Awards:
 Oscar
( )  ...Best Picture
( )  ...Actor in a Leading...
( )  ...Actress in a Leading...
( )  ...Actor in a Supporting...
( )  ...Actress in a...
( )  ...Best Director
( )  ...Writing, Screenplay...
( )  ...Writing, Screenplay...
( )  ...Best Cinematography
( )  ...Art Direction-Set...
( )  ...Best Costume Design
( )  ...Best Sound
( )  ...Best Film Editing
( )  ...Music, Original Song
( )  ...Music, Original Score
( )  ...Short Film, Animated
( )  ...Short Film, Live...
( )  ...Documentary, Short...
( )  ...Documentary, Features
( )  ...Foreign Language Film
( )  Special Achievement Award
( )  Honorary Award
( )  Medal of Commendation
( )  Academy Award of Merit
( )  Scientific and...
( )  Technical Achievement...
 
Other Info:
( )  event overview
( )  prev ceremony: 1980
( )  next ceremony: 1982
 
Related Pages:
( )  in this year: 1981
( )  all events
( )  awards browser
 
 

Academy Awards, USA: 1981

Oscar

Date:31 March
Host:Johnny Carson (I)
Location:Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. County Music Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Notes:
  • The telecast is postponed one day because of the attempted assassination of president Ronald Reagan (I).

Best Picture
  Winner:
 
  Other Nominees:
 
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - Bernard Schwartz
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Irwin Winkler; Robert Chartoff
  • Tess (1979) - Claude Berri; Timothy Burrill
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - Jonathan Sanger

  • Best Actor in a Leading Role
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - John Hurt
  • The Great Santini (1979) - Robert Duvall
  • The Stunt Man (1980) - Peter O'Toole (I)
  • Tribute (1980) - Jack Lemmon (I)

  • Best Actress in a Leading Role
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Gloria (1980) - Gena Rowlands
  • Ordinary People (1980) - Mary Tyler Moore
  • Private Benjamin (1980) - Goldie Hawn
  • Resurrection (1980) - Ellen Burstyn

  • Best Actor in a Supporting Role
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Melvin and Howard (1980) - Jason Robards
  • Ordinary People (1980) - Judd Hirsch
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Joe Pesci
  • The Great Santini (1979) - Michael O'Keefe (I)

  • Best Actress in a Supporting Role
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Inside Moves (1980) - Diana Scarwid
  • Private Benjamin (1980) - Eileen Brennan (I)
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Cathy Moriarty
  • Resurrection (1980) - Eva Le Gallienne

  • Best Director
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Martin Scorsese
  • Tess (1979) - Roman Polanski
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - David Lynch (I)
  • The Stunt Man (1980) - Richard Rush (I)

  • Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Brubaker (1980) - W.D. Richter (screenplay/story); Arthur A. Ross (story)
  • Fame (1980) - Christopher Gore
  • Mon oncle d'Amérique (1980) - Jean Gruault
  • Private Benjamin (1980) - Nancy Meyers; Charles Shyer; Harvey Miller (I)

  • Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • 'Breaker' Morant (1980) - Jonathan Hardy (I); David Stevens (I); Bruce Beresford
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - Thomas Rickman
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - Christopher De Vore; Eric Bergren; David Lynch (I)
  • The Stunt Man (1980) - Lawrence B. Marcus; Richard Rush (I)

  • Best Cinematography
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - Ralf D. Bode
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Michael Chapman (I)
  • The Blue Lagoon (1980) - Néstor Almendros
  • The Formula (1980) - James Crabe

  • Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - John W. Corso; John M. Dwyer
  • Kagemusha (1980) - Yoshirô Muraki
  • Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - Norman Reynolds; Leslie Dilley; Harry Lange; Alan Tomkins; Michael Ford (I)
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - Stuart Craig; Robert Cartwright; Hugh Scaife

  • Best Costume Design
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • My Brilliant Career (1979) - Anna Senior
  • Somewhere in Time (1980) - Jean-Pierre Dorléac
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - Patricia Norris (I)
  • When Time Ran Out... (1980) - Paul Zastupnevich

  • Best Sound
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Altered States (1980) - Arthur Piantadosi; Les Fresholtz; Michael Minkler; Willie D. Burton
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - Richard Portman; Roger Heman Jr.; James R. Alexander
  • Fame (1980) - Michael J. Kohut; Aaron Rochin (I); Jay M. Harding; Christopher Newman (I)
  • Raging Bull (1980) - Donald O. Mitchell; Bill Nicholson (I); David J. Kimball; Les Lazarowitz

  • Best Film Editing
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) - Arthur Schmidt (I)
  • Fame (1980) - Gerry Hambling
  • The Competition (1980) - David E. Blewitt
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - Anne V. Coates

