Harold Russell, the actor who decided to give up his Oscar to help pay for his wife's cataract operation, is $55,000 richer.
Russell auctioned off the award Thursday night over the protests of the Academy of the Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.An anonymous buyer paid $60,500, including a 10 percent commission for the auctioneer.
"I'm very happy. I hope he enjoys Oscar as much as I did," Russell said in a telephone interview.
Russell, 78, of Hyannisport, Mass., received the Oscar in 1946 for his portrayal of a handless sailor in "The Best Years of Our Lives."
He said he decided to sell it to help pay for his wife's cataract operation and other expenses.
The 91/2-inch golden statuette was valued prior to the sale at $20,000 to $40,000.
The Oscar was bought by two men who attended the auction.
The sale upset the academy, which said it was aware of no other instance in which an Oscar was sold by its original recipient at a public auction.
In a letter to Russell, academy President Karl Malden wrote: "A great many people will be distressed . . . and I'm writing to plead that you reconsider your contemplated action."
Malden argued that Oscars "should not become objects of mere commerce."