Entertainment/Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry.
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on 16 May 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honour outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille.
The statuette - the official name of the Oscar statuette is the Academy Award of Merit. Made of gold-plated Britannia metal on a black metal base, it is 13.5in (34cm) tall and depicts a knight rendered in Art Deco style holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes. The five spokes each represent the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. MGM's art director Cedric Gibbons, one of the original Academy members, supervised the design of the award trophy. Mexican actor Emilio ‘El Indio’ Fernandez posed naked to create what today is known as the ‘Oscar’. The statuettes were cast, moulded, and polished by Chicago's R. S. Owens & Company, who lost the Oscars statuettes contract to its New York rival, Polich Tallix in 2016. It was named by Margaret Herrick, the Academy librarian, who remarked in 1931 (upon seeing the statuettes), "Why it looks like my Uncle Oscar!".
In 2002, the Dolby Theatre (formerly known as the Kodak Theatre) became the current venue of the presentation.
The official Oscars after-party is the Governors Ball.
The Academy Honorary Award, instituted in 1950 and previously called the Special Award, is given annually by the Board of Governors.
The Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award is awarded periodically at the Governors Awards ceremonies to "creative producers, whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production". First awarded in 1938.
The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is awarded periodically at the Governors Awards ceremonies for an individual's "outstanding contributions to humanitarian causes". First awarded in 1957’.
Chronological
Note – all dates are the years when the awards ceremonies took place, honouring the films of the previous year.
Tables contain ‘Big 4’ awards and selected additional awards.
Best Picture was known as Outstanding Picture (1929), Outstanding Production (1930-1940). Outstanding Motion Picture (1941-1943), Best Motion Picture (1944-1961), Best Picture (1962-)
1929 – 1st Awards
| Best Picture | Wings
Sunrise |
| Best Director | Lewis Milestone (Two Arabian Knights)
Frank Borzage (7th Heaven) |
| Best Actor | Emil Jannings (The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh) |
| Best Actress | Janet Gaynor (7th Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films from August 1927 to July 1928 and took place in May 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. It was hosted by Douglas Fairbanks and William C. deMille. Winners were announced three months ahead of the ceremony.
There were two film awards. Wings was Outstanding Picture and Sunrise was Unique and Artistic Picture.
Warner Bros received a special honorary award “for producing The Jazz Singer (1927), the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry."
There were two director awards. Lewis Milestone won the Osar for Best Directing (Comedy Picture) and Frank Borzage won the Oscar for Best Directing (Dramatic Picture).
The rumour alleging Rin Tin Tin won the most votes in the Best Actor category is an urban legend.
1930 – 2nd Awards
| Best Picture | The Broadway Melody |
| Best Director | Frank Lloyd (The Divine Lady) |
| Best Actor | Warner Baxter (In Old Arizona) |
| Best Actress | Mary Pickford (Coquette) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films from August 1928 to July 1929 and took place in April 1930 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by William C. deMille. This is the only year in which no film won more than one Oscar.
The Broadway Melody was the first talkie to win Best Picture.
1931 – 3rd Awards
| Best Picture | All Quiet on the Western Front |
| Best Director | Lewis Milestone (All Quiet on the Western Front) |
| Best Actor | George Arliss (Disraeli) |
| Best Actress | Norma Shearer (The Divorcee) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films from August 1929 to July 1930 and took place in November 1930 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by Conrad Nagel.
Best Sound Recording award was introduced.
George Arliss was the first British actor to win an Academy Award.
All Quiet on the Western Front was the first screen adaptation of a novel to win Best Picture.
1932 – 4th Awards
| Best Picture | Cimarron |
| Best Director | Norman Taurog (Skippy) |
| Best Actor | Lionel Barrymore (A Free Soul) |
| Best Actress | Marie Dressler (Min and Bill) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films released between August 1930, and July 1931 and took place in November 1931 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Lawrence Grant.
Cimarron was the first Western to win the Best Picture award. The next Western to win Best Picture was Dances with Wolves.
Lionel Barrymore became the first person to be nominated in multiple categories, having been nominated for Best Director in 1930.
Nine-year-old Jackie Cooper was the first child actor to receive a nomination, for Skippy.
1933 – 5th Awards
| Best Picture | Grand Hotel |
| Best Director | Frank Borzage (Bad Girl) |
| Best Actor | Wallace Beery (The Champ)
Fredric March (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) |
| Best Actress | Helen Hayes (The Sin of Madelon Claudet) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films released between August 1931, and July 1932 and took place in November 1932 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by Lionel Barrymore and Conrad Nagel.
Short film awards were introduced.
Grand Hotel is the only film to have won the Academy Award for Best Picture without it or its participants being nominated in any other category.
There was a tie for Best Actor, a unique event in Academy history.
1934 – 6th Awards
| Best Picture | Cavalcade |
| Best Director | Frank Lloyd (Cavalcade) |
| Best Actor | Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII) |
| Best Actress | Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films from August 1932 to December 1933 and took place in March 1934 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by Will Rogers.
