For most creative artists , receiving aGrammy , Academy Awardor other sought after industry prize is a mellow laurels that validate their talent and severe work . For others , there 500 carpetinterviews and gasbag - open suspense of annual award shows are just self - congratulatory nonsense .
Woody Allenfamously excused himselffrom all Oscars ceremony claiming they conflict with a standing clarinet gig at a local saloon . ( Allen presented once at the Academy Awards in 2002 to honor New York City films after 9/11 . ) And Katherine Hepburn , despite winning four Academy Award , never collected her awards in someone , but neither Hepburn nor Allen rejected their awards outright .
The list of actor and musicians who have taken the bluff footstep of refusing a major industry accolade or nomination is short , but it ’s full of people assume stands for injustice or simply rejecting the very theme of creative awards instantly .
1. Sinead O’Connor
In 1990 , the moody ballad " Nothing equate 2 uranium " was a gaolbreak bump off for the Irish singer Sinead O’Connor . For the 33rd one-year Grammy Awards ceremonial occasion take in February 1991 , O’Connor wasnominated in four category : Best substitute Music Performance , Record of the Year , Best Pop Vocal Performance ( Female ) and Best Music Video - Short Form .
Just days before O’Connor was scheduled to execute live at the Grammys , though , the politically conscious musician announced she wasboycotting the Grammysand all other awards show to protest the " sham and destructive materialistic value " of the medicine industry .
O’Connor was no stranger to controversy ; she had once refused to have the U.S. National Anthem play before one of her concerts and later on tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on live TV .
O’Connor ended up winning the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance , but refused it , becoming the first and still only Grammy winner to reject the award .
2. Three Grammy Nominees for Best Children’s Music Album
For the 2021 Grammy Awards , three of the five musical acts nominate in the Best Children ’s Music Album category asked to be absent from consideration because all five of the nominees selected by the Recording Academy were snowy .
" After this year , to have an all - clean ticket of nominee seemed really feeling - deaf , " musician and nominee Alastair Moocktold NPR . Moock ’s latest album , " Be a Pain , " include songs dedicate to civic right field loss leader and social activists , and although he would love to get a Grammy one day , " I do n’t want it like this , " he said , " where the trifle field ’s not even . "
In a class rocked by the killings of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans at the hand of police , and the widespread Black Lives Matter protests that conform to , Moock and two other campaigner — the Okee Dokee Brothers and Dog on Fleas — feel it was awry to compete in an all - bloodless class .
The Grammy was given to Joanie Leeds , whose record album " All the Ladies " is devote to empowering women . In 2022,five creative person of colorwere put forward in this category .
3. Marlon Brando
The 1973 Academy Awards were the first to be televised internationally via artificial satellite and player Marlon Brando saw an opportunity to run globose medium attention to the plight of Native Americans , peculiarly theprotestors occupyingWounded knee joint , South Dakota .
So rather of attending the Oscars himself , Brando sent a vernal Apache actor and activistic namedSacheen Littlefeather . When Brando won Best Actor for " The Godfather , " Littlefeather made her way to the stage dressed in traditional Native American habiliment .
When one of the conferrer , Roger Moore of James Bond renown , progress to out to pass the Oscar statuette to Littlefeather , she politely motioned her refusal , then addressed the audience of Hollywood and amusement industry elites . After introducing herself , she explain why she was there .
" I am symbolize Marlon Brando this eventide , " articulate Littlefeather in a unagitated voice , " and he has asked me to tell you … that he very regretfully can not accept this very generous honor , and the grounds for this being the treatment of American Indians today by the movie industry . "
At that point , some in the audience started boo , but they were quickly drowned out by supportive applause . Littlefeather eat up her short statement and afterward met with the press to learn a 15 - Thomas Nelson Page letter written by Brando .
As a outcome of her very public stand , Littlefeathersays she was blacklisted(or " redlisted " in her give-and-take ) from ever working in Hollywood again , although her coming into court later inspired actor like Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith toboycott attending the 2016 Oscarsin whichall 20 nominees in the acting category were whitefor the 2d yr in a row .
4. George C. Scott
Months before the 1971 Academy Awards ceremony , thespian George C. Scott sent a telegram to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences inform the show ’s producer that he would reject any nominating speech for his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the 1970 film " Patton . "
Scott had been saying for years that he had no interest in awards or laurels shows and had even call for the Academy to withdraw his name from a previous Best Supporting Actor nomination for " The Hustler " in 1962 .
" The ceremonial are a two - hour meat parade , " said Scott , " a public display with contrived suspense for economic reason . "
But the Academy went against Scott ’s wish and put up him for Best Actor in 1971 on thesheer metier of his performance . When doer Goldie Hawn giddily unfold the gasbag and announced Scott as the success , Scott was reportedly departed at home base in New York . As promised , he refuse the honour , which was collected at the ceremony by the pic ’s manufacturer .
Two days later , Scott let it be known that he would not oppose an Oscar nominating speech for his directoral first appearance " Rage . “He did n’t get one .
5. Dudley Nichols
The very first person to resist to accept an Academy Award was screenwriter Dudley Nichols right smart back in 1936 . It was only the eighth Academy Awards ceremony and Nichols had written the screenplay for " The Informer , " a critical hitting about the Irish warfare for independency that about swept the Oscars , winning for Best Director , Best Actor , Best Score and for Nichols , Best Screenplay .
But Nichols , an ardent unionist , had a gripe with the Academy , which had contain side with the big studios in heated proletariat negotiations with actor and writers . In those day , the Oscar winners were announced before the ceremony , so Nichols decided to take a stand for his fellow writers and send a very public substance to the studios byrefusing to accept the awardor attend the ceremonial occasion .
The Academy tried to deliver the Oscar statuette to Nichols twice , but he sent it back both times . The undermentioned year , the Screen Writers Guild elect Nichols the sexual union president in recognition of his loyalty . In 1938 , Nichols extended an olive branch to the Academy by belatedly accepting the Oscar .
