The Oscars, gold-plated trophies standing more than 13 inches tall and weighing in at 8½ pounds, are arguably the most coveted prizes in for film makers and actors in Hollywood.

However, since the first Oscar ceremony took place in 1929, well over 80 of the golden statues have either gone missing or reportedly stolen in strange manner.

Although it has been said that it is absolutely impossible for anyone, even winners of the trophies to legally sell presented awards, that does not prevent suspected burglars from still going after them.

New York Post reported that though the Oscar statues might be worth all their weights in gold, they appeared ‘not too useful’ for many of those who clinched them.

Below are nine careless Oscar owners who have either lost or been deprived of one…

 

Angelina Jolie

Months after strutting to the stage to pick up her trophy for Best Supporting Actress for “Girl, Interrupted” in 2000, Jolie announced that no clue about the whereabouts of the award.

“I haven’t seen it since the day I won it. I don’t hold onto awards because I think it’s good not to have them around.”

The star was reported to have given the Oscar to her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who sadly died in 2007. But the location of the award possibly died with her.

 

Matt Damon

Ranked as one of Forbes’ most bankable stars, the films in which Matt has appeared have collectively earned over $3.12 billion.

However, after a 1998 Best Original Screenplay Oscar for “Good Will Hunting”, the actor’s award was “misplaced” after flood hit his apartment.

 

Whoopi Goldberg

When the movie star clinched the Best Supporting Actress in 1991 for her sterling performance in “Ghost,” she obviously had no inkling that her prized asset could end up in bin.

She was said to have sent it to R.S. Owens & Company, the statue’s Chicago-based manufacturer, for a cleaning. But the box arrived empty and the award was later found in a California airport garbage bin. Unfortunately, the thief was never apprehended.

 

Jared Leto

The actor and musician is also among those whose Academy Awards have gone missing. In fact, Jared swore he has no clue how the gold-plated statue disappeared.

Alice Brady

The late actress won Best Supporting Actress plaque (at a time when trophies were not awarded in supporting categories until 1943) for her role in “In Old Chicago.”

Reports said she was bedridden at home with a bum ankle and a random man accepted the award in her stead.

When Brady recovered, the Academy hosted a make-up ceremony in which she was presented with a “new” Oscar.

Unfortunately, she died of cancer just a year later and never got a chance to comment about her missing award.

 

Katharine Hepburn

Hepburn’s career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more than 60 years. She was also one of the Oscar winners whose trophies disappeared from an exhibit.

 

Jeff Bridges

Jeffrey Leon Bridges is a Hollywood actor, singer, producer, and composer. He hails from a prominent lineage of acting family and even appeared on the popular television series ‘Sea Hunt’ with his late father.

He is another celebrity that finds it hard explaining where his award ended up.

 

 

 

Margaret O’Brien

O’Brien’s miniature-sized juvenile Oscar (given out sporadically from 1935 until 1961) for “Meet Me in St. Louis” who carelessly lost it.

The actress reportedly had an awards room in her family’s Beverly Hills home.

One day, her housemaid offered to take three awards for a good polishing.

Expectedly, Margaret’s mum agreed but the maid was never seen again.

Randal Malone, an actor and current-day manager of O’Brien told The Post that the incident happened in 1958, when Margaret was barely 20 years old.

Kate Winslet

Kate is an English actress with reputable background in independent films, particularly period dramas. Perhaps, it is apt to say her brilliant performance in James Cameron’s blockbuster Titanic (1997) that made her an international star she is today.

She also lost her Oscars in an inexplicable manner. The only thing she remembered was keeping it in her bathroom.