  • Best Music, Original Song
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Fame (1980) - Michael Gore (I) (music); Lesley Gore (lyrics)
    - For the song "Out Here on My Own"
  • Honeysuckle Rose (1980) - Willie Nelson
    - For the song "On the Road Again"
  • Nine to Five (1980) - Dolly Parton
    - For the song "Nine to Five"
  • The Competition (1980) - Lalo Schifrin (music); Will Jennings (II) (lyrics)
    - For the song "People Alone"

  • Best Music, Original Score
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Altered States (1980) - John Corigliano
  • Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - John Williams (I)
  • Tess (1979) - Philippe Sarde
  • The Elephant Man (1980) - John Morris (II)

  • Best Short Film, Animated
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • History of the World in Three Minutes Flat (1980) - Michael Mills (XI)
  • Tout rien (1980) - Frédéric Back

  • Best Short Film, Live Action
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • A Jury of Her Peers (1980) - Sally Heckel (I)
  • Fall Line (1980) - Robert Carmichael; Greg Lowe

  • Best Documentary, Short Subjects
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Don't Mess with Bill (1980) - John Watson (I); Pen Densham
  • It's the Same World (1980) - Dick Young (II)
  • Luther Metke at 94 (1980) - Richard Hawkins (II); Jorge Preloran
  • The Eruption of Mount St. Helens! (1980) - George Casey (I)

  • Best Documentary, Features
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Agee (1980) - Ross Spears
  • Der gelbe Stern (1980) - Bengt von zur Mühlen; Arthur Cohn
  • Front Line (1980) - David Bradbury (I)
  • The Day After Trinity (1981) - Jon Else

  • Best Foreign Language Film
      Winner:
     
      Other Nominees:
     
  • Bizalom (1980)
    - Hungary
  • El nido (1980)
    - Spain
  • Kagemusha (1980)
    - Japan
  • Le dernier métro (1980)
    - France

  • Special Achievement Award

      Winner:
     

    Honorary Award

      Awarded to:
     
    • Henry Fonda
      - The consummate actor, in recognition of his brilliant accomplishments and enduring contribution to the art of motion pictures.

    Medal of Commendation

      Awarded to:
     
    • Fred Hynes
      - In appreciation for outstanding service and dedication in upholding the high standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

    Academy Award of Merit

    Date:15 March
    Location:Grand Ball Room, Beverly Hilton Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA

      Winner:
     
    • Linwood G. Dunn; Cecil Love; Acme Tool Manufacturing Co.
      - For the concept, engineering and development of the Acme-Dunn Optical Printer for motion picture special effects.

    Scientific and Engineering Award

      Winners:
     
    • David Grafton
      - For the optical design and engineering of a telecentric anamorphic lens for motion picture optical effects printers.
    • Edward B. Krause (Filmline Corp.)
      - For the engineering and manufacture of the micro-demand drive for continuous motion picture film processors.
    • Bernhard Kuhl (OSRAM GmbH); Werner Block (OSRAM GmbH)
      - For the progressive engineering and manufacture of the OSRAM HMI light source for motion picture color photography.
    • Jean-Marie Lavalou (Samuelson Alga Cinema S.A./Samuelson Film Service, Ltd.); Alain Masseron (Samuelson Alga Cinema S.A./Samuelson Film Service, Ltd.); David Samuelson (Samuelson Alga Cinema S.A./Samuelson Film Service, Ltd.)
      - For the engineering and development of the Louma Camera Crane and remote control system for motion picture production.
    • Ross Taylor (IV)
      - For the concept and development of a system of air guns for propelling objects used in special effects motion picture production.

    Technical Achievement Award

      Winners:
     
    • Andre DeBrie S.A.
      - For the development of a continuous contact, total immersion, additive color motion picture printer.
    • Carter Equipment Co., Inc.
      - For the development of a continuous contact, total immersion, additive color motion picture printer.
    • Hollywood Film Co.
      - For the development of a continuous contact, total immersion, additive color motion picture printer.
    • Worth Baird (LaVezzi Machine Works, Inc.)
      - For the advanced design and manufacture of a film sprocket for motion picture projectors.
    • John W. Lang (Bell and Howell Company); Walter Hrastnik (Bell and Howell Company); Charles J. Watson (Bell and Howell Company)
      - For the development and manufacture of a modular continuous contact motion picture film printer.
    • Peter Regla (Elicon); Dan Slater (I) (Elicon)
      - For the development of a follow-focus system for motion picture optical effects printers and animation stands.
    • Charles Vaughn (III) (Cinetron Computer Systems, Inc.); Eugene Nottingham (Cinetron Computer Systems, Inc.)
      - For the development of a versatile general purpose computer system for animation and optical effects motion picture photography.