5 biggest Oscar surprise wins in history

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5 biggest Oscar surprise wins in history

Throughout the 92-year history of the Oscars, there have been plenty of surprising wins. Check out some of the most notable surprises including Kevin Costner’s victory over Martin Scorsese and 'Rocky' edging out 'Taxi Driver.'

Award shows can be full of surprises, and the Academy Awards are no different.

Some years, a consensus forms about who or what film should win. Other years, upsets occur that create timeless memories, such as when Italian actor Roberto Benigni walked on chairs after "Life is Beautiful" won for best foreign language film in 1999.

Below is a short list of surprise wins in the award show's 92-year history.

1991: Kevin Costner beats Martin Scorsese

Costner scored two big wins at the 63rd Academy Awards when he took home Oscars for best director and best picture for his western film, "Dances with Wolves."

Kevin Costner, winner of Best Picture and Best Director for "Dances with Wolves" at the 1991 Academy Awards. (Photo by Barry King/WireImage)

Scorsese's "Goodfellas" was considered a favorite and had garnered Joe Pesci the best supporting actor award earlier in the night for his portrayal of a sociopathic New York mobster, which he played alongside Robert De Niro.

1977: "Rocky" edges out "Taxi Driver" and "All the President's Men"

Sylvester Stallone, with producers Irwin Winkler (L), and Robert Chartoff (R), receive the Best Picture award for their movie Rocky during the 49th Academy Awards ceremony. (Photo by Axel Koester/Sygma via Getty Images)

Sylvester Stallone's film about a Philidelphia boxer who goes the distance against heavyweight champion Apollo Creed took home the night's best picture award, beating out "Taxi Driver" and "All the President's Men." All three films would go on to become movie classics, and the Rocky franchise spawned several more films.

1999: "Shakespeare in Love" beats out "Saving Private Ryan"

Many thought the Oscar for best picture belonged to the Steven Spielberg World War II drama. However, the film depicting a love affair between William Shakespeare and Viola de Lesseps, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, while he was writing "Romeo and Juliet" benefitted from a marketing campaign engineered by now-disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein.

Former Miramax Films executive Harvey Weinstein (3rd L) and actress Gwyneth Paltrow (3R) with producers of "Shakespeare in Love" holding their Oscars in Press Room at Academy Awards. (Photo by Mirek Towski/DMI/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Paltrow took home the award for best actress and Spielberg won for best director. "Saving Private Ryan" would go on to garner critical acclaim, particularly for its opening portrayal of the Normandy landings.

1942: "Citizen Kane" versus "How Green Was My Valley"

Time has been a lot more kind to "Citizen Kane" since it lost to "How Green Was My Valley" for best picture in 1942. The Orson Welles film routinely tops critics lists of best movies ever made.

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2006: Three 6 Mafia becomes first hip-hop group to take home a statue 

Jordan Houston, Paul Beauregard and Cedric Coleman of Three 6 Mafia, winners Best Song for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp? from "Hustle & Flow" during the 78th Annual Academy Awards. (Photo by Steve Granitz/WireImage)

The Memphis-based group shocked the film world when they scored an Oscar win for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp,” the theme song for "Hustle & Flow," which launched the careers of Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson.