Top ten Irish-American Oscar winners of all time - SEE PHOTOS

From Jimmy Cagney to Sean Penn - a look at the roles that carried Irish-American actors to the top of their profession

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Grace Kelly - still from Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window"

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SEE PHOTOS - Click here to see photos of the top Irish American Oscar winners

Read more: IrishCentral's top ten Irish mob movies - SEE VIDEOS

Here we pay tribute to the Americans of Irish blood who joined the ranks of the acting elite by winning what many consider the ultimate award in the field – the Oscar.

10. Grace Kelly

1954 – Best Actress in a Leading Role, "The Country Girl"

The Irish American screen legend’s Oscar win was controversial; many believed Kelly didn’t deserve it, and thought the Oscar should have gone to Judy Garland for "A Star is Born."
 
The Princess of Monaco may be a bit overdramatic as Georgie Elgin, singer Frank Elgin’s (Bing Crosby) long-suffering wife, but we feel the need to pay homage to the unforgettable film star, whose Irish roots are traced to Louisburgh, County Mayo.
 
9. Thomas Mitchell

1939 – Best Actor in a Supporting Role, "Stagecoach"

This great American character actor and first generation Irish American can be seen in classics such as Gone with the Wind (he plays Scarlett O’Hara’s father) and "It’s a Wonderful Life" (he’s Uncle Billy). His Oscar win finally came for his role in John Ford’s classic western, "Stagecoach,"in which Mitchell plays the drunken Doc Boone. 
 
8. Anjelica Huston

1985 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role, "Prizzi’s Honor"

Huston, who spent much of her childhood on her father John Huston’s Galway estate, has said of the Emerald Isle:  “I don’t feel anywhere else in the world the way I feel in Ireland. I feel at home there.”
 
She paid homage to her “home” by bringing James Joyce’s Gretta to life in the screen adaptation of "The Dead."
 
In Prizzi’s Honor, Huston gets in touch with her Italian roots, creating the unforgettable Maerose Prizzi, daughter of a powerful mobster.
 
7. Jimmy Cagney

1942 – Best Actor in a Leading Role, "Yankee Doodle Dandy"

Though he’s famous for his tough guy gangster roles, Cagney’s Oscar win came from his arguably best performance as song-and-dance man George M. Cohan in 1942’s "Yankee Doodle Dandy."
 
The Irish-Norwegian American from New York City makes the movie that is ranked #88 on the American Film Institute’s 100 Most Inspiring Movies of All Time.
 
6. Jennifer Connelly

2001 – Best Actress in a Supporting Role, "A Beautiful Mind"

Connelly gave a stellar performance as Alicia Nash in Ron Howard’s Academy Award winning film. Her portrayal of the wife of schizophrenic and mathematical genius John Nash earned Connelly not only earned the actress an Oscar, but also a Golden Globe, BAFTA and AFI.
 
Connelly traces her Irish roots to Co. Cork, and told Irish America magazine in 2002 that she considers Ireland “hauntingly beautiful,” and considers James Joyce’s "Ulysses" one of her all-time favorite works.
 
5. Kevin Kline

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