Meryl Streep thanked more than God in Oscar acceptance speeches

Meryl Streep shocked with an attack on Walt Disney during a star-studded ceremony. Photo/AP

As if she needed further confirmation of Hollywood's love for her, it has been revealed that Meryl Streep is thanked more than God in Oscar acceptance speeches.

The US actress, 64, has been name-checked by four of the 47 winners of the past 12 years, while God has only notched up three mentions. But to be fair, Streep has won three Oscars and been nominated 18 times, so she's pretty influential in the film industry.

TV host Oprah Winfrey and Sir Sidney Poitier, who was the first black person to win an Oscar in 1963, both received two, according to a survey conducted by Slatemagazine.

Individuals aside, directors are the most thanked, with 42 mentions. Actors often pay tribute to their agents, producers, co-stars and of course their families. The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was thanked 32 times, while spouses received 25 mentions, children 21, and screenwriters 19.

Fellow nominees are less likely to get a look in during acceptance speeches, as just 17 former winners thanked them, but influencers such as iconic directors are increasingly mentioned.

Then there's George Clooney, who thanked....absolutely no-one. The Gravity actor won for his performance in 2006's Syriana, praised the Academy and then left the stage with no further name mentions.

Other memorable acceptances include Catherine Zeta Jones thanking her unborn child when she won for Chicago in 2002 and Jennifer Lawrence's awkwardness in 2013. The 23-year-old won Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, but in her nerves (and embarrassment post-tripping up the stairs) she forgot to thank her director David O Russell.

Here's hoping she remembers this time, as Lawrence is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for O Russell's American Hustle.

- UK Independent