With the 94th edition of the Oscar Awards just around the corner, it’s always good to remember a little bit of history.

The first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929, at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, and on that occasion, the cinematographic achievements obtained between 1927 and 1928 were recognized, something very different from what we see today.

In addition, the winners knew their distinctions three months before the gala, so they already knew in advance that they would go home with the golden statuette.

Pioneer

For the Best Actress award, there were three women nominated in that first edition: Louise Dresser, Gloria Swanson and Janet Gaynor, who ultimately made history by becoming the first winner of the statuette on May 16, 1929.

Gaynor took honours for her performances in Seventh Heaven (1927), Breaking Dawn (1927), and Angel in the Street (1928), besting Dresser for A Ship Coming and Swanson for The fragile will.

On that occasion, the different film projects over a two-year period were evaluated, so Gaynor’s participation in three films was fundamental. The changes were introduced from the seventh ceremony of the Oscars when the eligibility became what happened the previous year.

Another nomination

Janet Gaynor was nominated again in 1937 for her role in the film A Star Is Born, but this time honours went to German actress Luise Rainer for her performance in The Great Ziegfeld.

Gaynor, the pioneer of the Oscar Awards, was considered one of the greatest film stars of the late silent era and early sound films.

The actress died in 1984, at the age of 77, after suffering health complications as a result of a serious traffic accident two years earlier.