Win or lose tonight, Judd Hirsch made Oscars history.
The 87-year-old actor, who features in The Fabelmans as Sammy's Great Uncle Boris, set a new record for longest gap between Oscar nominations: 41 years and 341 days. He was first nominated in 1980, in the Best Supporting Actor category, for his role in Ordinary People. He's up again in the same category this year for his role in Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film. The previous record was held by Henry Fonda, who had a gap of 41 years and 1 day between his Best Actor nominations (from 1941 for The Grapes of Wrath and 1982 for On Golden Pond).
In both his roles, Hirsch acted opposite a 19-year-old. "I guess if you want to get an Academy Award, you’ve got to think of another picture with me and a 19-year-old kid," he told GoldDerby.
He's grateful for the acknowledgement of his work. "I feel very inadvertently lucky." Hirsch told The Guardian in an interview ahead of the Academy Awards. "The great respect for Steven, and the fact that it’s written very well and acted beautifully, I believe turns people’s minds to say, of me, 'He had something to do with this. He was an important element in this movie.' This is what I hope they thought. Instead of saying, 'Well, he is old enough now, let’s give him an Academy Award nomination. It’s been 42 years since the last one.'"
Of his recent roles in Fabelmans, Hunters, Uncut Gems, The Meyerowitz Stories, and more, Hirsch says, "I call it the 'motor mind of the business,' meaning you ain’t just showing up and doing lines. It puts you into the conversation. And this is late in life for this, but yes, OK, I accept."
Hirsch doesn't want his age to be a factor, however, in awards consideration. He says, "That’s why I would appreciate perhaps even winning this Academy Award. Because I believe everybody loved the movie and I had enough to do with it that it meant something. Not because it’s a charity – 'Oh, well, he’s 87, might as well give him one.' I’m not interested in that."
If Hirsch wins tonight, he'll set a new record for oldest Oscar winner for acting; that record is currently held by Anthony Hopkins, who took home the Best Actor trophy at age 83 in 2021.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
