a distinction no other performer has.
There have been a few instances of different performers nominated for playing the same character in different movies; however, Winslet has been nominated for playing a character also played by another actress in the SAME movie – twice. As she was up for playing the romantic lead Rose in “Titanic,” Golden Age actress Gloria Stuart achieved her first ever nomination, for Best Supporting Actress, for playing the older version of Rose. Four years later, Winslet would receive a supporting bid for portraying “Iris,” while her fellow 1998 nominee Dench would claim a nomination in Lead for the same character. Stuart’s nomination was also a record achievement, as the 87-year-old became the oldest acting nominee up to that time – a record she held until Christopher Plummer earned a bid at the age of 88 in 2018 for “All the Money in the World;” Stuart maintains the record for Supporting Actress.
Neither version of Rose won that evening. As with the Best Supporting Actor, the Best Supporting Actress came from a film that won for writing. The highly acclaimed neo-noir “L.A. Confidential” won for Best Adapted Screenplay, and Kim Basinger won a supporting statue for her portrayal of a Veronica Lake– lookalike prostitute. Four of the five Best Supporting Actress nominees were first-timers, with Basinger and Stuart joined by Minnie Driver (“Good Will Hunting”) and Julianne Moore (“Boogie Nights”), as well as second-time nominee Joan Cusack (“In & Out”).
“Titanic” lost out on acting and writing awards, but swept the technical categories; it also claimed Best Dramatic Score and Best Original Song for composer James Horner. “My Heart Will Go On” (lyrics by Will Jennings) not only won the Oscar, but is one of the top-10 best-selling singles of all time. It was only the third time a Best Picture winner also claimed Best Song, and it’s happen only twice since; in 2003, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” would accomplish this and also tie for most number of overall wins at 11.
The Academy celebrated its milestone 70th anniversary by inviting 70 competitive and honorary acting champions to sit together onstage, with announcer Norman Rose acknowledging each performer by name, as well as the film from which he or she won. This “Oscar Family Album” included the first performer to win back-to-back Oscars, Luise Rainer, who was 88-years-old at the time of the ceremony, as well as one of the youngest to ever win, Anna Paquin. The three newly-minted acting Oscar winners joined them on stage at the end. In the 25 years since this ceremony, we have lost 28 of the 70, as well as Williams.
Also honored was legendary director and choreographer Stanley Donen, whose list of contributions includes “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.” He never received a nomination, and was bestowed an Honorary Award in “appreciation of a body of work marked by grace, elegance, with and visual innovation.”
Not only was this the highest-rated Oscar ceremony, but it was also nominated for eight Emmys, winning five, including one for Crystal.
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