Now it’s time for the Golden Globes, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association honors stars and projects from both movies and television on a single glittery night. Though the 78th annual ceremony (February 28 on NBC) will have no live audience, Tina Fey, 50, and Amy Poehler, 49, will be returning to host, toast and roast for the fourth time, but from different locations: Fey in New York City and Poehler in Beverly Hills. What will the show be like? We don’t know. But we do know that Fey and Poehler are scathingly funny, and that historically the show is wild and wacky. Here’s a look back at some highlights.
The Best Moments in Golden Globe History
1958…friends and “Rat Pack” members Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin stormed the stage with their whiskey glasses and cigarettes and “hijacked” the rest of the show, handing out awards and jokes. The audience loved it. The show wouldn’t have official celebrity hosts until 1995, when John Larroquette and Janine Turner did the honors. 1964…Sidney Poitier accepted the Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama award for Lilies of the Field, becoming the first African American winner in the history of the show. (He’d receive the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award in 1982.) It wasn’t until 1969 that Diahann Carroll became the first African American female winner, collecting the award for Best Actress in a Television Series for Julia. 1980…the youngest Globes winner ever, 9-year-old Ricky Schroder, won New Star of the Year for The Champ. 1982…Pia Zadora, then 28, shocked the crowd when she won New Star of the Year for her turn as a teen nymphet in an obscure incest drama called Butterfly. (Among the future stars she beat were Elizabeth McGovern for Ragtime and Kathleen Turner for Body Heat.) Insiders whispered that the award was “bought” by her then-husband, billionaire businessman Meshulam Riklis. She denies it to this day. 1986…Whoopi Goldberg, who won a best actress award for her breakout role in The Color Purple, ascended the stage in a bright yellow tracksuit, white coat and high-top Reebok sneakers (a hot commodity at the time). “You dream about this kind of stuff,” she said while accepting. “I’m not going to lie. I’ve never seen all these people before!” 1989…there was an astounding three-way tie for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama: Jodie Foster (The Accused); Shirley MacLaine (Madame Sousatzka) and Sigourney Weaver (Gorillas in the Mist). It has never happened again. Foster went on later that year to the win the Best Actress Oscar—all by herself. 1996…the Globes saw the biggest upset of all time in the TV drama category: The earnest young-adult drama Party of Five bested heavyweights ER, NYPD Blue, Chicago Hope and Murder One. This year, Ozark, The Mandalorian, The Crown, Ratched and Lovecraft Country are the acclaimed series nominated for best TV drama. 1998…the most gracious award should have gone to Ving Rhames, who, after winning for HBO’s Don King: Only in America, tearfully turned over his award for Best Actor in a Television Motion Picture to fellow nominee and showbiz legend Jack Lemmon (who played Juror No. 8 in the year’s 12 Angry Men TV movie) right onstage. After the show, Rhames reportedly would not take the trophy back, even at Lemmon’s urging. 2001…presenter Elizabeth Taylor was supposed to walk to the center of the stage, name the nominees and announce the winner. Instead, the Hollywood icon immediately ripped open the envelope for best movie drama and nearly revealed the winner of the night’s big prize, right then and there. The crowd gasped; producer Dick Clark ran onto the stage and interrupted her. The winner? Gladiator—or, as she pronounced it, “Glaaaaadiator!” 2016…87-year-old composer Ennio Morricone (who died in July 2020) became the oldest winner, nabbing Best Motion Picture Score for 2015’s The Hateful Eight. (Jessica Tandy, age 80 when she won for Driving Miss Daisy in 1990, is the oldest winner in an acting category.) 2021…Meryl Streep was snubbed. She didn’t receive a nomination for her role as a faded Broadway diva in the Netflix adaptation of The Prom. No worries, though. Streep has the most individual nominations of all time, with 32 since 1979. She also has the most acting wins, with eight, in addition to receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2017.
Golden Globes Firsts
The first ceremony was held January 20, 1944, at the 20th Century Fox Studios. The Song of Bernadette, a biographical drama about the sainted Bernadette Soubirous starring Vincent Price and Jennifer Jones, won three trophies, including Best Motion Picture. As the shows and categories evolved, more people became members of the first-timers club. First Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical:Judy Holliday, Born Yesterday (1951) First Best Original Song: “Town Without Pity,” Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington (1962) First Best TV Actor, Drama:Mike Connors, Mannix (1970) First Best TV Actress, Musical or Comedy: Carol Burnett, The Carol Burnett Show and Julie Sommars, The Governor & J.J. (tie; 1970)
Will Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy Win First Globes?
Comedy vets Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy are celebrating their first-ever nominations thanks to their hilarious work as the Roses on the final season of Schitt’s Creek. If they miss out, at least they’ll be in good company: Nominees Will Smith, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts, Laurence Fishburne, Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson and Will Ferrell all are Globe-less.
The Crown Continues Winning Tradition
Olivia Colman, Emma Corrin and Helena Bonham Carter are seeking wins for portraying royals—the 1980s versions—in The Crown. If any win, they’d uphold a longstanding tradition: Colman also won last year for playing Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown; in 2007, Helen Mirren won for playing Her Royal Highness in the film The Queen and Elizabeth I in the miniseries Elizabeth I. Meanwhile, in 1999, Cate Blanchett won Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for playing Elizabeth I in Elizabeth.
How Many Stars Have Won Two Golden Globes in Same Year?
