Top Academy Awards of 1962
 

The award for best actress in a supporting role was awarded to Patty Duke for her work in “The Miracle Worker.” The film was centered around Annie Sullivan (Anne Bancroft), and her effort to teach skills of communication to the deaf and blind Helen Keller. Duke offered a well crafted portrayal of the Keller, and solidified her reputation in the entertainment industry. She piggybacked the award with the success of The Patty Duke Show, beginning in 1963.

Ed Begley, father of the popular Ed Begley Jr., was awarded the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role of Tom “Boss” Finley in the 1962 film, “Sweet Bird of Youth.” A veteran of stage and screen, Begley was no stranger to winning big awards. In 1956 he was awarded the Tony Award for his performance in “Inherit the Wind.” Ed Begley worked until he passed away in 1970 of a heart attack. Some other career highlights include, “12 Angry Men,” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.”

Anne Bancroft lit up the screen, and became the favorite of many movie fans in 1962's “The Miracle Worker.” Playing the role of Annie Sullivan, Bancroft crafted a performance full of compassion and strength, teaching the deaf and blind Helen Keller how to communicate. Her on-screen chemistry with Patty Duke was undeniable, as was the camera's love for her for decades, until her death in 2005. The 1960s presented her rise to fame, especially after her creation of the iconic character, Mrs. Robinson, in the 1967 classic, “The Graduate.”

Few men have offered as much grace to the movie screen as Gregory Peck. It was only appropriate that he take the 1962 Academy Award for Best Actor, playing the firm, but fair attorney and father, Atticus Finch, in “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Peck had been a star since the 1940s, and had offered many fine performances, including the Oscar-worthy performance opposite Audrey Hepburn in 1953's “Roman Holiday.” Receiving a top academy award of 1962 only helped to solidfy his name in Hollywood history as one of the finest actors of his generation.

There were many well directed performances in 1962, helping to score several nominations for best director; however, it was the epic masterpiece, “Lawrence of Arabia,” which brought Oscar number two to David Lean for achievement in directing. The star vehicle, boasting Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn and Omar Sharif, is still as impressive today, as it was nearly 50 years ago. The British born Lean, was a master storyteller—a craftsman: A director, writer and talented editor. He also directed the classic, “The Bridge on the River Kwai,” for which he won his first top Academy Award, and “Doctor Zhivago.”

“Lawrence of Arabia,” was an epic masterpiece on a scale never before accomplished. Nearly 50 years old, and possessing cinematic magic that is rarely achieved today, it was truly a masterpiece for director David Lean and producer Sam Spiegel. The film was awarded 7 of the top academy awards of 1962. Most recently, Columbia restored the film and has released it in High-Definition on Bluray Disc, as well as HD movie channels.