Will Smith to Marlon Brando: 10 Oscar winners that sparked controversy and backlash

While there might not be much consensus on the nominations and winners among Oscar enthusiasts, one thing they can agree on is the rarity of the occasion when an Academy Award winner garners universal approval.

 While there may be a couple of exceptions, the history of the Oscars abounds with winners that sparked shock, controversy, and backlash.So let's take a closer look at 10 of the most provocative and contentious Academy Award victories in history.

Will Smith's win as best actor for King Richard was intended to be uneventful. However, an unexpected controversy arose with the infamous slap incident. On the Oscars stage, Smith struck Chris Rock across the face while the latter was presenting the Best Documentary category.

One of the most contentious upsets in Academy Awards history occurred in 1999 when John Madden's Shakespeare in Love triumphed over Steven Spielberg's war epic Saving Private Ryan for the coveted Best Picture category at the Oscars. 

Marisa Tomei Wins Best Supporting Actress During the 1993 Oscars, Marisa Tomei's unexpected win for Best Supporting Actress took many Oscar pundits by surprise. The aftermath of her shocking victory saw rumours circulating, suggesting that her name was called by mistake,

 and she didn't actually win the award. Roman Polanski Wins Best Director At the 75th Academy Awards, Roman Polanski received the Best Director award for The Pianist. However, the filmmaker was notably absent, having fled the United States decades ago. In 1977, 

Polanski was found guilty of engaging in sexual intercourse with a minor, resulting in a 42-day prison term. The award ceremony reignited discussions about Polanski's controversial past and his acknowledgment within the film industry. 

 A highly controversial Oscar moment unfolded at the 45th Academy Awards when Marlon Brando was announced as the best actor winner for his role in The Godfather. However, 

Brando chose to decline the award and instead enlisted Apache actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather to deliver a speech denouncing the mistreatment of Native Americans in the film industry on his behalf.

 Kevin Costner Wins Best Director Kevin Costner's western drama Dances With Wolves asserted its dominance at the 63rd Academy Awards, securing victories for Best Picture and Best Director from a total of 12 nominations. 

The controversy surrounding Costner's wins in these top categories was amplified by the presence of Martin Scorsese's acclaimed gangster masterpiece, Goodfellas, as another nominee.