How to Win Oscar

It's often been said that truth is better than fiction, and smart actors live by this adage. You're almost guaranteed to bring home a golden boy if you're man/woman enough to walk in someone else's shoes. From Sean Penn to Helen Mirren to last year's golden girl, Sandra Bullock: if you want some Oscar gold, go for the real deal. Below you'll find a short list (from the 80's to the present) of some of my favorite acting greats who've nabbed Oscar by getting real.


Best Actress:

• Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn
• Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf
• Resse Witherspoon as June Carter Cash
• Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II
• Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf
• Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy

Best Actor:

• Ben Kingsley as Gandhi
• F. Murray Abraham as Antonio Salieri
• Jeremy Irons as Klaus von Bulow
• Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote
• Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin
• Sean Penn as Harvey Milk
• Colin Firth as King George VI (c'mon...it's a lock)

There are always exceptions to rules, even in the land of Oscar. Denzel Washington, nominated for playing Malcolm X, in Spike Lee's fierce and fiery X, was denied Oscar in 1992. 8-time nominee, and first time winner, Al Pacino, took home the coveted statue that evening for his portrayal of suicidal ex-Marine, Col. Frank Slade in Scent of a Woman. (Great tango scene, by the way.)