Actresses and Actors Who Bared It All for Oscar

Naked and Topless: Actresses and Actors Who Bared It All for Oscar

Leonardo DiCaprio
Julie Delpy
The actress — who was nominated for a best adapted screenplay Oscar along with co-star Ethan Hawke and director Richard Linklater — went topless for Before Midnight, the third film in a trilogy. Of her decision to do so, she told GQ magazine: "I wanted it to be realistic! Sometimes I see films where people have sex with a bra on. I mean, what country do they come from? I don't think I've ever had sex with a bra on in my life, except maybe once. It's not the most comfortable thing to be acting topless. I've never actually showed my body that much, even though I'm a French actress. It was a big deal for me to do it. This movie isn't fantasy. This is a film for people who can handle a pair of tits."
Colin Firth
For Colin Firth's role in A Single Man, in which the actor plays an English professor unable to cope with the sudden death of his partner, Firth stripped down and was nominated for Best Actor at the 2010 Academy Awards. The following year, Firth won the same honor — fully clothed — for The King's Speech.
Sasha Baron Cohen
Though the film was considered a documentary, Sasha Baron Cohen's naked wrestling scene in Borat helped the filmmaker earn a best writing nomination at the 2007 Oscars.
Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt exposed his backside in Twelve Monkeys, for which he earned a 1996 Oscar nom in the Best Actor in a Supporting Role category.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger
While filming a Brokeback Mountain scene in which Heath Ledger and a stunt double for Jake Gyllenhaal jump nude into a lake, paparazzi captured full-frontal images of Ledger. Though edited from the U.S. version, the scene is included in the European version of the film. The controversial pic also includes sex scenes with all four main characters, including Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway. For their roles, Ledger, Gyllenhaal and Williams each scored Oscar noms in 2006.
Denzel Washington
Baring his buns in the prison flick The Hurricane, Denzel Washington was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award in 2000.
Edward Norton
Edward Norton appears nude in a prison shower scene for American History X, which earned the actor a 1999 Best Actor nomination.
Halle Berry
Far more frequent in Hollywood is the topless female. For her role in Monster, Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to nab a Best Actress win at the Academy Awards.
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet has proven herself fearless on-screen, baring it all in a slew of roles from Titanic and Little Children to The Reader, which earned the actress her first Academy Award in 2009.
Kevin Spacey
Exposing his backside in American Beauty, Kevin Spacey was named Best Actor at the 2000 Academy Awards. The film won an impressive five Oscars that year, including Best Picture and Best Director for Sam Mendes.
Geoffrey Rush
In the movie Shine, Geoffrey Rush appears naked, jumping on a trampoline. The role won him the Best Actor trophy in 1997.
Viggo Mortensen
Jaws dropped during Viggo Mortensen's revealilng fight-scene in David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises, when his character engaged in an all-out brawl in a Turkish bath wearing nothing but his birthday suit. The actor received an Oscar nomination for his role during the 2008 ceremony.
William Hurt
For Broadcast News, William Hurt, Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter each scored Academy Award nominations, though none brought home a trophy. In his role, Hurt shows off his rear-end to the audience.