Walt Disney became the first person to win consecutive Academy Awards, winning Best Short Subject, Cartoon after having won the same award in 1933
Diana Wynyard was the first British actress to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress, for her role in Cavalcade.
1935 – 7th Awards
| Best Picture | It Happened One Night |
| Best Director | Frank Capra (It Happened One Night) |
| Best Actor | Clark Gable (It Happened One Night) |
| Best Actress | Claudette Colbert (It Happened One Night) |
| Best Original Song | The Continental (The Gay Divorcee) |
The awards ceremony honoured the best films from 1934 and took place in February 1935 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Irvin S. Cobb. As of this ceremony, the Academy's award eligibility period coincided with the calendar year.
It Happened One Night was the first film to win Oscars for Best Actor and Actress. It was the first film ever to win the ‘Big Five’ Academy Awards (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay).
Best Original Song and Best Original Score award categories were introduced.
Six-year-old Shirley Temple became the first child star to be honoured with a miniature Juvenile Oscar.
1936 – 8th Awards
| Best Picture | Mutiny on the Bounty |
| Best Director | John Ford (The Informer) |
| Best Actor | Victor McLaglen (The Informer) |
| Best Actress | Bette Davis (Dangerous) |
| Best Original Song | Lullaby of Broadway (Gold Diggers of 1935) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | The Informer – Dudley Nichols |
Took place in March 1936 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Frank Capra.
First year in which the awards were called "Oscars".
Mutiny on the Bounty became the only film to receive three nominations for Best Actor (Clark Gable, Charles Laughton and Franchot Tone).
Dudley Nichols was the first person to refuse an Oscar. He boycotted the ceremony because of ongoing conflicts between the Academy and the Writer's Guild.
1937 – 9th Awards
| Best Picture | The Great Ziegfield |
| Best Director | Frank Capra (Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) |
| Best Actor | Paul Muni (The Story of Louis Pasteur) |
| Best Actress | Luise Rainer (The Great Ziegfeld) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Brennan (Come and Get It) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Gale Sondergaard (Anthony Adverse) |
Took place in March 1937 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by George Jessel.
This year marked the introduction of the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories.
Luise Rainer played Anna Held, who is the first real life person to be portrayed in a role which would win the Academy Award for Best Actress.
1938 – 10th Awards
| Best Picture | The Life of Emile Zola |
| Best Director | Leo McCarey (The Awful Truth) |
| Best Actor | Spencer Tracy (Captains Courageous) |
| Best Actress | Luise Rainer (The Good Earth) |
Took place in March 1938 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Bob Burns.
Luise Rainer became the first actress to win two Academy Awards.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs received only one nomination, for Best Original Score.
Edgar Bergen was given an Academy Honorary Award (in the form of a wooden Oscar statuette with a movable mouth) for his ventriloquist’s dummy named Charlie McCarthy.
1939 – 11th Awards
| Best Picture | You Can’t Take It with You |
| Best Director | Frank Capra (You Can’t Take It with You) |
| Best Actor | Spencer Tracy (Boys Town) |
| Best Actress | Bette Davis (Jezebel) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Brennan (Kentucky) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Pygmalion – George Bernard Shaw |
Took place in February 1939 at the Biltmore Hotel with no host.
George Bernard Shaw's win made him the first person to win both a Nobel Prize and an Academy Award.
Erich Korngold's Academy Award for his score to The Adventures of Robin Hood marked the first time an Oscar was awarded to the composer rather than the head of the studio music department.
Frank Capra became the first person to win three Best Director awards.
1940 – 12th Awards
| Best Picture | Gone with the Wind |
| Best Director | Victor Fleming (Gone with the Wind) |
| Best Actor | Robert Donat (Goodbye, Mr. Chips) |
| Best Actress | Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Hattie McDaniel (Gone with the Wind) |
| Best Screenplay | Gone with the Wind – Sidney Howard |
| Best Original Song | Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz) |
Took place in February 1940 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by Bob Hope - first of nineteen times he hosted the event.
Gone with the Wind had 13 nominations and won eight Oscars. Longest Best Picture winner (234 minutes). Hattie McDaniel was the first black actress to win an Oscar.
Gone with the Wind was the first colour film to win Best Picture.
Academy Juvenile Award was presented to Judy Garland for The Wizard of Oz.
Introduction of Best Visual Effects category.
Sidney Howard was the first posthumous winner of an Oscar, for writing Gone with the Wind.
1941 – 13th Awards
| Best Picture | Rebecca |
| Best Director | John Ford (The Grapes of Wrath) |
| Best Actor | James Stewart (The Philadelphia Story) |
| Best Actress | Ginger Rogers (Kitty Foyle) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Brennan (The Westerner) |
| Best Original song | When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) |
| Best Original Screenplay | The Great McGinty – Preston Sturges |
Took place in February 1941 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Bob Hope.
First year that sealed envelopes were used to keep the names of the winners secret.
Alfred Hitchcock won his only Best Picture Oscar for Rebecca.
Walter Brennan won his third Best Supporting Actor award.
Pinocchio was the first animated feature film to win competitive Oscars, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song.
