Over the course of Oscar's history, there have been a few performers who have been so good in a given year, that the Academy honored them twice!  Given the fact that so many films are released every year, and that so many performers are vying for these coveted awards, this occurrence is a rarity, and certainly an admirable accomplishment.

Since the inception of the Academy Awards, this has only occurred on a handful of occasions, and the people who were lucky enough to have it happen, didn't necessarily benefit from it.  For a few, a double Oscar nomination boosted their career, and enhanced their credibility, but for others, this occurrence became nothing more than a footnote in movie history.

On May 16, 1929, the New York Times reported that Emil Jannings was heading home to Germany, and most likely for good.  "The talking films in Hollywood were a great disappointment to Mr. Jannings," they reported.  "It is doubtful (Mr. Jannings) will ever talk English even sufficiently well to cope with roles in a broken parlance."  

Emil Jannings became one of several actors who's career in Hollywood was cut short by the introduction of talking films.  It's ironic that in the same week that he was leaving, he was asked to pose with a little gold statue that he had won - the Academy Award. Jannings became the first Best Actor winner for his performance in two roles over the past year, The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. 

The winners were not kept secret back in 1929, and Jannings was asked to pose for the statue days prior to the actual ceremony.  He already made it clear that he wouldn't be attending. 

Meanwhile, in the Best Actress category, Janet Gaynor was cited for three films, including Seventh Heaven, Sunrise and Street Angel.  Her career was just starting to take off in silent films, and with talkies on the way, she had no difficulty making the transition.  Gaynor had that slight mid-west twang that Hollywood was looking for, and her stage work was substantial evidence that she was going to be just fine.  

The voting process for the first Academy Awards ceremony is nothing like it is now.  Naturally, Oscar needed time to develop, and its safe to assume that if today's rules applied to the first year, that these two stars would not have been nominated for more than one performance.  Voters were choosing films and performances that didn't qualify for the first ceremony, therefore delaying the process.  The final decision was made by a small committee, who no doubt honored these actors for their body of work on purpose, and not because of some sort of tie in the voting.

Whatever the case, the first awards ceremony didn't have much of an impact on the two winners.  Gaynor's big thrill that evening was meeting Douglas Fairbanks, and Jannings was never offered work in Hollywood again.  

In the end, Gaynor went on to become a hot property over the next decade.  She was even nominated for another Oscar in 1937 for her role in A Star is Born.  

Jannings, on the other hand, chose a more perilous route.  When he returned to Germany, he found lots of film work, but most of it was in propaganda films for Adolph Hitler.  After the war, he became a social pariah, and even German film makers refused to hire him.  

 

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The story of a man who just didn't fit in.
Emil Jannings is a former Russian general, now working as an extra in the early days of Hollywood.
In his heyday, Emil was the cat's meow, serving under the Russian Czar.
Emil defies the Czar's wishes to fight on when his army is weakened. 
He finds love in the arms of a vamp played by Evelyn Brent.
Emil confronts a crowd of angry Bolsheviks.  "You are being led by traitors!" he cries.
He looks on in horror as the crowd gets violent. 
He is taunted as he is about to face the firing squad.
After a daring rescue, Emil is cast into the cold harshness of a Russian winter, alone and injured.
He arrives in Hollywood where he finds work as an extra. 
Emil finds that the scene he is working in very familiar.
He is comforted by his director, up and coming actor, William Powell.