10 Famous People You May Have Forgotten Were Oscar Winners

4. Isaac Hayes

Who's the man who won the Oscar for Best Original Song back in 1972? Isaac Hayes! Can ya dig it? Of course, the theme from the 1971 film Shaft is one of the most famous songs ever written by Isaac Hayes. The song went to number one on the Billboard charts back in the day and has been parodied dozens of times ever since. But did you know the song actually won an Oscar? Plus, the score to Shaft, which was also written by Hayes, was nominated for an Oscar as well. In a time when Best Original Song typically went to something cheesy and forgettable, it's nice to know that the Academy would give the award to a song that you could actually dance to. Just for some perspective, two years earlier, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" won the Oscar for the same category. No offence to Burt Bacharach, but that's a pretty lame song compared to the theme from Shaft. Isaac Hayes would continue to enjoy a great career throughout the rest of the '70s and would later voice Chef in the hit animated TV show South Park, 20 years later. Sadly, Hayes passed away in 2008.