Amy Madigan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday for her role in the horror film “Weapons.” The 75-year-old actress secured the victory at the 98th Academy Awards, setting a new record for the longest gap between nominations for an actress.
Madigan was last nominated 40 years ago for the 1986 family drama “Twice in a Lifetime.” Taking the stage on Sunday, she acknowledged the historic gap, noting during her acceptance speech that the difference between the two moments was “this little gold guy.”
In Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” Madigan plays the malevolent character Aunt Gladys. Her performance marks a rare instance of a horror film villain winning a major acting category in the entertainment industry. During her acceptance speech on Sunday, she also delivered a tribute to her husband of more than 40 years, actor Ed Harris.
Congrats to Amy Madigan for winning the Oscar for her role as Aunt Gladys in "Weapons"; and also for giving a regular normal acceptance speech and not ruining it for everyone. It was the only Oscar category that I sorta cared about.https://t.co/ZKSPxABunr
— Andrew @ Don’t Walk, RUN! (@DontWalkRUN) March 16, 2026
Madigan’s Hollywood milestone also highlights her deep roots in American broadcast journalism. She is the daughter of the late John Madigan, a prominent figure in Chicago television and radio history who died in 2012.
Born in 1918, John Madigan began his career covering the “Lipstick Killer” case for the Chicago American before becoming the inaugural moderator of CBS News’ “Face the Nation” in 1954. As the news director for WBBM-TV in the early 1960s, he hired future iconic anchors Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson. He later guided WBBM Newsradio’s 1968 transition to an all-news format.
Before establishing her acting career with roles in “Field of Dreams,” “Uncle Buck,” and “Gone Baby Gone,” Amy Madigan initially worked as a rocker and performance artist. Her historic win on Sunday culminates a decades-long presence in American cinema.