The iconic Oscar statuette has a storied history of going missing—stolen, misplaced, melted, or even tossed in the trash. Here are eight recent incidents where Academy Awards trophies vanished, from dramatic thefts to accidental losses.
Missing Oscar Found After Being Banned from Flight Documentarian Pavel Talankin, winner of the Oscar for Mr Nobody Against Putin, was forced to check his statue at a New York airport because security deemed it a potential weapon. The trophy was later recovered by Lufthansa, which arranged its return.
Oscars Lost in Los Angeles Wildfires Costume designer Colleen Atwood lost three Oscars when her Pacific Palisades home burned in the LA wildfires. One statue was charred beyond recognition, while others melted. The Academy offered replacements for catastrophic losses.
Frances McDormand's Stolen Oscar In 2018, a man was arrested for stealing McDormand's Oscar from the Governors Ball. The statue was quickly returned, and charges were later dropped.
Weinstein Company Oscars Go Missing Two Oscars won by the Weinstein Company for The King's Speech and The Artist allegedly disappeared from the company's New York offices, their whereabouts still unknown.
Jared Leto's Oscar Recovered After Six Years Leto's 2014 Oscar vanished during a move and remained missing until 2024, when it resurfaced and he proudly posted the recovery on social media.
Matt Damon's Oscar Lost in a Flood Damon's Good Will Hunting Oscar disappeared after a sprinkler flood in his New York apartment. He speculated it may have been packed away or stolen.
Whoopi Goldberg's Oscar Mailed but Never Arrived Goldberg sent her Oscar for cleaning in 2002, but the box arrived empty. A security guard later found the statue at an Ontario airport, presumably stolen en route.
Olympia Dukakis's Oscar Ransomed Thieves stole Dukakis's Oscar and demanded ransom, but she refused to pay. Instead, she bought a replacement from the Academy for $78.
Dozens of Oscars Found in a Trash Bin In a bizarre turn, 52 statuettes were discovered in a California rubbish bin, though their origin and fate remain a mystery.