Audrey Hepburn presenting Rod Steiger with the Best Actor Oscar® for his performance in "In the Heat of the Night" - 40th Annual Academy Awards® in 1968.
Bonnie and Clyde, Cool Hand Luke, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, and In the Heat of the Night...man, that's a fine collection of films, all in one year (1967).
Love the way Rod Steiger acknowledged "most importantly" Mr. Sidney Poitier--who has also acknowledged Rod Steiger as a great actor. The two of them were brilliant in this movie. So were the supporting actors! This is an old movie by now, but it doesn't feel old. It's still exciting. It's a classic!
Fairly dour! Not a sound until the award. There’s too much politics in the Oscars now anyway. ‘Jaws’ only got a sound Oscar when it should have got much more.
True, they absolutely are. But back then they were highly controversial, mind you; even more so than most films we see today as controversial and political. I frankly cannot think of anything MORE controversial from that era in human history than a film where one of the lead characters is black and a police officer. The world back then were just as polarised as it is today, we just think of it now at a distance, which makes everything seem so maudlin and insipid.
What a year for movie making. Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Cool Hand Luke, Guess Who's Comming to Dinner, and In The Heat of the Night all on the same plate. All now recognized as classics.
Actually, it was somewhat patronizing. Steiger was probably guilt ridden because he knew deep down that Sidney was more deserving of the award than him.
@QUINT Sharky thank you for saying this. I did not feel it was patronizing at all! He was bringing the fact that prejudice was happening and that he and Sidney proved you can work together AND be friends regardless of skin color. He also brought out about Dr. King's assassination in a way that people need to realize what was happening and that, yes, we need and will overcome.
@@lwmson C'mon man, Steiger makes a fine point instead of just saying thank you and walking off, and all you can do is try to bring him down. Rod made his acceptance speech NOT about himself but acknowledged the race issue and Sidney and Dr. King. But for you that wasn't enough? He was being "patronizing"? I'll bet that Sidney Poitier, class act that he was, actually appreciated Rod's speech.
Sidney poitier did actually win best actor did win an best actor oscar for the movie. LILLY IN THE FIELDS and that was before this Sideney Poitier was the first black actor to win a best actor oscar and he was the only won until Jamie Foxx won for Ray in 2005
Without question, and while this was probably the best performance of those nominations, he also should have won it in 1966 for "The Pawnbroker," which is an even more powerful performance.
Steiger is also brilliant with James Coburn in "Duck, You Sucker" (also known as "A Fistful of Dynamite"), Sergio Leone film from 1971. The soundtrack (from Ennio Morricone) is the best I ever heard.
Spencer Tracy, Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Paul Newman and Rod Steiger. To be honored in the same company, let alone winning an Academy Award for best actor, is mind blowing. Rod Steiger was magnificent in In the Heat of the Night.
Rod Steiger always gave a very passionate performance in his lead and supporting roles. He should have won an Oscar for The Pawnbroker. The way he thanked Sidney Poitier was real classy. I loved his reference to Dr. King. We Shall Overcome!
I will always be thankful for the body of Rod Steiger's work. He never held back. He never wimped out. He never left anything on the table. He gambled it all, win or lose, and THAT is a real artist.
+carmaj156 That was a subtle raking-over-the-coals directed at the nominating committee for not nominating Mr. Poitier, who gave an absolutely stellar performance in the movie.
Always love the part of ITHOTN where Rod's character comfesses his loneliness, and Sidney's shows some empathy only to be rebuffed with the whole "I don't want a Black man feeling sorry for me" routine. It's a beautiful scene, IMHO, and they both should have won an award for it. Thanks so much for posting.
My God - I’ve only seen him in ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and had no idea what he was like out of character. He truly was acting - such a difference from his normal self!
For more of Steiger's excellent acting, check out " On the Waterfront " with Marlon Brando, " Dr. Zhivago, " and " The Pawnbroker. " Three performances in totally different genres.
my favorite movie........imagine what i was thinking when i was told that rod steiger was dining at the restaurant i worked at; and asked for ME to serve him! he told me he was filming a movie and asked someone where to eat in atlanta. he was told by one of my regular customers to request me. a thrill indeed!
...And thanks in part to this movie and Mr. Steiger's performance along with Mr. Poitier, we DID overcome and continue each day to overcome indeed! GOD speed Rod!
What a tight field! I don't think I've ever seen a best actor category with such perfect performances across the board. Even today people are talking about these actors in these five films. It's a shame, in a way. Any other year and each one of them would have won.
1983 Oscars was a stacked year too! Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, Ben Kingsley in Gandhi (he won), Jack Lemmon in Missing, Paul Newman in The Verdict and Peter O'Toole in My Favorite Year.
Back then Oscar winners spoker properly distinctly and politely. If they have to speak of something not directly relevant, they asked audience's indulgence. No foul language, no hysterical tears and no false humility.
+Mia7189 I so agree with you about the sophistication aspect. Today the ceremony has the atmosphere of a cheap circus. And yes, Miss Bloom was a vision of elegance and beauty. And what an actress! I never tire of her excellent work in The Haunting.
