The 2024 Oscars etched several milestones, and one in particular happened with great frequency: A lot of the night’s winners were first-timers.
Above and below the line talent on “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” “Godzilla Minus One” and more earned their first Oscars ever, including Robert Downey Jr. and Christopher Nolan (yes, really). Three countries — Japan, Ukraine and the United Kingdom also knocked out some first-time milestones.
Here’s a rundown of those earned their first Oscar at the ceremony.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), Best Supporting Actress-
Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s first Oscar kicked off the night.
Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”), Best Adapted Screenplay
Best known for his TV writing, Jefferson accepted his first Oscar with a stirring speech calling on Hollywood to invest in more than just endless blockbuster films.
Dave Mullins and Brad Booker (“War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko”), Best Animated Short
Mullins was previously nominated for the same Oscar in 2018 for “Lou,” which lost to Kobe Bryant and “Dear Basketball.” This was Booker’s first nomination.
Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (“Anatomy of a Fall”), Best Original Screenplay
This year Triet was the first female French filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director. She lost to Christopher Nolan, but earlier in the night she and Arthur Harari, her partner and frequent collaborator, won their first Oscar for the film’s script.
Robert Downey Jr. (“Oppenheimer”), Best Supporting Actor
Yes, you’re reading this right. Prior to Sunday night Robert Downey Jr. had never won an Oscar. “Chaplain” got him nominated for Best Actor in 1993 and his first Supporting Actor nomination came in 2009 for “Tropic Thunder.” Third time’s the charm.
Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Best Director and Best Picture
Once again, your eyes are not deceiving you. Christopher Nolan received Oscar nominations in 2002, 2011 and 2018 but hist first wins happened this year.
Cillian Murphy (“Oppenheimer”), Best Actor
Another Oppen-homie that picked up his first win thanks to the film? Cillian Murphy, J. Robert Oppenheimer himself, who was also nominated for the very first time.
Holly Waddington (“Poor Things”), Best Costume Design
As far as first wins go, Holly Waddington receiving her Oscar from an almost-naked John Cena is hard to top.
Jennifer Lame (“Oppenheimer”), Best Film Editing
Jennifer Lame, also a first-time nominee, was inducted into the Oscar winners club via a “Twins” reunion (presenters Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito).
Hoyte van Hoytema (“Oppenheimer”), Best Cinematography
Hoyte van Hoytema was nominated for the same category in 2018 for “Dunkirk,” but lost to “Blade Runner 2049.”
Charles Roven (“Oppenheimer”), Best Picture
Roven was previously nominated for “American Hustle” in 2013, though that year the Oscar inevitably went to “12 Years a Slave.”
Emma Thomas (“Oppenheimer”), Best Picture — Thomas was previously nominated alongside production partner (and husband) Christopher Nolan for “Inception” and “Dunkirk.”
Kris Bowers (“The Last Repair Shop”) — Though “The Last Repair Shop” marked the second win in a few years for Ben Proudfoot, it was the first for Kris Bowers. He was previously nominated with Proudfoot again in 2021.
Toshio Suzuki (“The Boy and the Heron”), Best Animated Feature
“The Boy and the Heron” director Hayao Miyazaki had already won an Oscars before Sunday (for 2001’s “Spirited Away,”) but it was the first time for producer Toshio Suzuki. Unfortunately Suzuki and Miyazaki weren’t able to attend the ceremony in person, but it did lead to a fun joke about birds by Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel.
The United Kingdom (“Zone of Interest”), Best International Film
Before you ask, this Oscar officially goes to a film’s country of origin. So why did it take so long for the U.K. to win? Because until 2020 this category was known as Best Foreign Language Film, and despite the confusing new name, the rules are the same: To qualify, a film must be produced outside the United States and more than half of the dialogue must be in a language other than English.
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner, Raney Aronson-Rath (“20 Days in Mariupol”), Best Documentary Feature
Chernov was the first-ever Ukrainian Oscar-winner, and he used his acceptance speech to deliver a heartbreaking message about the toll Russia’s unprovoked war against his home country has taken. “I will be the first director on this stage who will say I wish I would never [have] made this film. I wish to be able to exchange this [for] Russia never attacking Ukraine, never occupying our cities,” he said.
Wes Anderson and Steven Rales (“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”), Best Live Action Short
Yes, this is another You Read That Right entry, before Sunday Wes Anderson had never won an Academy Award. You can be forgiven for thinking otherwise, because he’s been nominated 7 times before, the first in 2002. Rales was previously nominated alongside Anderson in 2015.
Tarn Willers, Johnnie Burn (The Zone of Interest), Best Sound
This sharp-dressed duo of first-timers earned the other “The Zone of Interest” Oscar.
James Price, Shona Heath, Zsuzsa Mihalek (“Poor Things”), Best Production Design
These first-time winners are also first-time nominees.
Josh Weston and Nadia Stacey (“Poor Things”), Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Weston (right) and Stacey (center) became first time winners for their work on “Poor Things” with Mark Coulier, who pick up his third Oscar.
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima (“Godzilla Minus One”), Best Visual Effects
This team not only became first-time Oscar winners themselves, they brought home several milestones for their radioactive dragon too. “Godzilla Minus One” is first foreign language film and first Japanese production to win Best Visual Effects, and the first “Godzilla” movie to win an Oscar of any kind. And Yamazaki is the first director to also win a VFX Oscar since Stanley Kubrick in 1969.
