The annual homage to the best of the big screen is bound to start in a manner deserving of the glitz and glamour of the Academy Awards. The hosts of the Oscars have the special opportunity to bring their humor and personality to the stage to start the show. Needless to say, the past Academy Awards entertainers had some unique tricks up their sleeves to get audiences smiling from ear to ear.

Ellen DeGeneres

The hostess who gifted to humanity the iconic 2014 Oscars selfie, Ellen DeGeneres also came to the 84th Academy Awards equipped with her clever wit and humor. Having previously hosted the award show in 2007 and her popular daytime talk show, she was anything but new to the job. With light-hearted jokes about the nominees, past Oscars and other such witticisms, DeGeneres was quick to win over the crowd.

Billy Crystal

He’s shown up as Hannibal Lecter, graced the world with his “What the Stars Are Thinking” gag and spread the word for everyone to “enjoy yourselves because nothing can take the sting of the world’s economic problems like watching millionaires present each other with golden statues.” Billy Crystal has hosted the Oscars nine times to date, and his dry humor and spot-on impression of James Earl Jones keeps him a crowd favorite.

Whoopi Goldberg

An Oscar winner herself, Whoopi Goldberg undoubtedly knew what it meant to make an entrance for her opening monologue. From an extravagant Victorian outfit for one opening number, to being covered head-to-toe in feathers another year, her fashion choices certainly made a memorable first impression on the crowd. However, it was Goldberg’s charismatic demeanor as hostess that made that impression lasting.

Tom Cruise

The 2002 Oscars was held a few months after the tragic 9/11 attacks in New York City, giving opening host Tom Cruise the responsibility of setting a hopeful tone for the show. He did so by gently putting aside the usual glamour and humor that normally accompanies an award-show opening, and replacing it with a heartfelt and uplifting speech about the magic of movies in times of trouble. Though this was not the official opening monologue of the show, Cruise was first to kick off the night by posing a meaningful question to attendees and viewers: what do movies mean to you?