Best Original Screenplay was introduced at this ceremony.
1942 – 14th Awards
| Best Picture | How Green Was My Valley |
| Best Director | John Ford (How Green Was My Valley) |
| Best Actor | Gary Cooper (Sergeant York) |
| Best Actress | Joan Fontaine (Suspicion) |
Took place in February 1942 at the Biltmore Hotel and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Citizen Kane was nominated for nine awards but won only one, for Best Original Screenplay
Sergeant York was nominated for eleven awards and won two (Best Actor and Best Film Editing)
Joan Fontaine is the only actress to ever win the Best Actress Oscar in a film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (Suspicion). This is the only Oscar-winning performance in a Hitchcock film.
Sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland were both nominated for Best Actress.
1943 – 15th Awards
| Best Picture | Mrs. Miniver |
| Best Director | William Wyler (Mrs. Miniver) |
| Best Actor | James Cagney (Yankee Doodle Dandy) |
| Best Actress | Greer Garson (Mrs. Miniver) |
| Best Original Song | White Christmas (Holiday Inn) |
Took place in March 1943 at the Ambassador Hotel and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Greer Garson holds the record for the longest acceptance speech, at five minutes and 30 seconds.
Irving Berlin presented himself with an Oscar after opening the envelope for Best Original Song and seeing that White Christmas had won.
James Cagney won his only Oscar for his role in Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Best Documentary Feature Film was introduced, and there was a four-way tie including John Ford’s The Battle of Midway, filmed on the island of Midway during the battle and Frank Capra’s Prelude to War.
1944 – 16th Awards
| Best Picture | Casablanca |
| Best Director | Michael Curtiz (Casablanca) |
| Best Actor | Paul Lukas (Watch on the Rhine) |
| Best Actress | Jennifer Jones (The Song of Bernadette) |
| Best Short Film – Cartoons | The Yankee Doodle Mouse – Fred Quimby |
Took place in March 1944 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. Jack Benny hosted the event and it lasted less than 30 minutes.
Michael Curtiz won his only Oscar for Best Director for Casablanca.
The Yankee Doodle Mouse was the first of seven Oscars won by Tom and Jerry cartoons.
1945 – 17th Awards
| Best Picture | Going My Way |
| Best Director | Leo McCarey (Going My Way) |
| Best Actor | Bing Crosby (Going My Way) |
| Best Actress | Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ethel Barrymore (None but the Lonely Heart) |
| Best Original Song | Swinging on a Star (Going My Way) |
Took place in March 1945 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and was hosted by Bob Hope and John Cromwell. It was first time the complete awards ceremony was broadcast nationally on the radio.
1946 – 18th Awards
| Best Picture | The Lost Weekend |
| Best Director | Billy Wilder (The Lost Weekend) |
| Best Actor | Ray Milland (The Lost Weekend) |
| Best Actress | Joan Crawford (Mildred Pierce) |
| Best Original Song | It Might as Well Be Spring (State Fair) |
Took place in March 1946 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre and was hosted by Bob Hope and James Stewart.
Joan Crawford was absent from the ceremony.
It Might as Well Be Spring won an Oscar for Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein.
1947 – 19th Awards
| Best Picture | The Best Years of Our Lives |
| Best Director | William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives) |
| Best Actor | Fredric March (The Best Years of Our Lives) |
| Best Actress | Olivia de Havilland (To Each his Own) |
Took place in March 1947 at the Shrine Auditorium and was hosted by Jack Benny.
1948 – 20th Awards
| Best Picture | Gentleman’s Agreement |
| Best Director | Elia Kazan (Gentleman’s Agreement) |
| Best Actor | Ronald Colman (A Double Life) |
| Best Actress | Loretta Young (The Farmer’s Daughter) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Edmund Gwenn (Miracle on 34th Street) |
| Best Original Song | Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (Song of the South) |
Took place in March 1948 at the Shrine Auditorium and was hosted by Agnes Moorehead and Dick Powell.
1949 – 21st Awards
| Best Picture | Hamlet |
| Best Director | John Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) |
| Best Actor | Laurence Olivier (Hamlet) |
| Best Actress | Jane Wyman (Johnny Belinda) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre) |
Took place in March 1949 at the Academy Theatre and was hosted by Robert Montgomery.
Laurence Olivier was the first person to win an Oscar for Best Actor in a film which he also directed, for Hamlet.
Hamlet was the first British film to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Walter Huston was the father of John Huston.
Academy Award for Best Costume Design was first given. Initially, separate award categories were established for black-and-white films and colour films. The two categories merged in 1967.
1950 – 22nd Awards
| Best Picture | All the King’s Men |
| Best Director | Joseph L. Manciewicz (A Letter to Three Wives) |
| Best Actor | Broderick Crawford (All the King’s Men) |
| Best Actress | Olivia de Havilland (The Heiress) |
| Best Original Song | Baby, It’s Cold Outside (Neptune’s Daughter) |
Took place in March 1950 at the Pantages Theatre and was hosted by Paul Douglas.
