Gale Sondergaard was the first actor to win an Oscar for a film debut, receiving Best Supporting Actress in 1937 for Anthony Adverse. The achievement illustrates how rare it is for performers to gain the film industry’s most prominent award at the very beginning of their screen careers.

Sondergaard played the villainous Faith Paleologus in Mervyn LeRoy’s 1936 romance and was praised for a striking, theatrical performance. Other actors to win Oscars for debut roles include Julie Andrews for Mary Poppins, Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls and Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave.