The biggest shock winners in Oscar history

The biggest shock winners in Oscar history - Next March 4, the prestigious Oscars return. Over the past few weeks, other movie award ceremonies have taken place, which usually give a good indication as to which of the Oscar nominees will end up taking the golden statue home. However, don't be lulled into a false sense of security, at the Oscars it's sometimes not the favorite who wins!

Click to see the most surprising wins that have happened at the Oscars.

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1997 - Lauren Bacall was the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, for her role in 'The Mirror Has Two Faces.'

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1997 - But it was French actress Juliette Binoche who took the award home, for her acting in 'The English Patient.'

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1955 - Judy Garland had an incredible career and was expected to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in 'A Star Is Born.'

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1955 - However, Grace Kelly surprised everyone with her win for her part in 'The Country Girl.'

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1993 - Marisa Tomei could easily have won the Oscar for Best Actress for several starring roles she's played over her career.

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1993 - But no one expected that the movie she won the award for would have been 'My Cousin Vinny.'

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2006 - 'Brokeback Mountain', starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal was the favorite for the Oscar for Best Picture in 2006.

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2006 - But the prize ultimately went to 'Crash,' directed by Paul Haggis.

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1995 - 'Pulp Fiction' and 'The Shawshank Redemption' were tipped to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

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1995 - But the award went to 'Forrest Gump' instead.

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1991 - It was expected that Martin Scorsese would win the Oscar for Best Director for his movie 'Goodfellas.'

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1991 - But in fact Kevin Costner won it for 'Dances with Wolves.'

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1977 - Either 'All the President's Men', which starred Robert Redford, or 'Network' were tipped to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1977.

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1977 - But fans were surprised when 'Rocky,' starring Sylvester Stallone, was announced as the winner.

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1999 - 'Saving Private Ryan', directed Steven Spielberg, was the sure choice to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

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1999 - But in the end it was 'Shakespeare in Love' which took home the award.

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2003 - In the running for Best Actor in 2003 were big Hollywood names Tom Hanks and Daniel Day-Lewis.

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2003 - However, it was the lesser known Adrien Brody who won the Oscar in the end, for his role in 'The Pianist.'

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1973 - Many expected Francis Ford Coppola to win the Oscar for Best Director for 'The Godfather.'

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1973 - But it was Bob Fosse who won the award for 'Cabaret.'

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1942 - 'Citizen Kane' was the favorite to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

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1942 - But instead the award went to 'How Green Was My Valley.'

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2001 - 2001 was a year in which several big names were expected to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Among the actresses in the running were Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, and Frances McDormand.

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2001 - But to everyone's surprise Marcia Gay Harden took home the Oscar. The actress won for her role in 'Pollock.'

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1953 - 'High Noon', directed by Fred Zinnemann, was tipped to win for Best Picture.

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1953 - But it was the aptly named 'The Greatest Show on Earth', starring Charlton Heston and Betty Hutton, which won the Oscar.

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1977 - During the 1977 Oscars, a record was set by one actress.

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1977 - Beatrice Straight won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 'Network,' but she only appeared on screen for five minutes!

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2006 - Movie watchers all over were surprised when Three 6 Mafia won the Oscar for Best Original Song.

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2006 - Their track was featured in 'Hustle & Flow', which starred Terrence Howard.

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1999 - Edward Norton, Nick Nolte and Tom Hanks were all contenders for the Oscar for Best Actor in 1999.

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1999 - But the award went to Roberto Benigni for his role in 'Life Is Beautiful.'

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1994 - It's extremely rare for a child actor to win an Oscar, but it happened to Anna Paquin when she won the award for Best Supporting Actress for 'The Piano.'

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1994 - Curiosly, Paquin was competing against her co-star from 'The Piano', Holly Hunter, who also won the Oscar for Best Actress.

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2010 - Armando Iannucci, for 'In the Loop,' and Jason Reitman, for 'Up in the Air,' were favorites to win the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay

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2010 - But it was Geoffrey Fletcher who ended up winning for the movie 'Precious.'

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2011 - The Oscar for Best Picture was destined for either '127 Hours,' 'The Social Network,' or 'The Fighter.'

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2011 - So many were shocked when the award went to 'The King's Speech', starring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.

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2017 - 'La La Land' had stunned critics and was tipped to win the Oscar for Best Picture.

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2017 - But after a mistaken announcement that 'La La Land' was the winner, the true victor of the night was revealed: 'Moonlight.' The surprise was universal.

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The biggest shock winners in Oscar history

There have been several famous moments when awards went to the most unexpected nominees; check it out!

21/02/18 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Oscars

The prestigious Oscars are always one of the most awaited events on the entertainment calendar. With so many movies to chose from, over the years some surprising winners have emerged, which went completely against what was expected! Click on the gallery to see the biggest Oscar shockers which have occurred over the history of the awards ceremony.