1951 – 23rd Awards
| Best Picture | All About Eve |
| Best Director | Joseph L. Manciewicz (All About Eve) |
| Best Actor | Jose Ferrer (Cyrano de Bergerac) |
| Best Actress | Judy Holliday (Born Yesterday) |
| Best Supporting Actor | George Sanders (All About Eve) |
Took place in March 1951 at the Pantages Theatre and was hosted by Fred Astaire.
All About Eve was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won six, including Best Picture. It is the only film in Oscar history to date to receive four female acting nominations, two for Best Actress (Bette Davis and Anne Baxter) and two for Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter).
1952 – 24th Awards
| Best Picture | An American in Paris |
| Best Director | George Stevens (A Place in the Sun) |
| Best Actor | Humphrey Bogart (The African Queen) |
| Best Actress | Vivien Leigh (A Streetcar Named Desire) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Karl Malden (A Streetcar Named Desire) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Kim Hunter (A Streetcar Named Desire) |
Took place in March 1952 at the Pantages Theatre and was hosted by Danny Kaye.
None of the actors in An American in Paris were nominated for awards.
A Streetcar Named Desire became the first film to win three acting awards.
Humphrey Bogart won his only Oscar for Best Actor.
1953 – 25th Awards
| Best Picture | The Greatest Show on Earth |
| Best Director | John Ford (The Quiet Man) |
| Best Actor | Gary Cooper (High Noon) |
| Best Actress | Shirley Booth (Come Back, Little Sheba) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Anthony Quinn (Viva Zapata!) |
| Best Original Song | The Ballad of High Noon (aka Do Not Forsake Me, O My Darlin') (High Noon) |
Taking place in March 1953 it was televised for the first time and there were two simultaneous award ceremonies in Hollywood (Pantages Theatre) and New York (NBC International Theatre). They were hosted by Bob Hope (in Hollywood), Conrad Nagel (as master of ceremonies) and Fredric March (in New York).
Dimitri Tiomkin won an Oscar for Best Original Song for High Noon.
1954 – 26th Awards
| Best Picture | From Here to Eternity |
| Best Director | Fred Zinnemann (From Here to Eternity) |
| Best Actor | William Holden (Stalag 17) |
| Best Actress | Audrey Hepburn (Roman Holiday) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Frank Sinatra (From Here to Eternity) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Donna Reed (From Here to Eternity) |
| Best Original Song | Secret Love (Calamity Jane) |
Taking place in March 1954 there were two simultaneous award ceremonies in Hollywood (Pantages Theatre) and New York (NBC Century Theatre). They were hosted by Donald O’Connor (in Hollywood) and Fredric March (in New York).
Secret Love was sung by Doris Day.
Frank Sinatra won his only Oscar.
William Holden’s acceptance speech was “Thank you. Thank you”
1955 – 27th Awards
| Best Picture | On the Waterfront |
| Best Director | Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront) |
| Best Actor | Marlon Brando (On the Waterfront) |
| Best Actress | Grace Kelly (The Country Girl) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Eva Marie Saint (On the Waterfront) |
| Best Original Song | Three Coins in the Fountain (Three Coins in the Fountain) |
Taking place in March 1955 there were two simultaneous award ceremonies in Hollywood (Pantages Theatre) and New York (NBC Century Theatre). They were hosted by Bob Hope (in Hollywood) and Thelma Ritter (in New York).
Sammy Cahn won an Academy Award for the lyrics for Three Coins in the Fountain.
On the Waterfront won 8 Oscars. Three actors were nominated for the Best Supporting Actor.
Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American actress to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Carmen Jones.
1956 – 28th Awards
| Best Picture | Marty |
| Best Director | Delbart Mann (Marty) |
| Best Actor | Ernst Borgnine (Marty) |
| Best Actress | Anna Magnani (The Rose Tattoo) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts) |
Taking place in March 1956 at the Pantages Theatre and NBC Century Theatre. They were hosted by Jerry Lewis (in Hollywood) and Claudette Colbert and Joseph L. Mankiewicz (in New York).
Marty is the shortest Best Picture winner (94 minutes).
James Dean became the first actor to receive a posthumous nomination, for East of Eden.
1957 – 29th Awards
| Best Picture | Around the World in 80 Days |
| Best Director | George Stevens (Giant) |
| Best Actor | Yul Brynner (The King and I) |
| Best Actress | Ingrid Bergman (Anastasia) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Anthony Quinn (Lust for Life) |
| Best Original Song | Que Sera, Sera (The Man Who Knew Too Much) |
| Best Documentary Feature | The Silent World |
Took place in March 1957 at the Pantages Theatre and NBC Century Theatre and was hosted by Jerry Lewis and Celeste Holm.
Anthony Quinn played Paul Gauguin and was on screen for only eight minutes.
Que Sera, Sera was sung by Doris Day and became her ‘theme song’.
The Silent World was co-directed by Jacques Cousteau and Louis Malle.
Best Foreign Language Film was introduced.
