Harold Russell Won Two Academy Awards for the Same Role
These days, hardly many people are familiar with Harold Russell's work. The WWII veteran and actor passed away in 2002, leaving only five acting credits in his resume. Interestingly, one of them was in the 1946 movie The Best Years of Our Lives, for which Russell ended up earning not one, but two Academy Awards, making him the only actor to accomplish that accomplishment.
Naturally, a lot of other actors have previously garnered numerous acting honors. If a person also authored or directed a movie in which they also starred, they may have won numerous Oscars for that movie. But with Russell, none of it applied. He received two acting accolades for playing the same part in the same movie.
The inaugural award was given for Best Supporting Actor, which is still well-known to modern audiences. However, things started to become a little strange with the second reward. For "'offering aid and consolation to handicapped warriors through the medium of motion movies,'" he received the honorary award.
- Born: January 14, 1914
- Died: January 29, 2002
