All the Jewish celebrity Oscar-winning parent gossip you (n)ever wanted to know
We were excited when they were nominated, and we’re even more excited now that a handful of Jewish parents took home Oscars at the 83rd annual Academy Awards this past Sunday night. Such talent! Such beauty! I’m kvelling!
Here’s a recap of some of the evening’s winners:
– Natalie Portman. We may have seen it coming, but we’re still very proud that our favorite Israeli-born mother-to-be took home the Oscar for best actress in a leading role for her performance in Black Swan. The gold statue will make for some great decor in little Pierre Shlomo’s nursery.
– Lee Unkrich. Mr. Unkrich won the Oscar for animated feature film for Toy Story 3. The father of three reportedly bounces ideas off of his kids for storyboards, and employed his daughter Hannah as the voice of Molly in the Toy Story movies.
– Randy Newman. Toy Story 3 also did well in the music department, with Randy Newman winning best original song for his tune “We Belong Together”. It’s the singer-songwriter’s second Academy Award, and will fit in nicely with his three Emmy’s and five Grammy’s.
– Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for The Social Network, which tells the story of Mark Zuckerberg, the Jewish parent of Facebook.
– David Seidler. Seidler was the winner of best original screenplay for The King’s Speech. Seidler’s grandparents were killed in the Holocaust, and it was when his family relocated from London to Long Island as a small boy that he developed the stammer that would eventually inspire him to write the movie based off King George VI, a fellow stutterer.
Need some more dish on Jewish celebrities? Read all about our obsession with Natalie Portman, a Q&A with Lisa Loeb, and Mayim Bialik’s take on the Golden Globes.