1958 – 30th Awards
| Best Picture | The Bridge on the River Kwai |
| Best Director | David Lean (The Bridge on the River Kwai) |
| Best Actor | Alec Guinness (The Bridge on the River Kwai) |
| Best Actress | Joanne Woodward (The Three Faces of Eve) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Red Buttons (Sayonara) |
Took place in March 1958 at the Pantages Theatre and had multiple hosts - Bob Hope, David Niven, James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Rosalind Russell and Donald Duck ( voiced by Clarence Nash).
1959 – 31st Awards
| Best Picture | Gigi |
| Best Director | Vincente Minnelli (Gigi) |
| Best Actor | David Niven (Separate Tables) |
| Best Actress | Susan Hayward (I Want to Live!) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Burl Ives (The Big Country) |
| Best Original Score | Gigi – Andre Previn |
| Best Original Song | Gigi (Gigi) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Gigi – Alan Jay Lerner |
Took place in April 1959 at the Pantages Theatre and had multiple hosts - Jerry Lewis, Mort Sahl, Tony Randall, Bob Hope, David Niven (see below) and Laurence Olivier.
Gigi won all nine awards it was nominated for.
The song Gigi was written by Frederick Loewe (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (words).
David Niven won the Academy Award with his only nomination for an Oscar. Appearing on-screen for only 16 minutes in the film, this remains the briefest performance ever to win a Best Actor Oscar.
David Niven is the only actor to host an Oscars where he won an award.
1960 – 32nd Awards
| Best Picture | Ben-Hur |
| Best Director | William Wyler (Ben-Hur) |
| Best Actor | Charlton Heston (Ben-Hur) |
| Best Actress | Simone Signoret (Room at the Top) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Hugh Griffith (Ben-Hur) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Shelley Winters (The Diary of Anne Frank) |
| Best Original Song | High Hopes (A Hole in the Head) |
| Best Original Score | Porgy and Bess – Andre Previn and Ken Darby |
Took place in April 1960 at the Pantages Theatre and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Ben-Hur received 12 Oscar nominations and won 11.
1961 – 33rd Awards
| Best Picture | The Apartment |
| Best Director | Billy Wilder (The Apartment) |
| Best Actor | Burt Lancaster (Elmer Gantry) |
| Best Actress | Elizabeth Taylor (BUtterfield 8) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Peter Ustinov (Spartacus) |
| Best Original Song | Never on Sunday (Never on Sunday) |
Took place in April 1961 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Billy Wilder won three Oscars for The Apartment.
Never on a Sunday was the first Best Song from a foreign language film.
Gary Cooper received an Academy Honorary Award "for his many memorable screen performances and the international recognition he, as an individual, has gained for the motion picture industry". Too ill to accept in person, he died 4 weeks later.
For Pollyanna Hayley Mills received the last Academy Juvenile Award to be presented. In future juveniles contested the main award categories.
1962 – 34th Awards
| Best Picture | West Side Story |
| Best Director | Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise (West Side Story) |
| Best Actor | Maximilian Schell (Judgment at Nuremberg) |
| Best Actress | Sophia Loren (Two Women) |
| Best Supporting Actor | George Chakiris (West Side Story) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Rita Moreno (West Side Story) |
| Best Original Song | Moon River (Breakfast at Tiffany's) |
Took place in April 1962 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Sophia Loren became the first artist to win an Oscar for a foreign-language performance, performing in Italian.
West Side Story was the first musical to win 10 Oscars.
Moon River was composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer. It was performed by Audrey Hepburn.
Thelma Ritter received her sixth nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Birdman of Alcatraz, the most nominations for an actress in this category.
1963 – 35th Awards
| Best Picture | Lawrence of Arabia |
| Best Director | David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia) |
| Best Actor | Gregory Peck (To Kill a Mockingbird) |
| Best Actress | Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Patty Duke (The Miracle Worker) |
Took place in April 1963 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Frank Sinatra.
Omar Sharif had his only Oscar nomination for Lawrence of Arabia.
Lawrence of Arabia had no female speaking roles.
Patty Duke made the shortest acceptance speech in Oscars’ history – “Thank You”.
Bette Davis became the first person to secure ten Academy Award nominations for acting.
The Miracle Worker won two acting awards without being nominated for Best Picture (first time).
1964 – 36th Awards
| Best Picture | Tom Jones |
| Best Director | Tony Richardson (Tom Jones) |
| Best Actor | Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field) |
| Best Actress | Patricia Neal (Hud) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Melvyn Douglas (Hud) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Margaret Rutherford (The V.I.P.s) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | 8 ½ (Federico Fellini, Italy) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Tom Jones – John Osborne |
Took place in April 1964 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Jack Lemmon.
Sidney Poitier became the first black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Hud won two acting awards without being nominated for Best Picture (second and last time - see also The Miracle Worker in 1963).
