1. Harold Russell - The Best Years of Our Lives
Russells performance as the injured sailor Homer Parrish is astonishing not just for the performance in itself but for the story surrounding it. Russell had been an army instructor and whilst making a training film in North Carolina lost both hands when explosives he was handling went off due to a faulty fuse. After his accident, he was featured in a film about injured WW2 veterans in which he was spotted by the future director of The Best Years of Our Lives, William Wyler. Wyler had been in the army himself and in making Best Years had wanted to grant an air of authenticity to his film about returning veterans and the problems they faced integrating back into society so much so that he gave Russell, who was not an actor, a starring role as one of the three main WW2 veterans in the movie. Interestingly, in a swap from more a more common scenario, Russells character was originally re- written as a man suffering from combat trauma to a man with a physical disability so the actor could play him. Wylers gamble certainly paid off and Russell is the only actor in history to receive two Academy Awards for the same character, gaining praise from critics and actors alike. Ironically those at the Academy had wanted to salute Russell and the sacrifice of all soldiers, yet felt there was too strong a competition in the Best Supporting Actor group for him to win, and so created a one-off honorary award. However, Russells impassioned performance as Parrish went on to legitimately win the award for Best Supporting Actor as well. Remarkably, Russell downplayed his onscreen talent having never considered himself an actor and only starred in two more films after The Best Years of Our Lives, instead choosing to dedicate most of his energy to veterans groups. Which performance is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.