"Thank you."
(extended pause while he looked at the Oscar statue
In reference to the Oscar ... greeted with laughter.
"I'd like to thank my parents for not practicing birth control."
Again, laughter ... quite an original way to thank the parents, don't you think?
He then delivered his speech ...
"I'm up here with mixed feelings. I've been critical of the Academy ... and for reason. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to be able to work. I'm greatly honored for being chosen by the producer Stanley Joffe and the director Bob Benton, and to have worked in a family with them. And with Meryl, and with Justin, who if he loses again, we'll have to give him a lifetime achievement award. And to Jane Alexander, and to Jerry Greenberg, and to Nestor, and to the crew on the film, who was part of that family. And to the crews, and to the directors, like Bob Fosse, and Mike Nichols, and John Schlesinger, that I have worked with before. We are laughed at when we are up here sometimes, for thanking, but when you work on a film, you discover that there are people who are giving that artistic part of themself that goes beyond a paycheck. And they are never up here, and many of them are not members of the Academy, and we never hear of them. But this Oscar is a symbol, I think. And it is given for appreciation from those people who we never see. They are a part of our life. I refuse to believe that I beat Jack Lemmon, that I beat Al Pacino, that I beat Peter Sellers. I refuse to believe that Robert Duvall lost. We are a part of an artistic family. There are 60,000 actors in this Academy, pardon me, in the Screen Actors Guild, and probably 100,000 in Equity. And most actors don't work, and a few of us are so lucky to have a chance to work with writing and to work with directing. Because when you're a broke actor, you can't write, you can't paint ... you have to practice accents while you're driving a taxi cab. And to that artistic family that strives for excellence, none of you have ever lost. And I am proud to share this with you, and I thank you."
He left the stage to thunderous applause. Host Johnny Carson was then seen continuing the applause, watching Hoffman exit while nearly crying himself. Hoffman's mother was shown in the audience breaking into tears. Hoffman's co-star Meryl Streep was shown smiling and applauding, and fellow nominee Jack Lemmon was shown heartily applauding. Carson even commented on the speech before continuing, by saying "I think you'll all agree that was beautifully said." And it was.
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