A look at Lincolnshire’s Oscar winners
The world’s eyes turned to Hollywood last night and the 97th Academy Awards.
From the red carpet fashion parade to those tearful acceptance speeches in the Dolby Theatre, the glitz and glamour of the movie industry was celebrated once again at the Oscars.
But the movie industry - and those Academy Awards - truly are a global business, as one county across the Atlantic proves.
Here we focus in on the movie greats from Lincolnshire who have won their own Oscars, both in front of the cameras and behind the scenes…
Jim Broadbent
One of Britain’s most-recognisable and best-loved character actors, Broadbent has been a mainstay on the big and small screens and stage for decades.
With credits that include Superman IV, Moulin Rouge and The Crying Game, plus appearances in the Bridget Jones, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and Paddington series and roles in game of Thrones and Only Fools and Horses, his widespread appeal has gained him an army of global fans from many different backgrounds.
His Oscars success came in 2001 when he was named as Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of John Bayley in Iris, opposite on-screen wife Dame Judy Dench.-
Seventy-five-year-old, Broadbent was born in Holton Cum Beckering, between Wragby and Market Rasen, with his Lincolnshire upbringing forging his career path.
His parents were both amateur performers who co-founded the Holton Players acting troupe, where his love for acting blossomed.
Barrie Spikings
Former Boston Grammar School pupils Spikings began his working life as a journalist, winning a Golden Ear award for a short film he produced while working on Farmers’ Weekly magazine.
This gave him his first taste of showbusiness, encouraging him to follow a new career path.
After a spell promoting music festivals he turned to producing movies, helping bring classics such as The Man Who Fell to Earth, Convoy and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey to life.
His Oscar came in 1978 when his movie The Deer Hunter - a story of steelworkers whose lives are upended by the Vietnam War, starring Robert De Niro and Christopher Walken - won Best Picture, one of its five Academy Awards.
Peter Baynton
Baynton is Lincolnshire’s most recent Oscar winner.
The director was left celebrating after The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse - based on Charlie Macksey’s popular picture book - was named Best Animated Short Film at the 2023 Academy Awards.
“For me it was literally a dream-come-true project,” said Peter, who moved to Stamford at the age of four and then lived in Uffington from 11 until he left for university.
Baynton has since worked with Hollywood star Gerard Butler and Game of Thrones’ actor Emilia Clarke, to create Universal Pictures’ The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland.
Jim Clark
The second Oscar winner from Boston, Clark worked on more than 40 movies during his illustrious career.
As an editor he appears on the credits of many great movies including Marathon Man, The Killing Fields, Vera Drake and James Bond epic The World Is Not Enough.
He was also listed as the creative consultant for Midnight Cowboy.
It was for his work on The Killing Fields, Rolan Joffe’s story of the Khmer Rouge’s regime in Cambodia, which won him the Best Editing Oscar in 1984.
Clark, who founded film societies in Boston and Oundle, where he was educated, also directed four movies, for The Christmas Tree (1966), Every Home Should Have One (1970), Rentadick (1972) and Madhouse (1974).
Before his death in 2016, Clark also released his memoir Dream Repairman: Adventures in Film Editing to favourable reviews.
Bernie Taupin
Taupin is best known for his songwriting partnership with Elton John, penning the lyrics to many classics including Rocket Man, Crocodile Rock, Tiny Dancer, Candle In The Wind, I’m Still Standing and Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting - which was inspired by drinking sessions in Market Rasen.
Born in Anwick, near Sleaford, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also worked with the likes of Starship, Heart and Alice Cooper.
But it was his collaborations with John which secured him his Oscar in 2019.
The two penned an original song called (I'm Gonna) Love Me Again for the 2018 biopic Rocketman, which won the gong for Best Original Song.
Rocketman depicted the pair’s friendship, with Billy Elliott star Jamie Bell playing Taupin.