Olivia Colman is nominated for both The Crown as well as for her heartbreaking performance in the film The Father. Four stars have already won two acting awards in a single year: Sigourney Weaver —Gorillas in the Mist, Working Girl (1989) Joan Plowright —Enchanted April, Stalin (1993) Helen Mirren —The Queen, Elizabeth I (2007) Kate Winslet —Revolutionary Road, The Reader (2009)
Celebrating 25 years of Nicole Kidman
At the 1996 ceremony, Nicole Kidman won her first Golden Globe (for her role as a tempestuous fame-obsessed TV weathercaster in To Die For). She’d go on to win four more times, for Moulin Rouge!, The Hours and twice (once as a producer) for Big Little Lies. She’s nominated again this year in the Best Actress in a Limited Series category for her work in the buzzy whodunit series The Undoing.
Best Golden Globes Quotes
Though the Globes are a symbol of Hollywood elegance, we can’t help but laugh at some of our favorite funny quotes given while accepting awards. “I’d like to thank…actually, the makers of Kaopectate. They’ve done a great service for their fellow man.” —Brad Pitt, 1996 supporting actor winner for 12 Monkeys (referring to his nervous stomach) “Oh, my God! I was in the bathroom, mom!” —Christine Lahti, 1998 “I took a valium tonight.” —Jack Nicholson, 2003 “I always thought ‘foreign press’ was a wrestling move!” —Robin Williams, 2005 “What does it say? ‘I beat Meryl!’” —Jennifer Lawrence, holding up her award, 2013
What is the Golden Globes statue made of?
The Golden Globe award—a shiny mounted “globe” surrounded by a swirl of film—is 10.75 inches tall, 3.5 inches wide and weighs 7.5 pounds; by comparison, an Oscar is 8.5 pounds. The award got a face-lift in 2008 by way of a new custom marble presentation box, and in 2018, that statue’s consistency was changed to brass, zinc and bronze.
Remembering the 2018 #MeToo Movement Fashion
Awards shows are usually full of colorful dresses and suits. But the 2018 Golden Globes red carpet put the brightness on mute. Instead, men and women wore black to protest sexual harassment and sexual misconduct in Hollywood. The fashion statement supported the Time’s Up (#TimesUp) movement.
Sandra Oh’s History-Making Win
In 2019, Sandra Oh made history twice: She became the first Asian host of the Globes as well as the first woman of Asian descent to win multiple trophies, thanks to her win for Killing Eve. (Back in 2006, she won Best Supporting TV Actress for Grey’s Anatomy.)
When Did Golden Globes Start Airing on TV?
The ceremony became a televised event starting in 1953, but it was only broadcast locally in Los Angeles. It got a slight promotion in 1964 and 1965, airing as a special segment on The Andy Williams Show. Since 1993, the show has been part of the NBC lineup, except in 2008 when, due to the Writers Guild of America strike, winners were announced via an hour-long special hosted by Access Hollywood anchors Billy Bush and Nancy O’Dell.
The Two Stars Who Refused to Accept Golden Globes
Only two Golden Globes have been refused: In 1970, the producers of the political thriller Z passed on Best Foreign Language Film because they were upset the film wasn’t included in the more prestigious Best Motion Picture category. And in 1973, Marlon Brando refused his Best Actor award for The Godfather, citing a protest of U.S. “imperialism and racism.” A few months later, Brando sent a representative, Sacheen Littlefeather, to the stage to decline the Oscar.
What Is the Most-Winning Film of All Time?
Until La La Land swept with seven wins in 2017, the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was the only film to win Globes in all five major categories (picture, actor, actress, director and screenplay). The candy-colored musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone earned those honors, plus original song and best original score.
Golden Globes Ambassadors Through the Years
Since 1971, the scions of Hollywood stars have been picked to hand out the trophies and serve as Golden Globe Ambassadors. For 2021, Jackson Lee, 23, and Satchel Lee, 26, the children of famed director (and three-time nominee) Spike Lee and his wife, producer Tonya Lewis Lee, are taking on the role. “It’s definitely an honor,” says Satchel. “We usually just watch the show on TV!” While Satchel wouldn’t spill the beans on what the Ambassadors would do on a mostly virtual show, she did say, “We’re going to figure out the best ways that we can all celebrate together, but as safely as possible.” The Lee siblings join these other famous offspring who are among those who served as Ambassadors. —Anne Archer (1971) —LauraDern (1982) —MelanieGriffith (1975) and her daughter, DakotaJohnson (2006) —FreddiePrinzeJr. (1996) —RumerWillis (2008) —FrancescaEastwood (2013) —CorinneFoxx (2016) —Sophia, Sistine and Scarlet Stallone (2017) —Dylan and Paris Brosnan (2020)
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s Best Golden Globes quotes
“The hosts really help set the tone,” Satchel Lee says. “Tina and Amy have amazing chemistry.” Friends, co-stars and collaborators, Fey and Poehler have performed onstage together since 1993, when they both honed their skills as part of the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago. Less than a decade later, they were collaborators on Saturday Night Live and went on to do several movies together, including Sisters, Mean Girls and Wine Country. As Golden Globe hosts in 2013, 2014 and 2015, they’ve never been afraid to poke fun at their industry and co-stars. Here are a few of their greatest hits. “You stay away from Michael J. Fox’s son!” —Tina Fey to Taylor Swift, 2013 “I have not seen someone so totally alone and abandoned like that, since you were onstage with James Franco at the Oscars.” —Tina Fey to Anne Hathaway referring to her role in Les Misérables in 2013 (and to Hathaway’s widely panned Oscars performance with Franco in 2011) “For his role in Dallas Buyers Club, he lost 45 pounds. Or what actresses call ‘being in a movie.’” —Tina Fey to Matthew McConaughey, 2014 “Masters of Sex is the degree I got from Boston College.” —Amy Poehler, 2014 “Gravity is nominated for best film. It’s the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age.” —Tina Fey, 2014 Next, Sip This Award-Worthy Cocktail as You Watch the 2021 Golden Globes
