Jamie Lee Curtis Wins Her First Oscar for ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’

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Congratulations are in order for Jamie Lee Curtis. The Hollywood icon may have cemented her status as leading lady in 1978's Halloween, but the film industry's highest honor has long eluded her. With a career spanning over four decades, Curtis was at last nominated for an Academy Award for her role as an IRS inspector in Everything Everywhere All at Once. On March 12, 2023, Curtis took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress—joining her cast mates in a jubilant celebration of the breakout film, which also won Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Picture. In her acceptance speech, Curtis noted that both of her parents—actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh—were nominated for Oscars in different years. Though they never won, she now has.

After a childhood spent attending prep schools, Curtis decided to pursue acting like her parents. She began with television appearances but hit the big screen in 1978 as the teen babysitter stalked by a vicious killer in Halloween. Since then, she's appeared in countless horror films—including the other Halloween films. Millennials will remember her as Lindsay Lohan's mom in Freaky Friday. Her decades in the industry, making popular films, has won her two Golden Globes, two Screen Actor's Guild awards, and countless critics' accolades over the years, but no Oscar nods until Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Curtis’ co-star Stephanie Hsu was also nominated in the same category, as was Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Hong Chau (The Whale), and Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin). While many people were rooting for Bassett and Hsu, who have incredible performances, there is no denying the category was stacked with impressive performances this year. In her speech, Curtis thanks her family, her talented castmates, and her fans. The 64-year-old said, “To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I have made for all of these years, the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, we just won an Oscar together.”

Curtis' victory was only one of many for EEAAO. Michelle Yeoh won in the Best Actress category, becoming the first Asian woman to do so. Ke Huy Quan also won Best Supporting Actor. As another actor with a long history in Hollywood, he spoke of his journey from refugee to Oscar-winner. “Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. Thank you, thank you so much for welcoming me back,” he said. EEAAO also won for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture. If you haven't watched the amazing film yet, it's available to stream or rent on most major apps.