1965 – 37th Awards
| Best Picture | My Fair Lady |
| Best Director | George Cukor (My Fair Lady) |
| Best Actor | Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady) |
| Best Actress | Julie Andrews (Mary Poppins) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Peter Ustinov (Topkapi) |
| Best Original Song | Chim Chim Cher-ee (Mary Poppins) |
| Best Sound Effects | Goldfinger – Norman Wanstall |
| Best Costume Design | Cecil Beaton (My Fair Lady) |
Took place in April 1965 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Mary Poppins was Walt Disney’s only nomination for Best Picture Oscar
Goldfinger was the first James Bond film to win an Oscar
1966 – 38th Awards
| Best Picture | The Sound of Music |
| Best Director | Robert Wise (The Sound of Music) |
| Best Actor | Lee Marvin (Cat Ballou) |
| Best Actress | Julie Christie (Darling) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Shelley Winters (A Patch of Blue) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Doctor Zhivago – Robert Bolt |
| Best Visual Effects | Thunderball – John Stears |
Took place in April 1966 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope.
William Wyler received the last of his record 12 Best Director nominations for The Collector.
1967 – 39th Awards
| Best Picture | A Man for All Seasons |
| Best Director | Fred Zinnemann (A Man for All Seasons) |
| Best Actor | Paul Scofield (A Man for All Seasons) |
| Best Actress | Elizabeth Taylor (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Walter Matthau (The Fortune Cookie) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | A Man for All Seasons – Robert Bolt |
Took place in April 1967 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope.
Sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave were both nominated for Best Actress.
1968 – 40th Awards
| Best Picture | In the Heat of the Night |
| Best Director | Mike Nichols (The Graduate) |
| Best Actor | Rod Steiger (In the Heat of the Night) |
| Best Actress | Katharine Hepburn (Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner) |
| Best Supporting Actor | George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke) |
| Best Original Song | Talk to the Animals (Doctor Dolittle) |
Took place in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and was hosted by Bob Hope. The ceremony was postponed for 2 days following the assassination of Martin Luther King jr.
This was the first and only time that three different films were nominated for the five major categories (Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay): Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
1969 – 41st Awards
| Best Picture | Oliver! |
| Best Director | Carol Reed (Oliver!) |
| Best Actor | Cliff Robertson (Charly) |
| Best Actress | Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter)
Barbra Streisand (Funny Girl) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk, Russia) |
| Best Original Song | The Windmills of Your Mind (The Thomas Crown Affair) |
Took place in April 1969 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. There was no host.
This was the only time there has been a tie for Best Actress award.
Young Americans won the award for Best Documentary Feature Film but became the only film to have its Oscar revoked as it had premiered in 1967. The Oscar was subsequently awarded to Journey into Self.
War and Peace was in four parts, with a total running time of 431 minutes.
1970 – 42nd Awards
| Best Picture | Midnight Cowboy |
| Best Director | John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) |
| Best Actor | John Wayne (True Grit) |
| Best Actress | Maggie Smith (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Goldie Hawn (Cactus Flower) |
| Best Original Song | “Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head” from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid |
| Best Original Screenplay | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – William Goldman |
Took place in April 1970 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. There was no host.
Midnight Cowboy is the only X-rated film to win Best Picture Oscar.
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head was written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. The version by B. J. Thomas reached No. 1 on singles charts in the United States.
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? set an Oscar record by receiving nine nominations without one for Best Picture.
1971 – 43rd Awards
| Best Picture | Patton |
| Best Director | Franklin J. Schaffner (Patton) |
| Best Actor | George C. Scott (Patton) |
| Best Actress | Glenda Jackson (Women in Love) |
| Best Supporting Actor | John Mills (Ryan’s Daughter) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Helen Hayes (Airport) |
Took place in April 1971 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. There was no host.
George C. Scott became the first actor to refuse an Oscar.
Helen Hayes became the first actress to win Oscars in both lead and supporting categories.
1972 – 44th Awards
| Best Picture | The French Connection |
| Best Director | William Friedkin (The French Connection) |
| Best Actor | Gene Hackman (The French Connection) |
| Best Actress | Jane Fonda (Klute) |
Took place in April 1972 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jack Lemmon.
A Clockwork Orange was the last X-rated film to be nominated for Best Picture.
1973 – 45th Awards
| Best Picture | The Godfather |
| Best Director | Bob Fosse (Cabaret) |
| Best Actor | Marlon Brando (The Godfather) |
| Best Actress | Liza Minnelli (Cabaret) |
| Best Original Score | Limelight (Charlie Chaplin) |
Took place in March 1973 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, and Rock Hudson.
Cabaret won the most Oscars (eight) without winning Best Picture.
Bob Fosse became the only person to ever win an Oscar (for Cabaret), a Tony and an Emmy in the same year.
Marlon Brando turned down as Oscar for The Godfather due to mistreatment and mis-portrayal of Native Americans by Hollywood, and sent Apache actress Sacheen Littlefeather to explain why he did not accept the Oscar.
Charlie Chaplin received his only competitive Oscar. Limelight was produced in 1952 but was not seen in Los Angeles until its re-release in 1972.
1974 – 46th Awards
| Best Picture | The Sting |
| Best Director | George Roy Hill (The Sting) |
| Best Actor | Jack Lemmon (Save the Tiger) |
| Best Actress | Glenda Jackson (A Touch of Class) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Tatum O’Neal (Paper Moon) |
Took place in April 1974 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Burt Reynolds, Diana Ross, John Huston, and David Niven.
