‘I’m up here with mixed feelings ... we are laughed at when we are up here, sometimes for thanking ... most actors don’t work, and a few of us are so lucky to have a chance’ — List of Dustin Hoffman Oscar nominations, wins
Posted: February 2026
List of Oscar nominations and wins for Dustin Hoffman. Dustin Hoffman has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won 2. Year indicates year/period for which films were eligible for awards consideration, not year of ceremony. Sources: Oscars.org, Internet Movie Database, Wikipedia
1997: Wag the Dog (Best Actor) — lost to Jack Nicholson (As Good as It Gets). Other nominees: Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting), Robert Duvall (The Apostle), Peter Fonda (Ulee’s Gold)
WON: 1988: Rain Man (Best Actor) — Other nominees: Tom Hanks (Big), Edward James Olmos (Stand and Deliver), Max von Sydow (Pelle the Conqueror), Gene Hackman (Mississippi Burning)
1982: Tootsie (Best Actor) — lost to Ben Kingsley (Gandhi). Other nominees: Paul Newman (The Verdict), Peter O’Toole (My Favorite Year), Jack Lemmon (Missing)
WON: 1979: Kramer vs. Kramer (Best Actor) — Other nominees: Al Pacino (And Justice for All), Roy Scheider (All That Jazz), Jack Lemmon (The China Syndrome), Peter Sellers (Being There)
1974: Lenny (Best Actor) — lost to Art Carney (Harry and Tonto). Other nominees: Al Pacino (The Godfather Part II), Jack Nicholson (Chinatown), Albert Finney (Murder on the Orient Express)
1969: Midnight Cowboy (Best Actor) — lost to John Wayne (True Grit). Other nominees: Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy), Richard Burton (Anne of the Thousand Days), Peter O’Toole (Goodbye, Mr. Chips)
1967: The Graduate (Best Actor) — lost to Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night). Other nominees: Warren Beatty (Bonnie and Clyde), Paul Newman (Cool Hand Luke), Spencer Tracy (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner) (Posthumously.)
‘To my father and to his new friends, here’s looking at you’
Text of Dustin Hoffman’s speech upon accepting the Oscar for Best Actor for “Kramer vs. Kramer”:
“Thank you. (Looks at statue.) He has no genitalia, and he’s holding a sword. (Laughter.) I’d like to thank my parents for not practicing birth control. (Laughter.) I’m up here with mixed feelings. I’ve been critical of the Academy. And for reason.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to work. I’m greatly honored for being chosen by the producer, Stanley Jaffe, and the director, Bob Benton, and to have worked in a family with ’em, and with Meryl, and with Justin, who, if he loses again, we’ll have to give him a lifetime achievement award. (Laughter.) And to Jane Alexander. And to Jerry Greenberg, and to Nestor, and to the crew on the film, who was part of that family, and to the crew, and to the directors, like Bob Fosse, and Mike Nichols, and John Schlesinger that I have worked with before.
“We are laughed at when we are up here. Sometimes for thanking. But when you work on a film, you discover that there are people who are giving that artistic part of themself that goes beyond a paycheck. And they are never up here. And many of them are not members of the Academy. And we never hear of them. But this Oscar is a symbol, I think. And it is given for appreciation from those people whom we never see. They are part of our life.
“I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are a part of an artistic family. There are 60,000 actors in this Academy. Pardon me, in the Screen Actors Guild, and probably 100,000 in equity. And most actors don’t work, and a few of us are so lucky to have a chance to work with writing and to work with directing.
“Because when you’re a broke actor, you can’t write, you can’t paint. You have to practice accents while you’re driving a taxicab. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence: None of you have ever lost. And I am proud to share this with you, and I thank you.”