Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database

DUSTIN HOFFMAN:
Thank you. Thank you very much. Uh...I'm supposed to be jaded by this point. I'm very honored and I thank the Academy for your support. And I also thank Tom Hanks and Max von Sydow and James Olmos and my good friend Gene Hackman for their wonderful work, even if they didn't vote for me. [Laughs] I didn't vote for you guys, either. It's a pleasure to be here with such good work.

I thank my agent Mike Ovitz and Tony Thomopoulos for making this project stick with glue when it was falling apart. I thank all the producers. I thank the wonderful cast and the crew of this film who were so emotionally connected with us. I thank the writers, Barry Morrow and Ron Bass. And I just want to thank all the people I talked to that were autistic, and their families, and the doctors and all their help. And our associate producer, Gail Mutrux, got a hold of us, got a hold of for me to meet particularly, Kim Peek, who was the first inspiration of the film, Joe Sullivan and his mother, and my special thanks to Peter and Kevin Guthrie.

My father so wanted to be here tonight. Ironically, a few weeks ago he joined the family of the disabled. And I understand that the hospital where he's at tonight, that a lot of people that I've met recently are gathered with him with tuxedos and champagne cups and formals. And they're all watching this show right now on a big TV that they rented. So to the...[applause]. It was just a few weeks ago that he was at the Golden Globes and he says, "Let's find Gene Hackman." Because he knows we're old roommates. "C'mon, let's find Gene." Anyway, to the wonderful doctors and nurses and rehabilitation people, and to the families that I've met recently, and to my father and to his new friends: Here's looking at you. Thank you.

[Ed. note: Later in the ceremony, before presenting the Best Actress award with Tom Cruise, Mr. Hoffman said: "In my nervousness I left out the director's name, and I left out Tom's name. Tom, thank you very much. I love you very much."]