Oscars ‘Daily Bite’: Who gave the longest acceptance speech in Oscar history?
Teresa Wright, left, and Greer Garson in a scene from the movie, "Mrs. Miniver." Garson won a best actress Academy Award in 1942 for her performance. Credit: AP
“Mrs. Miniver,” which won the 1942 best picture Oscar, clocked in at 2 1⁄4 hours, and according to Oscar lore, star Greer Garson’s best actress acceptance speech went on for almost as long.
“Reports on the length of my speech that night seem to be like that one report of Mark Twain’s death: slightly exaggerated,” Garson quipped.
Still, her speech—which was actually 5 1⁄2 minutes—is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest in Oscar history.
By contrast, Jane Wyman, who won her best actress Oscar for playing a deaf mute in “Johnny Belinda” (1948), keep her speech refreshingly brief at just 10 seconds. Said Wyman: “I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut once. I think I’ll do it again.”
