If you know anything about Steven Wright's on-stage persona as a stand-up comedian, then you should be just as surprised as I was in learning that the man is also an Oscar winner. Steven Wright is not only a fantastic comedian, he's influenced an entire generation of young comics who have all managed to cultivate a career out of well-crafted one-liners. Like Martin McDonagh and Peter Capaldi, Steven Wright won his Oscar for making a short film. Wright co-wrote and starred in The Appointments Of Dennis Jennings, a comedy about an introverted daydreamer who goes to see a psychiatrist only to discover that the psychiatrist has been having an affair with his girlfriend. Rowan Atkinson played the psychiatrist and the short also featured soon-to-be sitcom stars Laurie Metcalf and David Hyde Pierce. The comedian collected the golden statue back in 1988 alongside Dean Parisot, who directed and was Wright's writing partner on the short. Upon accepting the Oscar, Wright gave one of the shortest speeches in Oscar history: "I guess it's a good thing we cut those extra twenty minutes. Thank you." Well played, sir. Well played. Check out my other Oscar-related articles: 10 Actresses and 7 Actors Whose Careers Went Downhill After Winning An Oscar. Like this article? Let us know in the comments section below.
