Who is the model for the statue? It is believed that the statue itself is actually modelled on Emilio Fernandez, who was a Mexican filmmaker and actor. The story goes that when working in Hollywood, he met the wife of Cedric Gibbons. He asked Fernandez to pose naked for a sketch to create the basis for the trophy.
Emilio “El Indio” Fernández, a very well-known Mexican actor and filmmaker who used the nickname “the Indian” to embrace his Kickapoo roots, claimed to be the model for the trophy during his stay in Hollywood in the 1920s.
Margaret Herrick, librarian and president of the Academy, may have said she named it after her supposed uncle Oscar in 1921. The only corroboration was a 1938 clipping from the Los Angeles Examiner, in which Herrick told a story of her and her husband joking with each other using the phrase, "How's your uncle Oscar".
Design: A stylized figure of a knight holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes signifying the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers).
Is the Oscar Statuette Modeled After a Latino? | Emilio Fernández
How much is a real Oscar worth?
In 1950 the Academy introduced a law prohibiting the sale of the Oscars. The real price of the statuettes is actually one dollar. In the event that a person wants to get rid of one of the awards, they cannot sell it and will have to return it to the Academy for that price.
As the story goes, Herrick was looking at one of the first versions of the statue and randomly proclaimed, "He reminds me of my Uncle Oscar." The "uncle" Herrick was referring to was actually her cousin who was a farmer from Texas who Herrick lovingly called "Uncle" and went by the name Oscar Pierce.
Through a study carried out by IBISworld some time ago, it was estimated that the average salary of an Oscar winner rises by up to 20% after receiving the award, so although they don't receive anything directly, it does increase their income.
According to the Academy's rulebook, if a winner wants to sell his or her Oscar, he or she must offer it to the Academy, which may pay one dollar for the statuette.
It is composed of 24-karat gold-plated bronze. The sleek award stands 13.5 inches tall and weighs a hefty 8.5 pounds. If cast in 24-karat gold, the award would weigh 22.7 pounds, a mass equivalent to a large watermelon or two-year-old child. Gold is 2.7 times as dense as bronze.
Rooted in Irish culture and folklore, Oscar is a boy's name that means "God spear," "deer-lover," or "champion warrior." The name derives from the Gaelic elements os, meaning "deer," and car, meaning "loving," and he was one of the mightiest warriors to come from Irish legends.
A final theory attributes the nickname to Academy librarian Margaret Herrick who reportedly made an off-hand comment that the statuette reminded her of her uncle Oscar. The name eventually stuck, especially when she later became the Executive Director of the Academy.
Founded by Louis B Mayer, head of MGM studios, in 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was intended as a non-profit organisation with the goal of advancing the film industry.
That is when the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite - started by activist and writer April Reign - began to trend, highlighting the fact that out of 20 actors nominated that year, none were people of colour.
“For prices from approximately $10,000 to $1.5m. And roughly a dozen lawsuits have been filed over potential sales of Oscar statuettes in recent history.” The trade began in earnest in 1993, when Vivien Leigh's family auctioned her best actress Oscar from Gone With the Wind for an eye-catching $563,000.
There's no monetary prizes attached to the Academy Award. The statuette is made from solid bronze and painted with 24-karat gold, it cost around $400 to make them.
Mostly, stars are loaned a dress (usually by a brand they're affiliated with) or, sometimes, paid to wear a certain designer gown to ensure valuable publicity for the brand – even better if the star in question wins one of the coveted gold statuettes.
The nominated directors, actors, composers, scriptwriters and designers are all desperate to win an Oscar, but in addition to the statue, and the glory that goes with it, do the Oscar winners receive a cash prize from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences? The quick answer is no.
The Award of Merit statuette, commonly known as the “Oscar,” is the copyrighted property and registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (“Academy”).
Young Oscar is ten, and is in hospital, deeply aware of what no one will admit to him - that he is dying of cancer. So he writes a letter to God, encouraged by Granny Rose, one of the "ladies in pink" who visits sick children at the hospital.
Emil Jannings was awarded the Best Actor for his performances in "The Way of All Flesh" and "The Last Command," making history as the first actor to receive an Oscar.