Rod Steiger gave an autstanging and exellent performance in director David Leans historical epic cinematic film Doctor Zhivago 1965,he was great in it also was Omar Shariff in the tittle role and of course Geraldine Chaplin- coincidentally David Lean considered casting Audrey Hepburn in Geraldine Chaplins part as Tonia Gromenko,however Geraldine Chaplin got the part, and she was absolutelly stunning
A perfect acceptance speech by Rod Steiger. He should have won in the previous year for Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker, but Lee Marvin pulled an upset for Cat Ballou. This performance represented the pinnacle of Steiger's career. He continued to make good films, but he never recaptured the success of the early to mid 60s. Paul Newman gave another outstanding performance in Cool Hand Luke, but he ultimately won for his re-creation of the Fast Eddie role in Scorsese's The Color Of Money.
Some line up!! Glad to see Rod won it in the end. You can call him an old ham, but like Charles Laughton, it's ham fit for a king. His performance in "Heat of the night" is spellbinding.
I'm black I had no problem with Rod Steiger winning the Oscar for best actor for In The Heat Of The Night if anything I thought Rod upstaged Sidney.His acceptance speech at the Oscars & the AFI awards honoring Mr.Poitier,pure class.
I've seen all those films as well as To Sir with Love which also came ouit that year, one of the very best years ever for movies, I would have also voted for Steiger, his performance weas outstanding.
What a lineup of quality performances. Sidney could of been nominated too.They call me mr.Tibbs. George Kennedy won supporting actor for Cool hand Luke.
Kudos to Steiger for his performance because it was an amazing transformation and execution. It is good that Steiger give recognition to Poitier; however, isn't it sad that Poitier was not nominated. It would have made history!
@@XTRABIG I know of at least one: Bette Davis & Anne Baxter for All About Eve. They both may well have won if Baxter had run for Supporting Actress, but she had the bigger part and insisted on Best. She later apologized to Davis.
@@XTRABIG yes the film mutiny on the bounty three of the actors were nominated for best actor Voight and Hoffman for midnight cowboy finch and Holden for network
@@sgsmozart it's something that the artistic community didn't like it, as separating people between winners and losers. In 1989, it changed for the current standard. Just some facts.
It was also so unfortunate tfor Sidney Poitier to miss out the nomination. But looking at the other nominees, the academy members would have to make a truly tough decision to rule him out of the category
That was a great acceptance speech. He did a great job in “The heat of the night.” I know Rod said his best picture was “The Pawnbroker” but I thought “Waterloo” was a much juicier role. He was great in “The harder they fall” with Bogie too.
The first time I watched Steiger was in Duck, You Sucker as a kid, but I caught it it near the end. A few years later I watched Waterloo and then became obsessed with his performance. Lately I've been trying to watch all his other movies, and every time I admire him more!
My favorite male actor of all times Rod Steiger so intelligent in real life + total opposite from his acting A true talent + original to show the next generation + oh so handsome when he was young He has a hard life + deserved more being in the spotlight
The atmosphere of this ceremony was unique - it has been postponed following the assassination on Martin Luther King. It also gives the comment "We SHALL overcome" a greater meaning.
Honestly what a line up and what a collection of classic movies. Never got better. However, Sidney Poitier SHOULD have nominated too for his role alongside Steiger. Glorious times for cinema
Sidney Poitier's white colleagues both got the nomination (and one won) while he was snubbed, yet both movies are remembered because of Poitier. Legend!
Mindörökké Rod Steiger!! Fenomenális színész volt, a maga egyszerűségében és természetességében mindig nagyot alakított. Nem "szépfiúkat" és "hősöket" formált meg, hanem többnyire a hétköznap emberét szívvel-lélekkel, valódi átéléséssel. Megérdemelte az Oscart!! Nagyon sajnálom, hogy már nem él, nyugodjon békében!
And this is just one year after he played a man who dressed as a woman. Great, versatile actor, and one of the most fascinating characters in film history.
Audrey is great, Steiger great speech. This was like one week after the Martin Luther King assassination and the Oscars were postponed for 2 days for the funeral. The competition was really fierce in this category that year!
one of the great actors and one of the great performances and films. He and Poitier adlibbed part of the scene at Steiger's house in the film. Awesome. And, yeah, rarely have so many great films been made in one year.
BRAVO! MR. STIEGER WAS SO GRACIOUS, APPRECIATIVE AND SO CLASSY WITH HIS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AND MANNERISMS. IN 2021 YOU DON'T SEE THIS TYPE OF ELEGANCE AND CLASS. ❤ R.I.P. SIR. 🕊 🕊 🙏 🙏 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊 🕊
Steiger was mesmeric in HOTN. An example of the great acting axiom...If you only see the actor, it's not great acting; if you only see the character that's great acting
That was an era when it was really difficult to give an oscar.... all of them deserved an oscar... in today oscars none of the nomitates deserves nothing.
Later in life when Rod Steiger was returning to acting after recovering from serious health problems, a young producer asked him, "Can you do a southern accent?"
