And the award for the funniest speech goes to..
There have been thrills, spills, tears and laughs... and that’s not even in their movies.
Acceptance speeches on awards nights can be dull or cringeworthy – Gwyneth Paltrow sobbing on stage at the Oscars in 1999 was a low point. But every now and again, a star gives us some comedy gold.
As the industry high-flyers line up to accept their awards at tonight’s Baftas, they might learn a lesson from those who have come before.
Here are some of the best acceptance speeches which deserve a prize in their own right.
Jerry Seinfeld 2007 HBO Comedian Awards
Comedy king Seinfeld famously delivered one of the most famous speeches while accepting the Comedian Award. He said: “I don’t want to give you the wrongong impression. I don’t wantt you to think I’m not honourednoured by this because I’m,m, I feel very, very honouredured and it’s – but it’s just that awards are stupid. And why? Because awardswards don’t mean a goddamnddamn thing. It’s stupid, they’re all stupid.”
Robin Williams 1992 Golden Globes
The star won Best Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy for his performance in The Fisher King... then launched into a side-splitting speech. He said: “I’d l ike to t hank my agents, my managers, all the people who make me Jewish by commission.” He then went on to thank seemingly dozens more people in various accents and dialects. “I’d like to thank Jeff Bridges, a man who should be declared a national t reasure… I’m just thanking everybody now.”
Adam Sandler 2012 People’s Choice Awards Most stars thank the people who’ve helped them – Sandler went further. He thanked the grade school teachers who shaped his young life and then dedicated his award to, among others, Mrs Rotten Breath, Mr B fig Bald Spot On The Side Of Your Head and
Mrs Really Old Lady With The Bad Wig Who Died Halfway Through The Second Grade. Ellen DeGeneres 2016 People’s Choice Humanitarian Award Even accepting such
a serious award, the comedian and queen of US TV chat couldn’t resist a wisecrack. She had been given the award for her philanthropic work and, when she went on stage to accept it, she told the audience: “This is crazy. I mean, so, so deserved. But this is crazy… I started my show just to make people happy and to make people laugh and to get very, very rich.”