Jack Lemmon was the first previous winner of a Best Supporting Actor Oscar to win the Best Actor award.
Tatum O'Neal is the youngest person ever to win a competitive Academy Award, which she won at age 10 for her performance in Paper Moon opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal.
Julia Philips was the first female producer to win an Academy Award for Best Picture for The Sting.
1975 – 47th Awards
| Best Picture | The Godfather Part II |
| Best Director | Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather Part II) |
| Best Actor | Art Carney (Harry and Tonto) |
| Best Actress | Ellen Burstyn (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Ingrid Bergman (Murder on the Orient Express) |
Took place in April 1975 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Bob Hope, Shirley MacLaine, Sammy Davis Jr., and Frank Sinatra.
The Godfather Part II had three Best Supporting Actor nominations, the last film to receive three nominations in a single acting category.
Fred Astaire received his only Oscar nomination for The Towering Inferno.
1976 – 48th Awards
| Best Picture | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest |
| Best Director | Milos Forman (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) |
| Best Actor | Jack Nicholson (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) |
| Best Actress | Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) |
| Best Supporting Actor | George Burns (The Sunshine Boys) |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest |
Took place in March 1976 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Walter Matthau, Robert Shaw, George Segal, Goldie Hawn, and Gene Kelly.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest won all five major categories.
George Burns, aged 80, was the oldest acting winner at the time.
1977 – 49th Awards
| Best Picture | Rocky |
| Best Director | John G. Avildsen (Rocky) |
| Best Actor | Peter Finch (Network) |
| Best Actress | Fay Dunaway (Network) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards (All the President’s Men) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Beatrice Straight (Network) |
| Best Original Song | Evergreen (A Star Is Born) |
| Best Original Score | The Omen – Jerry Goldsmith |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | All the President’s Men – William Goldman |
Took place in March 1977 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Richard Pryor, Ellen Burstyn, Jane Fonda, and Warren Beatty.
Network became the second film, after A Streetcar Named Desire, to win three acting Oscars.
Peter Finch became the first actor to win a posthumous award.
Beatrice Straight set a record for the shortest performance ever (6 minutes) to win an acting Oscar.
Lina Wertmuller became the first woman nominated for Best Director, for Seven Beauties.
Barbra Streisand became the first woman to be honored as a composer, for Evergreen.
Jerry Goldsmith won his only Oscar, from 18 Academy Award nominations.
1978 – 50th Awards
| Best Picture | Annie Hall |
| Best Director | Woody Allen (Annie Hall) |
| Best Actor | Richard Dreyfuss (The Goodbye Girl) |
| Best Actress | Diane Keaton (Annie Hall) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards (Julia) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Vanessa Redgrave (Julia) |
Took place in April 1978 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Bob Hope, his final time as host.
Jason Robards won his second consecutive Best Supporting Actor award.
Woody Allen received his only acting Oscar nomination, for Annie Hall.
Alec Guinness received the only Star Wars acting Oscar nomination.
The Turning Point received 11 nominations with no wins.
1979 – 51st Awards
| Best Picture | The Deer Hunter |
| Best Director | Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter) |
| Best Actor | John Voight (Coming Home) |
| Best Actress | Jane Fonda (Coming Home) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Maggie Smith (California Suite) |
Took place in April 1979 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Johnny Carson for the first time.
Laurence Olivier became the first actor to secure ten Academy Award nominations for acting.
Jack Warden was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for playing the character Max Corkle in Heaven Can Wait. James Gleason had been nominated for the same award for playing the same character in Here Comes Mr Jordan (Heaven Can Wait was a remake) at the 1942 award ceremony.
1980 – 52nd Awards
| Best Picture | Kramer vs. Kramer |
| Best Director | Robert Benton (Kramer vs. Kramer) |
| Best Actor | Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer) |
| Best Actress | Sally Field (Norma Rae) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Meryl Streep (Kramer vs. Kramer) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | The Tin Drum (Volker Schlondorff, Germany) |
| Best Visual Effects | Alien |
Took place in April 1980 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Johnny Carson.
At age eight, Best Supporting Actor nominee Justin Henry (Kramer vs. Kramer) became the youngest person nominated for an Oscar.
H. R. Giger was part of the special effects team that won an Academy Award for Alien.
1981 – 53rd Awards
| Best Picture | Ordinary People |
| Best Director | Robert Redford (Ordinary People) |
| Best Actor | Robert De Niro (Raging Bull) |
| Best Actress | Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) |
Took place in April 1981 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Johnny Carson. It had been postponed for a day due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Timothy Hutton is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, aged 20.
1982 – 54th Awards
| Best Picture | Chariots of Fire |
| Best Director | Warren Beatty (Reds) |
| Best Actor | Henry Fonda (On Golden Pond) |
| Best Actress | Katharine Hepburn (On Golden Pond) |
| Best Supporting Actor | John Gielgud (Arthur) |
Took place in April 1982 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Johnny Carson.
Katharine Hepburn became the first and only performer to win four competitive acting Oscars.
