Benjamin Ashford|The best Oscar acceptance speeches of all time, from Meryl Streep to Olivia Colman

What makes an exemplary Oscar speech?Benjamin Ashford

That’s the million-dollar question facing each new crop of winners, who are frequently tasked with finding new things to say at the Academy Awards (airing Sunday on ABC) after a monthslong parade of awards shows. Brad Pitt, Ke Huy Quan and Daniel Kaluuya nailed the assignment in recent years, giving speeches that struck an endearing balance of humor and sincerity, but always with a dash of the unexpected.  

Many winners opt for a timely message, while others resort to rattling off a list of names. But after years of watching innumerable speeches, here are those in a category all their own:

10. Meryl Streep (2012)

Did Meryl Streep really need her third Oscar win for, of all films, “The Iron Lady?” Not really. She was the weakest contender for best actress that year, and her earlier nods for “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Doubt” and “Julie & Julia” were more deserving. But her pitch-perfect speech made up for it: She’s at once self-deprecating, joking that “half of America” groaned when her name was called. Streep then gets sentimental, reflecting on the community she has cultivated over 40 years in Hollywood. “I look out here, and I see my life before my eyes,” she said. “My friends, thank you, all of you – departed and here – for this inexplicably wonderful career.”

9. Joe Pesci (1991)

Patty Duke(“The Miracle Worker”) and Rita Moreno (“West Side Story”) memorably delivered some of the shortest speeches in Oscar history. But it’s hard to top Joe Pesci, who charmingly maintained his tough-guy persona with a five-word address as he accepted best supporting actor for “Goodfellas.” “It’s my privilege. Thank you,” he said, flashing a sheepish grin before ducking offstage.

8. Anna Paquin (1994)

Rule of thumb: Every Oscar speech should start with at least 20 seconds of gleeful hyperventilating. Taking best supporting actress for “The Piano,” 11-year-old Anna Paquin spent most of her time onstage in stunned excitement, wide-eyed and gulping before letting out a quick “thank you” to the motion picture academy. Her iconic outfit – a purple vest and bejeweled beanie – is the cherry on top of an already adorable moment.

7. Hattie McDaniel (1940)

Sixty years before Halle Berry’s emotional win for best actress, Hattie McDaniel made Oscar history as the first Black honoree, earning best supporting actress for “Gone With the Wind.” The moment’s weight was not lost on the ever-poised McDaniel, who was seated in a far corner of the room away from the event’s white guests. “I sincerely hope I shall always be a credit to my race and to the motion picture industry. My heart is too full to tell you just how I feel,” she said, burying her face in a handkerchief as she exited the stage.

6. Michael Caine (2000)

Winners often acknowledge their fellow nominees with a few obligatory words. But accepting best supporting actor for “The Cider House Rules,” Michael Caine graciously spent his whole speech fêting the young men in his category, including Tom Cruise (“Magnolia”), Michael Clarke Duncan (“The Green Mile”), Jude Law (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”) and 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”). “Haley, when I saw you, I thought, ‘Well, that's me out of it,’ ” Caine said, earning laughs. “I'm basically up here, guys, to represent you as what I hope you will all be: a survivor.”

5. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (1997)

Tinseltown’s favorite bros were delightfully unbridled as they accepted the statuette for best original screenplay for “Good Will Hunting.” “I just said to Matt, 'Losing would suck and winning would be really scary,' ” Affleck quipped. They proceeded to ping-pong names back and forth, shouting and pointing at their families like an impromptu wedding toast. “And thank you so much to the city of Boston!” Affleck breathlessly concluded, a hilarious chef’s kiss from Beantown's unofficial spokesman.

4. Ruth Gordon (1969)

Ruth Gordon is deliciously unsettling in “Rosemary’s Baby,” which makes her warm and scintillating speech that much more amusing. “I can’t tell you how encouraging a thing like this is!” the supporting actress winner exclaimed, looking back on her 50-year career and wondering why “it took me so long.” “Thank all of you who voted for me,” she said with a smile. “And all of you who didn’t, please excuse me!”

3. Cuba Gooding Jr. (1997)

Accepting the award for best supporting actor for “Jerry Maguire,” Cuba Gooding summoned the sort of TV magic that we all tune in for but rarely get. What begins as your standard feel-good speech soon becomes a race against the playoff music to thank as many people as possible. “Oh, my goodness! Here we are!” Gooding yells giddily, triumphantly jumping and fist-pumping the air. His palpable joy is infectious, bringing the entire crowd to its feet by his dozenth proclamation of “I love you!”

2. Louise Fletcher (1976)

With just 22 minutes of screen time, Louise Fletcher won best actress for playing the venomous Nurse Ratched in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” She began by thanking voters with a joke about her chilling performance: “All I can say is I've loved being hated by you.” But what makes this speech an all-timer is Fletcher’s moving pivot to sign language, choking up as she pays tribute to her deaf parents: “I want to say thank you for teaching me to have a dream. You are seeing my dream come true.”

1. Olivia Colman (2019)

Accepting best actress for “The Favourite,” Olivia Colman gave us everything we could want in an Oscar win: tears, laughter, amazement and a frenzied air-kiss to Lady Gaga. “It’s genuinely quite stressful,” Colman said as she took the stage, beaming as she pointed to her statue. “This is hilarious!” The beloved Brit zigzags through a marathon of emotions: crying as she thanks her husband and kids, and recalling her humble start as a cleaner. She also takes a beat to recognize Glenn Close, the award’s presumed front-runner and an eight-time Oscar nominee. (“You’ve been my idol for so long and this is not how I wanted it to be!”) Cheeky, heartfelt and endlessly rewatchable, Colman delivered the kind of speech that reminds us why we love awards season so much.