Marlee Matlin won the 1986 Best Actress Oscar for the drama “Children of a Lesser God.” It was her first (and only) nomination. She competed that year with Jane Fonda in “The Morning After,” Sissy Spacek in “Crimes of the Heart,” Kathleen Turner in “Peggy Sue Got Married,” and Sigourney Weaver in “Aliens.”

A friendly advice to the gifted Melissa Leo: Beware of the Supporting Actress Oscar. It’s been a jinx for most winners in that category. You’ll get the spot light for a few days, and more money for your next feature, but the coveted statuette might not do much for your career in the long run.

Oscar Role: Louise Fletcher in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

I wish the great and brilliant Geraldine Page had won the Best Actress Oscar for another film rather than this small, drab, sentimental family saga.

But it was page's eighth nomination and the Academy voters felt they owed it to her.  In the same year, Anne Bancroft was nominated for "Agnes of God," Whoopi Goldberg for "The Color Purple," Jessica Lange for "Sweet Dreams," and Meryl Streep for "Out of Africa.".