The 90th Annual Academy Awards are to be presented this Sunday, honoring the best in cinema, from sci-fi films, to war films, to animated films. One of the strongest categories this year is Best Actress in a Supporting Role. And come Sunday night, one of the five nominees (probably Allison Janney for I, Tonya, but I wouldn't count out Laurie Metcalf in Lady Bird) will join the ranks of Anne Hathaway, Marisa Tomei, Meryl Streep, Shelly Winters and Gem City native Mary Astor as an Academy Award Winner.

Mary Astor
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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That's right, Quincy's own Mary Astor, born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke in 1906, went to school in Chicago before landing film roles alongside John Barrymore, Ginger Rogers and eventually with screen icons Humphrey Bogart, Judy Garland and Bette Davis, alongside whom she starred in 1941's The Great Lie, for which she won the Best Supporting Actress award, her only award nomination and win.

After coming up during the silent era, she was quite the prolific actress in the 30s and 40s, before a troubled personal life and health issues limited her opportunities in the 50s, and ultimately retiring after 1964's Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte. She passed away in 1987.

Mary Astor had two children, and five grand children. As Oscar statues can be passed down to heirs, but never sold, it's likely one of her grandchildren (or even great grandchildren) currently has the statue. I wonder what it would take to get that on display in a Quincy museum?

Since I love this game: Mary Astor was in Meet Me In St. Louis with June Lockhart, who was in The Big Picture with Kevin Bacon.

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