76-year-old Henry Fonda won the Best Actor Award.
Academy Award for Best Makeup was introduced, following complaints that the makeup work in The Elephant Man the previous year was not honoured.
1983 – 55th Awards
| Best Picture | Gandhi |
| Best Director | Richard Attenborough (Gandhi) |
| Best Actor | Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) |
| Best Actress | Meryl Streep (Sophie’s Choice) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Louis Gossett (An Officer and a Gentleman) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jessica Lange (Tootsie) |
| Best Original Song | Up Where We Belong (An Officer and a Gentleman) |
Took place in April 1983 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, and Walter Matthau.
Louis Gossett became the first African-American actor to win Best Supporting Actor.
1984 – 56th Awards
| Best Picture | Terms of Endearment |
| Best Director | James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment) |
| Best Actor | Robert Duvall (Tender Mercies) |
| Best Actress | Shirley MacLaine (Terms of Endearment) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearment) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Linda Hunt (The Year of Living Dangerously) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Fanny and Alexander (Ingmar Bergman, Sweden) |
| Best Original Song | Flashdance… What a Feeling (Flashdance) |
Took place in April 1984 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Johnny Carson.
Linda Hunt was the first person to win an Oscar for portraying a character of the opposite sex, as Billy Kwan.
Irene Cara became the first black woman to win an Oscar in a non-acting category for the song Flashdance.
1985 – 57th Awards
| Best Picture | Amadeus |
| Best Director | Milos Forman (Amadeus) |
| Best Actor | F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) |
| Best Actress | Sally Field (Places in the Heart) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Peggy Ashcroft (A Passage to India) |
| Best Original Score | Purple Rain – Prince |
| Best Original Song | I Just Called to Say I Love You (Woman in Red) |
Took place in March 1985 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Jack Lemmon.
1986 – 58th Awards
| Best Picture | Out of Africa |
| Best Director | Sydney Pollack (Out of Africa) |
| Best Actor | William Hurt (Kiss of the Spider Woman) |
| Best Actress | Geraldine Page (The Trip to Bountiful) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Don Ameche (Cocoon) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Anjelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor) |
| Best Original Song | Say You, Say Me (White Nights) |
Took place in March 1986 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Alan Alda, Jane Fonda, and Robin Williams.
The Color Purple failed to win any of its eleven nominations.
Anjelica Huston became the first third-generation Oscar winner after her father, John and grandfather Walter.
1987 – 59th Awards
| Best Picture | Platoon |
| Best Director | Oliver Stone (Platoon) |
| Best Actor | Paul Newman (The Colour of Money) |
| Best Actress | Marlee Matlin (Children of a Lesser God) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Michael Caine (Hannah and Her Sisters) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Dianne Wiest (Hannah and Her Sisters) |
| Best Original Song | Take My Breath Away (Top Gun) |
| Best Original Score | Round Midnight – Herbie Hancock |
Took place in March 1987 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles and was hosted by Chevy Chase, Paul Hogan, and Goldie Hawn.
Marlee Matlin was the first deaf actor to win an Oscar, and the youngest Best Actress winner
Herbie Hancock was the first black person to win an Oscar for Best Original Score.
1988 – 60th Awards
| Best Picture | The Last Emperor |
| Best Director | Bernardo Bertolucci (The Last Emperor) |
| Best Actor | Michael Douglas (Wall Street) |
| Best Actress | Cher (Moonstruck) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Sean Connery (The Untouchables) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Olympia Dukakis (Moonstruck) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Babette’s Feast (Gabriel Axel, Denmark) |
| Best Original Song | (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life (Dirty Dancing) |
| Best Original Score | The Last Emperor - David Byrne, Cong Su, and Ryuichi Sakamoto |
Took place in April 1988 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles and was hosted by Chevy Chase.
The Last Emperor won all nine awards it was nominated for.
Sean Connery won his only Oscar.
1989 – 61st Awards
| Best Picture | Rain Man |
| Best Director | Barry Levinson (Rain Man) |
| Best Actor | Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man) |
| Best Actress | Jodie Foster (The Accused) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kevin Kline (A Fish Called Wanda) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Geena Davis (The Accidental Tourist) |
| Best Animated Short Film | Tin Toy |
Took place in March 1989 at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. There was no host.
Tin Toy was the first Oscar won by Pixar
1990 – 62nd Awards
| Best Picture | Driving Miss Daisy |
| Best Director | Oliver Stone (Born on the Fourth of July) |
| Best Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis (My Left Foot) |
| Best Actress | Jessica Tandy (Driving Miss Daisy) |
| Best Supporting Actor | Denzel Washington (Glory) |
| Best Supporting Actress | Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) |
| Best Foreign Language Film | Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy) |
| Best Original Song | Under the Sea (The Little Mermaid) |
Took place in March 1990 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles with Billy Crystal hosting the show for the first time.
Driving Miss Daisy won Best Picture without receiving a nomination for Best Director.
Jessica Tandy became the oldest actress to receive the Academy Award for Best Actress, aged 80.
Brenda Fricker became the first Irish actress to win an Oscar.
