Idi Amin and alluded to in the film "The Last King of Scotland" in 2006, a movie which earned actor Forest Whitaker an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Amin. During Amin's time in power, popular media outside of Uganda often portrayed him as an essentially comic and eccentric figure. In a 1977 assessment typical of the time, a "Time" magazine article described him as a "killer and clown, big-hearted buffoon and strutting martinet". The comedy-variety series "Saturday Night Live" aired four Amin sketches between 1976 and 1979, including one in which he was an ill-behaved houseguest in exile,
Idi Amin in Particular", in addition to his officially stated claim of being the uncrowned King of Scotland. He never received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) or the Military Cross (MC). He conferred a doctorate of law on himself from Makerere University as well as the Victorious Cross (VC), a medal made to emulate the British Victoria Cross. Amin became the subject of rumours and myths, including a widespread belief that he was a cannibal. Some of the rumours, such as the mutilation of one of his wives, were spread and popularised by the 1980 film "Rise and Fall of Idi Amin"