Oscar Goes International; All Four Leads Are European

It was a tough year to be an American at the Academy Awards. For the first time since 1965, all four acting trophies were awarded to non-American actors.

The international winning spree started with Javier Bardem, who hails from Spain. His haunting Best Supporting Actor performance as a hitman in “No Country for Old Men” blew away the competition, earning the actor his first golden statute.

The next Oscar winner of the night came to us from England. Tilda Swinton’s powerful portrayal of a corporate lawyer fighting a vicious battle in “Michael Clayton,” beat out Cate Blanchett, Ruby Dee, Saoirse Ronan, and Amy Ryan for Best Supporting Actress in a contest that some called the toughest of the night.

Our next lucky international delight came from across the English Channel. Marion Cotillard charmed Oscar voters’ hearts and ballots with her stunning Best Actress portrayal of legendary French songstress Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.” Cotillard is the first French actress to win in this category since 1960.

And Oscar headed back to the British Isles for the last international win. Daniel Day-Lewis scored his second Best Actor Oscar for Paul Thomas Anderson’s historical oil epic “There Will Be Blood.” Day-Lewis was previously honored for his work in “My Left Foot,” playing a man with cerebral palsy.

The only other time that all four categories when to non-Americans was in 1965, when the winners were Brits Rex Harrison (“My Fair Lady”), Julie Andrews (“Mary Poppins”) and Peter Ustinov (“Topkapi”), plus Lila Kedrova (“Zorba the Greek”), who was Russian.

At the 3rd Annual Academy Awards, before supporting acting was honored, the Best Actor and Actress statues also went to all international talent. Best Actor was awarded to Brit George Arliss for “Disraeli,” and Best Actress went to Norma Shearer for “The Divorcee” who was from Montreal, Quebec in Canada.

See all the 2008 Oscar winners here.