Oldest First Time Oscar Nominees

by Helen Earnshaw | 24 February 2016

Charlotte Rampling is one of the best actresses that this country has ever produced and it is hard to believe that she has never been nominated for an Oscar... but all that changed a few weeks ago.

Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years

Yes, Rampling is one of the Brits in the Oscar mix as she picked up a Best actress nod for her stunning performance in 45 Years. it is a mystery why she has never been nominated before.

At the age of seventy, Rampling is one of the oldest first-time nominees and joins a range of actors and actresses who were not recognised by the Academy until their later years.

We take a look at some of the oldest first-time Oscar nominees and some of the oldest first time Oscar winners as we celebrate Rampling's Best Actress category.

- Emmanuelle Riva - Best Actress - Amour - 85

We have seen quite a few older first-time nominees in recent years, and back in 2012, it was Emmanuelle Riva who was thrust into the spotlight for her performance in the stunning film Amour.

While Riva was no stranger to the big screen, Amour was one of her biggest films and, at the age of eighty-five, saw her pick up her first Oscar nod as she was in the Best Actress mix.

The movie saw Riva take on the role of Anne, a woman who suffers a stroke and is cared for by her husband - putting their relationship to the test like never before. The movie saw Michael Haneke in the director's chair.

Riva was nominated alongside Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), and Naomi Watts (The Impossible). It was Lawrence that went on to triumph.

- Jessica Tandy - Best Actress - Driving Miss Daisy - 80

Jessica Tandy was an actress who kicked off her acting career back in 1926 but she has to wait until she was eighty before she picked up her first Oscar nomination.

The nomination came in the Best Actress category for her terrific performance in Driving Miss Daisy, alongside Morgan Freeman. She would go on to win the award and become the oldest actress to win

Tandy was the toast of the awards circuit that year as she also scooped a Golden Globe and a Bafta for her performance.

Driving Miss Daisy was released back in 1989 and saw Bruce Beresford in the director's chair. The movie was an adaptation of the play of the same name by Alfred Uhry - who adapted his own work into a screenplay.

This was to be the first of two Oscar nominations for Tandy, as she picked up Best Supporting Actress nod in 1991 for her performance in Fried Green Tomatoes. She lost out to Mercedes Ruehl for The Fisher King.

- Christopher Plummer - Best Supporting Actor - The Last Station - 80

Christopher Plummer made his film debut back in 1958 in Stage Struck and went on to take on the now iconic role of Captain George von Trapp in The Sound of Music.

Sadly, the actor was eighty when he bagged his first Oscar nomination; recognised in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance in The Last Station. Plummer took on the role of Leo Tolstoy in the film, which was set in the last year of his life.

The movie was based on the biographical novel of the same name by Jay Parini and saw Plummer star alongside Helen Mirren, Paul Giamatti, and James McAvoy. It was a terrific performance from Plummer but he lost out on the Oscar to Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds.

He became one of the oldest Oscar winners two years later when he triumphed in the same category for his performance in Beginners. He saw off the challenge from Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), Jonah Hill (Moneyball), Nick Nolte (Warrior), and Max von Sydow (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close).

- Gloria Stuart - Best Supporting Actress - Titanic - 87

Titanic remains one of the most successful movies of all time and - hard to believe - but it a film that is almost twenty years old. Directed by James Cameron, the movie picked up a whopping fourteen Oscar nominations; including one for Best Supporting Actress.

Gloria Stuart took on the role of older Rose in the film, a woman who looks back on her time on the Titanic and shares her story with the crew looking for necklace the Heart of the Ocean. Stuart was eighty-seven when he received this nomination - the first of her career.

At the age of eighty-seven, the actress became the oldest person to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for acting. Her co-star Kate Winslet, picked up her firs Best Actress nod of her career that same year.

Stuart was nominated alongside Kim Basinger (L.A. Confidential), Joan Cusack (In & Out), Minnie Driver (Good Will Hunting), and Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) - Basinger went on to win the award.

- Hal Holbrook - Best Supporting Actor - Into The Wild - 82

Hal Holbrook is another actor who was recognised later in life as he picked up a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination at the age of eighty-two.

Holbrook kicked off his acting career in 1954 but he had to wait until 2007 for his Oscar nod - which came thanks to a fantastic performance in Into The Wild.

Into The Wild was directed, written, and produced by Sean Penn and was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jon Krakauer. The movie saw Holbrook star alongside Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, and Jena Malone.

Holbrook's Best Supporting Actor nomination was one of two Oscar nods for the film; it was also nominated for Best Achievement in Film Editing. Holbrook was nominated alongside Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men), Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Philip Seymour Hoffman (Charlie Wilson's War), and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton). It was Bardem that was to triumph on the night.

- June Squibb - Best Supporting Actress - Nebraska - 84

Nebraska was one of the most acclaimed movies of 2013 and marked the return of Alexander Payne to the director's chair. The movie saw Bruce Dern, June Squibb, and Will Forte play husband, wife and son - they all delivered wonderful performances.

Nebraska picked up six nods when the Oscar nominations were revealed... and one of them was a Best Supporting Actress nomination for June Squibb.

Squibb was no stranger to the big screen with the likes of About Schmidt, Scent of a Woman, and The Age of Innocence under her belt, but this was the first Oscar nod of her career. She was eighty-four when the Oscar spotlight finally shone on her.

Sadly, Squibb was to miss out on the award - losing to Lupita Nyong'o for her performance in 12 Years A Slave. Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle), and Julia Roberts (August: Osage County) were also in the mix that year.