Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedian?
 

comedian, comedic actor or sketch show actor?

best I can come up with is Whoopi Goldberg.

they've nominated a bunch, but none have won to my recollection.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Robin Williams
Jamie Foxx

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

haha shit. oh yeah.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Roberto Benigni
Tom Hanks
Sally Field
Goldie Hawn
Marisa Tomei
Mo'Nique
Red Buttons
George Burns
Tim Robbins

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Tom Hanks, Roberto Begnini, Nicolas
Cage, Sean Penn (counting Fast Times at Ridgemont High), Gina Davis.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Art Carney beat a Corleone.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

guess I should have researched a little more.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Bob Hope

Although he was never nominated for a competitive Oscar, Hope was awarded five honorary awards by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

The guy from the Artist is apparently a big comedian in France. Believe thats the most recent one

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Kevin Spacey and Emma Thompson. They both started out in stand-up comedy before diving into acting.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Woody Allen
Charlie Chaplin
Harold Lloyd
Buster Keaton
Stan Laurel
Jack Lemmon
Art Carney
Red Buttons
Walter Matthau
George Burns
Jennifer Lawrence
Goldie Hawn
Geena Davis
Mo'Nique

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

When were Jennifer Lawrence and Geena Davis comedians?

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Jennifer Lawrence's first big gig was as a regular on the sitcom "The Bill Engvall Show" (although you could argue it wasn't actually funny) and Geena Davis started out mostly in comedy, including "Tootsie," "Family Ties" and "Buffalo Bill."

Though they weren't stand-up comics, the OP did qualify the question as "comedian, comedic actor or sketch show actor."

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

By this logic, Leonardo DiCaprio is a comedian...so when he wins, we can add him to the list.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Honorary Oscars.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Allen hasn't received an Oscar for acting. According to Wikipedia (which is hardly ever wrong (except when it's not right)), Allen was only nominated for acting once (Annie Hall, 1977). He lost to Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...by_Woody_Allen

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

For an example of the opposite, look at Kevin Kline. After years of dramatic credentials, he finally won an Oscar for a comedic role in A Fish Called Wanda.

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

After decades of serious roles on TV, Leslie Nielsen only got Emmy nominations for his comedy roles (in 1982 and 1989, no wins).

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

Not quite the same, but Sean Penn won for "Mystic River" following the comedy "I Am Sam."

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

I'm waiting for Carrot Top or Paulie Shore to emerge as the next Oscar hopeful

Re: Have the Oscars ever given out an acting award to someone who started as a comedi
 

:lol: He was the best part of Growing Pains by the time he arrived.

Helen Hunt works well in this respect.