The Actor Who Won Two Oscars For The Same Role

Throughout history, there have been many instances of actors winning multiple Oscars for various performances in their extensive filmographies. There's even a handful of film characters that have secured multiple Oscar wins for different actors, such as Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger for the Joker or Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno for "West Side Story's" Anita. However, in the nearly century-long history of the Academy Awards, there has been only one instance of a performer winning two Oscars for the same role. 

It's the kind of astonishing feat that sounds impossible, yet it did occur once in the 1940s. To boot, this historical accomplishment belongs not to a veteran of the performing arts but a veteran who had no prior acting experience. Everything about this situation is tremendously fascinating, particularly since there's no way it could happen again today. This was a fluke that looms large over all other aspects of Oscars history.

The man responsible for this tremendous awards achievement is Harold Russell, who won two Oscars for the same role, Homer Parrish in the Best Picture Oscar-winning film "The Best Years of Our Lives." Russell might not be a household name to non-film geeks, but both his acting chops and award season triumphs are worth remembering. Russell's life story alone is incredibly fascinating, as are the circumstances behind how he scored an Oscar feat that not even legendary actors like Daniel Day-Lewis or Meryl Streep have accomplished. Among his many accomplishments, Harold Russell eternally stands as the only person to win two Oscars for the same role.

Russell's portrayal of Homer Parrish was a deeply personal one for the actor, as both he and the character had lost their hands during military service. This quality imbued a sense of lived-in authenticity to Russell's work. At the time, though, the Academy perceived Russell's lack of prior acting experience as a signifier that he could never win in the Best Supporting Actor Oscar category. Thus, Russell was given a separate honorary Oscar at the 19th Academy Awards centered on recognizing both the quality of his performance and his military contributions. For folks at The Academy, that seemed to be the end of the story. Russell had his Oscar and the more high-profile Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominees from that year like Charles Coburn and Claude Rains would surely win the award instead.

Fate has a funny way of playing on expectations at the Oscars, though. Just like "Crash" taking a surprise win over "Brokeback Mountain" or countless other shocking Oscar victories, Russell scooped up a Best Supporting Actor Oscar at this same ceremony. The Honorary Oscar meant to cover up an "inevitable" Oscar loss now ensured he had won two Oscars in the same night for portraying Homer Parrish. It was an unbelievably surprising outcome, and it solidified "The Best Years of Our Lives" as that year's Oscar juggernaut shortly before it won the Best Picture prize.

Understandably, outright euphoria defined Harold Russell's demeanor as he was graced with two Oscars in the same evening. After securing his honorary Oscar, Russell declared that this was "the proudest and happiest moment of life" before thanking folks like director William Wyler, who made "The Best Years of Our Lives." Russell also shouted out fellow disabled veterans, who were finally seen on-screen in a narrative film thanks to his "Best Years of Our Lives" presence.

Russell's time on stage wasn't over yet, though. Later on in the ceremony, he would take home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, which inspired Russell to give a more succinct yet profoundly grateful speech where he simply said, "Thank you very much. Two in a night is just too much! Thanks a lot." What else could be said? Scoring two Oscars in the same night for one performance pretty much speaks for itself anyway.

In the ensuing years after the 19th Academy Awards, further major acting roles for Russell were tragically few and far between. However, this Oscar winner still carved out a satisfying life for himself that included a stint living in Cape Cod. During this portion of his life, his house was broken into. Shockingly, per The Cape Cod Times, Harold's Oscars were totally safe and never touched during the thieving. The enduring nature of those Oscars perfectly encapsulates how Harold Russell's magnificent performance will never be forgotten in cinema history.