Anthony Hopkins and other shocking wins in Oscar history

The absent Best Actor winner says even he "really did not expect this"

Stars Insider

26/04/21 | StarsInsider

MOVIES Academy awards

The Academy Awards are one of Hollywood's most anticipated events, gathering the industry together to watch some of the greatest films of the year compete for elite titles. With so much variety to choose from, combined with the often wide discrepancy between audiences and Academy members, there have been more than a few unexpected results over the years.

This year, the biggest shock winner of the night was Sir Anthony Hopkins, who won the Best Actor award for his role in 'The Father.' Many viewers were surprised by the win, as it appears the category was moved to the end of the show in anticipation of a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Even Hopkins did not show up to the ceremony, neither in person or via video, though the morning after he shared a video on social media addressing his win. 

"At 83 years of age I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't," he said, standing outside his home in Wales. While he was grateful to the Academy, he maintained that he really did not think he was going to win, and he paid a short tribute to Boseman as well. Other nominees for the award included Riz Ahmed ('Sound of Metal'), Gary Oldman ('Mank'), and Steven Yeun ('Minari'). 

The shock was so widespread that people began drawing comparisons between the end of this year's Oscars with that of 2017, where the event ended on 'La La Land' accidentally being announced for Best Picture instead of actual winner 'Moonlight'—except this time there was no mistake. 

Click through this gallery to see the biggest shock winners over the history of the Academy Awards. How many of these moments do you remember?

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