Well, we did it, friends. We reached the zenith, the apex, the culmination, the big bang at the end of awards show season (not to be confused with other seasons in a celebrity’s existence, including pilot and festival). It’s finally time for the Academy Awards. Golden Oscars will be distributed, and then we can all head on home until it’s time to go through this hoopla again next year. Many celebs who’ll be in attendance at this year’s ceremony aren’t making their maiden voyage down the red carpet. That’s why we’re throwing it back to the first time some of your favorite stars donned their best and headed to the Academy Awards. Then, you can see just how much they’ve changed over the years.
Also, just a note, we are counting the Science and Technical Awards show that’s held before the main event in February or March, in addition to the Governors Awards in November. As long as they’re accolades bestowed by the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) — which handles this whole shebang — the event counts for the purposes of this slideshow. Mostly because this way, you get to see Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams coupled up at the 2006 Science and Technical Awards Ceremony. Trust us, it’s worth it. (Recommended viewing after this slideshow: The Notebook.)
So, before we all settle in to watch Leo finally get his Oscar — fingers crossed — let’s take a trip down memory lane to see how he and other megastars looked the very first time they appeared at Hollywood’s biggest night.
John Travolta
First: The 50th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 3, 1978
John Travolta
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Meryl Streep
First: with husband Don Gummer at The 51st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on April 9, 1979
Meryl Streep
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Whoopi Goldberg
First: The 57th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1985
Whoopi Goldberg
Most recent: with daughter Alex Martin at The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Oprah Winfrey
First: with Akosua Busia at The 58th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 1986
Oprah Winfrey
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Angelina Jolie
First: with father Jon Voight at The 58th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 1986
Angelina Jolie
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Julia Roberts
First: with Kiefer Sutherland at The 62nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 26, 1990
Julia Roberts
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Denzel Washington
First: The 62nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 26, 1990
Denzel Washington
Most recent: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 7th Annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles on November 14, 2015
Brad Pitt
First: with Juliette Lewis at The 64th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 30, 1992
Brad Pitt
Most recent: with Angelina Jolie Pitt at The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Leonardo DiCaprio
First: The 66th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 21, 1994
Leonardo DiCaprio
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Kate Winslet
First: The 68th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1996
Kate Winslet
Most recent: The 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 7, 2010
Halle Berry
First: The 68th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1996
Halle Berry
Most recent: The 85th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 24, 2013
Sandra Bullock
First: The 68th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 25, 1996
Sandra Bullock
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Jennifer Lopez
First: The 69th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 1997
Jennifer Lopez
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Ben Affleck & Matt Damon
First: The 70th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 23, 1998
Ben Affleck
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Matt Damon
Most recent: The 82nd Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 7, 2010
Cate Blanchett
First: The 71st Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 21, 1999
Cate Blanchett
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Penélope Cruz
First: The 72nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 26, 2000
Penélope Cruz
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams
First: The 78th Annual Academy Awards — Science and Technical Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles on February 18, 2006
Ryan Gosling
Most recent: with mother Donna Gosling at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences 2nd Annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles on November 13, 2010
Rachel McAdams
Most recent: The 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 7, 2010
Jennifer Hudson
First: The 79th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 25, 2007
Jennifer Hudson
Most recent: The 87th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 22, 2015
Emily Blunt
First: The 79th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 25, 2007
Emily Blunt
Most recent: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Governors Awards in Los Angeles on November 8, 2014
Saoirse Ronan
First: The 80th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 24, 2008
Saoirse Ronan
Most recent: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 7th Annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles on November 14, 2015
Jennifer Lawrence
First: The 83rd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on February 27, 2011
Jennifer Lawrence
Most recent: The 86th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014
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