The little gold guy doesn’t have an official name. Well, he does, technically. But nobody calls him that.
We call him Oscar.
It’s the most famous nickname in Hollywood. Everyone uses it. Even the Academy itself leans into it now. But where did it come from? There is no single, undisputed origin story. Instead, there are three competing claims, each backed by a different personality with a strong opinion on the matter.
The Bette Davis Theory: Did Her Husband’s Backside Start It?
Bette Davis didn’t mince words, and she certainly didn’t shy away from claiming credit for naming the award.
The story goes like this: Davis looked at the statuette, specifically the back of the base. She thought it resembled the rear end of her second husband, actor Harmon Oscar Nelson. She said so out loud. The name stuck in the room. It spread.
“It looked like my husband’s backside.”
It’s a crude origin story for such a polished ceremony. But Davis was known for her sharp tongue. She claimed she coined the term in the 1930s. It fits her persona. Bold. Direct. Unapologetic.
Sidney Skolsky: The Columnist Who Wanted Credit
Then there’s Sidney Skolsky.
He was a columnist for the Los Angeles Times. Print media was king back then. If Skolsky wrote it, people read it. He claimed he was the first to use “Oscar” in print.
His logic? He saw the statue and thought it looked like his Uncle Oscar. He used the name in a column shortly after the 1934 awards. He wanted the public to know he started the trend.
This is where it gets messy. Did he invent it? Or did he just popularize it? Skolsky insisted he gave the award its nickname. He fought for that credit until the end.
Margaret Herrick: The Librarian’s Quiet Observation
The third claim comes from inside the Academy walls. Margaret Herrick was the academy librarian. She later became the executive director.
She saw the statuette. She thought it looked like her Uncle Oscar. She reportedly said so to someone in the office.
The difference here? She didn’t shout it from a podium. She didn’t write a column. She just said it. In a room full of people who probably repeated it.
So, Who Is Right?
Nobody knows for sure.
The Academy has never officially confirmed one source over the others. They acknowledge all three. It’s a tie.
- Bette Davis saw a resemblance to her husband.
- Sidney Skolsky printed it first (or so he says).
- Margaret Herrick mentioned her uncle.
All three happened around the same time. The 1930s. The nickname caught on because it was shorter than “Academy Award of Merit.” People like short words. They like inside jokes.
Which theory feels true to you?
Davis is the most dramatic. Skolsky is the most documented in print. Herrick is the most plausible in an office setting.
It doesn’t matter much now. The name is cemented
