Fact Finder - Movies

Jean Dujardin made history in 2012 when he won the Best Actor Oscar for 'The Artist.' He became the first French actor to ever win in that category. Most uniquely, because 'The Artist' was a modern silent film, Dujardin won the award without speaking a single word of audible dialogue until the very final scene of the movie. His performance relied entirely on facial expressions, physical comedy, and the classic 'matinee idol' charm of the 1920s. This win was a major gamble for the Academy, as it honored a style of acting that had been considered obsolete for nearly 80 years, proving that the 'language of cinema' is universal and doesn't always require speech to be effective.