USC Alumni represented at the 95th Academy Awards

The 95th Academy Awards are this Sunday, and four fellow Trojans are amongst the star-studded slate of nominees.

Actor Ke Huy Quan, who graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1999, is up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his character Waymond Wang in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” The film is up for 11 Oscars, and Huy Quan is considered one of many who brought the film to critical acclaim. Huy Quan is no stranger to the industry, as he is also known for his roles in “The Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.”

Composer Ludwig Göransson, who graduated from the USC Thornton School of Music’s screen scoring program in 2008, is up for Best Original Song with “Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” This is Göransson’s second Oscar nomination since his Best Original Score win in 2019 for “Black Panther.” Ryan Coogler, director and co-writer of both “Black Panther” films, is also a former Trojan; he and Göransson met and began working together while at USC.

The founder and CEO of Skydance Media, SCA alum David Ellison, is up for Best Picture for producing “Top Gun: Maverick.” Ellison is a veteran in the industry as he has produced several blockbuster movies such as “Annihilation,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “World War Z,” “Split” and “Baywatch” among many others. However, if “Top Gun: Maverick” takes home the Academy Award, this would be Ellison’s first Oscars triumph.

Last but certainly not least, Director Rian Johnson, who graduated from SCA in 1996, is up for Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) for “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Johnson’s extensive catalog includes: “Knives Out,” “Star Wars the Last Jedi,” “Looper” and other upcoming projects that will be hitting screens in the next year. He has a record of 105 award nominations and 49 award wins; this Sunday, he may make that 50.

USC alumni have a long history with the Oscars. Trojans have been nominated for over 200 awards in the past and have won over 80 times. In 2022, Doug Hemphill, Ben Proudfoot and Aneil Karia made USC proud by taking home their acclaimed Academy awards.

The long list of award-winning former Trojans speaks for itself to USC’s record of hosting talented artists who get recognized for their work every year. Some other notable Oscar-winner alumni include Robert Zemeckis for Best Director on “Forest Gump” in 1995, Forest Whitaker for Best Actor in his role on “The Last King of Scotland” in 2007 and John Wayne for Best Actor in his role on “True Grit” in 1970.

Tune in this Sunday on ABC to see which Trojans will add to their award collection during the 95th Academy Award Ceremony 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PST.