4. David Niven’s Streaker (1974)
During his presentation speech introducing Elizabeth Taylor for Best Picture, a moustachioed photographer named Robert Opel streaked naked across the stage behind David Niven, flashing a peace sign. The crowd screamed in shock while the band launched into an inappropriate tune. Niven was left to recover on live television with a quick-witted quip about the man’s “shortcomings” being his only laugh in life.
The unexpected nudity turned a formal moment into pure chaos and left millions of viewers at home cringing at the disruption. The incident became legendary as one of the earliest and most memorable unscripted disasters in Oscars history.