In 2004, Carmine Caridi was banned by the Oscars, raising an understandable question around why he wasn’t welcome. Best known for his role as Carmine Rosato in The Godfather Part II and The Godfather Part III, Caridi also played minor roles in films like 1978’s Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park and 1992’s Ruby. Additionally, he portrayed Dan Valenti in the TV show Phyllis from 1976 to 1977. Although Caridi never received an Academy Award nomination, he was an active Oscar voter for a brief period until the Academy banned him from the Oscars.

The Oscars, officially known as the Academy Awards, are an annual ceremony honoring film industry professionals for their artistic and technical achievements. Often regarded as the most prestigious awards in the industry, the Oscars date back to 1929. Despite its lofty reputation, however, the ceremony hasn’t shied away from banning certain figures from attending. In all its history, the Academy has banned seven people from the Oscars for a variety of reasons. For example, Richard Gere was banned from the Oscars for 20 years for political statements. However, Carmine Caridi’s ban was arguably more scandalous.

Carmine Caridi Was Banned By The Oscars For Leaking Nominated Movies

These Include The Last Samurai, Mystic River, and Big Fish, Among Others

In January 2004, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed that copies of several nominated films were circulating illegally online. A defining watermark allowed the Academy to trace the leak back to a voter. An FBI investigation found that Carmine Caridi had shared unauthorized copies of multiple Oscar-nominated movies, including The Last Samurai, Mystic River, Big Fish, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and Something’s Gotta Give. The FBI’s findings showed that Caridi had been leaking screener versions of these films for nearly three years, resulting in his expulsion from the Academy.

Carmine Caridi was invited to join the Academy in 1982. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he admitted to making copies for people, including his brother and sister, and insisted that everyone does it. He also confessed to sending his screeners to a friend named Russel Sprague. The FBI offered Caridi immunity in exchange for naming Sprague, who was then arrested and charged with criminal copyright infringement. Caridi was then sued by both Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. and was ordered to pay the maximum penalty of $300,000, plus attorneys’ fees to each studio.

Carmine Caridi’s Oscars Ban Is Hollywood History (But It Happened Again)

Carmine Caridi made Hollywood history, as he was the first person to be expelled from The Academy. However, he wasn’t the last. The Academy has both banned and expelled individuals. Bans were temporary, allowing the person to return after a specified period. Expulsions, however, were permanent, barring the individual from any involvement with the Academy or its events indefinitely. Before Caridi, Richard Gere was banned in 1993 for 20 years for speaking about the issues in Tibet and calling out Deng Xiaoping while presenting the award for Best Art Direction, which The Academy found too controversial.

Since Caridi’s ban in 2004, other members who have been banned include Harvey Weinstein in 2017, Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski in 2018, Adam Kimmel in 2021, and most recently, Will Smith in 2022. Most of these men were permanently expelled, while Smith was banned for 10 years for slapping Chris Rock on stage. Carmine Caridi was thus the first person to be expelled from The Academy, but this has happened on many other occasions for different reasons.