Oscars flashback: An Oscar for playing an Oscar winner

Never question the way Hollywood loves a good old biopic. After all, the 77th Academy Awards ceremony, held on Feb. 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, provides all the proof you need. Not only did lead actor go to Jamie Foxx for playing Ray Charles in “Ray,” but the supporting actress win went to a stellar performance by Cate Blanchett for playing legend Katharine Hepburn.

Flying high

In awarding the Oscar to Blanchett for portraying Hepburn in Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” the academy set a new milestone. Blanchett’s award was the first time a performer had won an Oscar for a portrayal of a previous Oscar winner. Hepburn, who died in 2003, was nominated 12 times and ultimately won four Oscars — all in leading roles. And those who enjoy synchronicity might enjoy knowing that Hepburn was often referred to as “the great Kate” — something Cate Blanchett likely appreciates.

Over the years, Blanchett has actually made it something of a habit to get nominated for playing real people — she played Queen Elizabeth I twice in “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” and was nominated for them in 1999 and 2008; and she played a facet of Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” picking up a nomination in 2008.

This was Blanchett’s second nomination (she has eight total) and her first win. She would win again in 2014 as the lead in “Blue Jasmine.”

Accepting the award from presenter Tim Robbins, she made sure to reference the source of inspiration for her role. After thanking her family and husband, producer Andrew Upton, she noted, “When you play someone as terrifyingly well known as Katharine Hepburn, it’s a collaborative effort; you need as much help as you can get. And thank you, of course, to Miss Hepburn. The longevity of her career, I think, is inspiring to everyone.” She then thanked Scorsese, and added, “I hope my son will marry your daughter.” Scorsese, in the audience, laughed heartily.

The director had spotted Blanchett two decades earlier at the Golden Globes, as Vanity Fair reported. And as Scorsese observed her in the ballroom, he realized that she would be perfect for a film he was developing — “The Aviator.” He and his wife agreed simultaneously: “We both looked at each other and said, ‘Katharine Hepburn, there she is.’”

Back down to earth

With that as a backdrop, it’s hard to imagine the other actresses in the running had much of a chance. Three of the nominees were on their first nods: Virginia Madsen, for playing a waitress hanging out with a pair of wine drinkers in “Sideways”; Sophie Okonedo as the wife of a hotelier sheltering victims of a genocide in “Hotel Rwanda”; and Natalie Portman as the duplicitous Alice/Jane in “Closer.” Portman would go on to win in 2011 for “Black Swan” and be nominated again in 2017 for “Jackie.” The others have not been nominated since.

Laura Linney rounded out the list on the second of her three nominations, her first and only so far in a supporting role, for playing the researcher wife of the title character of “Kinsey.”