Frances McDormand's Oscar Thief Arrested for Felony Grand Theft

Frances McDormand and her Academy Award are happily reunited after a thief stole it off her table [...]

By Libby Birk

Frances McDormand and her Academy Award are happily reunited after a thief stole it off her table at an Oscars after-party.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to multiple news outlets Monday that the man who swiped the award, who TMZ identifies as Terry Bryant, has been booked on felony grand theft charges.

TMZ obtained a video shot by Bryant of himself with McDormand's award minutes before his arrest. In the video, he said that the award was his and even asked other attendees if they wanted a photo with the Oscar.

"I can't believe I got this," he said to another attendee after accepting congratulatory remarks from those around him.

TMZ also reports that Bryant was tackled by security at the Governors Ball and then arrested after security contacted the police.

Earlier on Monday, USA Today reported that the 60-year-old Best Actress winner reported her trophy missing after getting it engraved at the post-Oscars Governors Ball.

McDormand reportedly noticed her new hardware was missing and notified security at the event. USA Today reports that she "was spotted crying emotionally" outside after realizing it had gone missing.

"Security at the Governors Ball are looking for this guy, who grabbed Frances McDormand's Oscar and ran out with it," a New York Times reporter tweeted alongside a photo of the suspect. "Wolfgang Puck's photographer stopped him, got the Oscar back, and the guy disappeared back into the ball. Apparently Frances has said to let him go."

California law categorizes grand theft of anything valued at $950 or more.

McDormand's rep Simon Halls said that she didn't let the incident ruin her big night and that she celebrated her win in the most Southern California way possible.

"Fran and Oscar are happily reunited and are enjoying an In-N-Out burger together," Halls told USA Today.

Earlier in the evening, McDormand floored the audience and viewers at home with her powerful acceptance speech after winning Best Actress for her role in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

In her speech, she called for inclusion and representation in film and art.

"We all have stories to tell and projects we need financed," she said during her acceptance speech after inviting all the nominated women in the audience to stand. "Don't talk to us about it at your parties tonight. Invite us into your office in a couple days, or you can come to ours, whichever suits you best, and we'll tell you all about them. I have two words to leave with you tonight, ladies and gentleman: Inclusion rider."

Vanity Fair reports that those last two words, "inclusion rider," are a term created by USC professor Stacy Smith and civil-rights and employment-practice attorney Kalpana Kotagal that describes something actors can add to contracts to demand better representation and diversity in films.

McDormand won the Best Actress award over a crowded field that included Sally Hawkins, Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep. Allison Janney, who started as LaVona Golden in I, Tonya, took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

Other women to take home Oscars on Sunday included Darla K. Anderson, who was one of the duo directors to create the winner of Best Animated Film Coco, Rachel Shenton for Best Live Action Short Film, Kristen Anderson-Lopez for Best Original Song ("Remember Me" from Coco) and Lucy Sibbick for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

The Shape of Water, which starred Hawkins in the leading role as a mute woman who helps rescue and falls in love with a fish monster, took home four major awards on Sunday, including Best Picture, Best Director for Guillermo del Toro, Best Production Design and Best Original Score.

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