While several actors have been nominated after their deaths, Peter Finch remains the only person to win the Academy Award for Best Actor posthumously. He won for his iconic role as the 'mad prophet of the airwaves' Howard Beale in the satirical masterpiece 'Network.' Finch suffered a fatal heart attack in a hotel lobby just two months before the ceremony and only weeks after the film’s release. His widow, Eletha Finch, accepted the award on his behalf. Since then, only one other actor has won an acting Oscar posthumously: Heath Ledger, who won Best Supporting Actor for 'The Dark Knight' in 2009. These wins serve as poignant reminders of the fleeting nature of fame and the enduring power of a single performance to leave a legacy long after the artist is gone.