The Academy, Marty and Boxers in Brief

What is with Martin Scorsese, The Academy and boxing pictures? The last three times a boxing movie has been nominated for Best Picture (not counting Pulp Fiction, which did feature a story about a boxer), there’s also been a Scorsese film nominated: In 1976, it was Rocky vs. Taxi Driver; in 1980, the boxing movie was the Scorsese movie (Raging Bull); and of course, in 2004, it’s Million Dollar Baby vs. The Aviator. An odd coincidence, no?

The following is a list of boxing films (or films featuring boxers) nominated for Best Picture:

1931 The Champ
1941 Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1954 On the Waterfront (won)
1976 Rocky (won)
1980 Raging Bull
1994 Pulp Fiction
2004 Million Dollar Baby

Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven was only the third western to win Best Picture. Can his Million Dollar Baby be the third boxing movie to do the same (if you consider On the Waterfront to be a "boxing" movie)?

If The Departed manages to be in contention next year, does this mean it’ll have to face off with Cinderella Man? Oh the cruel hand of irony.

In addition, the following actors were nominated for playing boxers or retired boxers (this is by no means a comprehensive list - also, I can't recall whether the trainers played by Oscar nominees Burgess Meredith and Clint Eastwood were former boxers themselves, so I'm not counting them):

1927 Richard Barthelmess, The Patent Leather Kid
1931 Wallace Beery, The Champ (won in a tie)
1941 Robert Montgomery, Here Comes Mr. Jordan
1947 John Garfield, Body & Soul
1949 Kirk Douglas, Champion
1954 Marlon Brando, On the Waterfront (won)
1970 James Earl Jones, The Great White Hope
1976 Sylvester Stallone, Rocky
1980 Robert De Niro, Raging Bull (won)
1999 Denzel Washington, The Hurricane
2001 Will Smith, Ali
2004 Hilary Swank & Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby