List of fictitious Academy Award nominees

There have been several fictional people or people using false names nominated for actual Academy Awards, in several cases because the actual winners were blacklisted at the time. This list is current as of the 80th Academy Awards ceremony held on February 24, 2008.

Winners

Pierre Boulle
* 1957 Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for "Bridge on the River Kwai"::Despite not having written the screenplay and not even speaking English, Boulle was credited because the film's actual writers, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, had been blacklisted as communist sympathizers. On December 11 1984, the Board of Governors voted posthumous Oscars to the duo.Fact|date=July 2008

Nathan E. Douglas
* 1958 Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen for "The Defiant Ones"::Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith co-wrote the screenplay, but Young was blacklisted and used a pseudonym for his screen credit. As an inside joke, director Stanley Kramer cast Young and Smith in bit parts as truck drivers and had their screen credit appear while they were on screen together. In 1993, AMPAS restored Young's credit for this work.

Ian McLellan Hunter
* 1953 Best Story for "Roman Holiday"::The name was used to as a cover for blacklisted writer Dalton Trumbo.Fact|date=July 2008 On December 15 1992, the Board of Governors voted to change the records and recognize Trumbo. Hunter's name was removed. However, Hunter's son, director Tim Hunter, refused to cede the award to Trumbo,Fact|date=July 2008 so the Academy presented a second Academy Award.

Robert Rich
* 1956 Best Story for "The Brave One"::This was another cover for Trumbo. Shortly before his death, Trumbo revealed the much-suspected truth.Fact|date=July 2008

Nominees

Roderick Jaynes
* 1997 Best Film Editing for "Fargo"
* 2007 Best Film Editing for "No Country for Old Men"::Writer-director brothers Joel and Ethan Coen have edited several of their films under this name. [cite web |url=http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2008/01/roderick_jaynes_imaginary_osca.html |title=Roderick Jaynes, Imaginary Oscar Nominee for ‘No Country’ |author=Jada Yuan |publisher="New York Magazine" |date=January 22 2008 |accessdate=2008-07-11]

Donald Kaufman
* 2003 Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for "Adaptation."::Donald Kaufman was nominated along with his "brother" Charlie. In fact, Donald does not exist; the screenplay was written by Charlie alone. Donald was the first fictitious nominee not to be a cover for a real person. (Both appear as characters in the film.)Fact|date=July 2008

P.H. Vazak
* 1985 Best Writing Adapted Screenplay for "Greystoke - The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes".::Robert Towne used his dog's name as a pseudonym.Fact|date=July 2008

References

Sources

* [http://www.oscars.org Oscars site]
* [http://www.geocities.com/oscartrivia/archives/history2002.html Oscar trivia]