Q

How did the Oscars statue get its name?

Author Jim Piazza gives us the origin story of the Academy Awards trophy.
A close up view of an Oscar statuette at the Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images)

It's a shiny golden statue that we've come to know as Oscar — but how did Hollywood's biggest prize gets its name?

Well, according to Jim Piazza, co-author of The Academy Awards: The Complete History of Oscar, a secretary at MGM thought it looked like her uncle, Oscar. Thus, the name. But, this is just one of many alleged origin stories of the statuette. 

"Bette Davis took credit for that, also," Piazza notes. "She thought that it looked like her uncle Oscar — apparently everybody in Hollywood those days had an uncle Oscar!"

Tune in to hear more from Piazza about one of the world's most recognizable trophies.

The 89th Academy Awards take place Sunday, Feb. 26, on ABC.

— Produced by Sarah Grant