1. Bob Hope

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Bob Hope first appeared on the Oscar stage in 1940 and continued to appear till the 70’s. In all, he has hosted the Oscars an astonishing total of 18 times. He is the one responsible for the lighthearted tone, filled with humor and irony. The best thing about Hope was that he never stopped short of making fun at his own expense.

2. Johnny Carson

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Johnny Carson hosted the Oscar 5 times. He is what you can call the gold standard for the role of the Oscar host and the high priest of Oscar hosting. He was witty, even when he was being sarcastic and an epitome of class.

3. Billy Crystal

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Billy Crystal has hosted the Oscars 8 times in the 90’s and 00’s. Many consider him to be at the top of the list of Oscar hosts that rock. While some may consider his antics to be outrageous, they never failed to evoke a laugh from the audience or his viewers. He has done things like getting a cop to carry him onstage to open the ceremony and inserting his pictures into the clips of the nominees.

4. Whoopi Goldberg

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In my opinion, Whoopi Goldberg definitely at the top of the list of Oscar hosts that rock. She was the first female and so far the only African American female as well as the first Oscar winner to host the Oscars. She is credited with the best visual gag of all times when she dressed up powder faced as Queen Elizabeth in the year that Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench were both nominated for their role as the Queen Mother.

5. David Niven

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Although he was a co-host amongst other, David Niven emblazoned his name in the Oscar host hall of fame when he kept his cool in face of a streaker who ran across the stage. Niven’s response was a classic line delivered with utter élan and panache.

6. Ellen DeGeneres

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Ellen played the role of a humble and grateful person overwhelmed by the opportunity to host the Oscars and played it with great wit, charm and humor. She fawned over the audience, appeared to be star-struck by the celebrities and even roped in Steven Spielberg to take a picture of her with Clint Eastwood for her MySpace page.

7. Steve Martin

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The funny man has been full of jokes and gags at the Oscars and it is hardly surprising that he rubbed some members of the audience the wrong way, but nonetheless, I think he was delightful.

While there are other people who can be added to this list of Oscar hosts that rock, the hosts mentioned here were all universally loved, admired and respected.

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