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Academy Awards

51st edition

  • April 9, 1979
  • United States

The 51st Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 1978 and took place on April 9, 1979, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, beginning at 7:00 p.m. PST / 10:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as Oscars) in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Jack Haley Jr. and directed by Marty Pasetta. Comedian and talk show host Johnny Carson hosted the show for the first time. Three days earlier, in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by hosts Gregory Peck and Christopher Reeve.

Awards

Movie People Status
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino, John Peverall - as producer(s) Winner
Coming Home Jerome Hellman - as producer(s) —
Heaven Can Wait Warren Beatty - as producer(s) —
Midnight Express Alan Marshall, David Puttnam - as producer(s) —
An Unmarried Woman Paul Mazursky, Anthony Ray - as producer(s) —
Best Director
The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino Winner
Coming Home Hal Ashby —
Heaven Can Wait Warren Beatty, Buck Henry —
Interiors Woody Allen —
Midnight Express Alan Parker —
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Coming Home Jon Voight Winner
Heaven Can Wait Warren Beatty —
The Buddy Holly Story Gary Busey —
The Deer Hunter Robert De Niro —
The Boys from Brazil Laurence Olivier —
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Coming Home Jane Fonda Winner
Autumn Sonata Ingrid Bergman —
Same Time, Next Year Ellen Burstyn —
An Unmarried Woman Jill Clayburgh —
Interiors Geraldine Page —
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
The Deer Hunter Christopher Walken Winner
Coming Home Bruce Dern —
Comes a Horseman Richard Farnsworth —
Midnight Express John Hurt —
Heaven Can Wait Jack Warden —
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
California Suite Maggie Smith Winner
Heaven Can Wait Dyan Cannon —
Coming Home Penelope Milford —
Interiors Maureen Stapleton —
The Deer Hunter Meryl Streep —
Best Original Screenplay
Coming Home Nancy Dowd, Waldo Salt, Robert C. Jones Winner
Autumn Sonata Ingmar Bergman —
The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis A. Garfinkle, Quinn Redeke —
Interiors Woody Allen —
An Unmarried Woman Paul Mazursky —
Best Adapted Screenplay
Midnight Express Oliver Stone Winner
Bloodbrothers Walter Newman —
California Suite Neil Simon —
Heaven Can Wait Elaine May, Warren Beatty —
Same Time, Next Year Bernard Slade —
Best International Feature Film
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs Bertrand Blier Winner
The Glass Cell Hans W. Geißendörfer —
Hungarians Zoltán Fábri —
Viva Italia! Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, Mario Monicelli —
White Bim Black Ear Stanislav Rostotsky —
Best Documentary Feature Film
Scared Straight! Arnold Shapiro Winner
The Lovers' Wind Albert Lamorisse —
Mysterious Castles of Clay Alan Root —
Raoni Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, Barry Hugh Williams, Michel Gast —
With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade Ann Bohlen, Lyn Goldfarb, Lorraine Gray —
Best Original Score
Midnight Express Giorgio Moroder Winner
The Boys from Brazil Jerry Goldsmith —
Days of Heaven Ennio Morricone —
Heaven Can Wait Dave Grusin —
Superman John Williams —
Best Cinematography
Days of Heaven Néstor Almendros Winner
The Deer Hunter Vilmos Zsigmond —
Heaven Can Wait William A. Fraker —
Same Time, Next Year Robert Surtees —
The Wiz Oswald Morris —
Best Film Editing
The Deer Hunter Peter Zinner Winner
The Boys from Brazil Robert E. Swink —
Coming Home Don Zimmerman —
Midnight Express Gerry Hambling —
Superman Stuart Baird —
Best Sound
The Deer Hunter Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, Darin Knight Winner
The Buddy Holly Story Tex Rudloff, Joel Fein, Curly Thirlwell, Willie D. Burton —
Days of Heaven John Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass Jr., John T. Reitz, Barry Thomas —
Hooper Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don MacDougall, Jack Solomon —
Superman Gordon McCallum, Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, Roy Charman —
Best Original Song Score
The Buddy Holly Story Joe Renzetti Winner
Pretty Baby Jerry Wexler —
The Wiz Quincy Jones —
Best Original Song
Thank God It's Friday Paul Jabara - "Last Dance" Winner
Grease John Farrar - "Hopelessly Devoted to You" —
Same Time, Next Year Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman - "The Last Time I Felt Like This" —
Foul Play Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel - "Ready to Take a Chance Again" —
The Magic of Lassie Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman - "When You're Loved" —
Best Production Design
Heaven Can Wait Paul Sylbert, Edwin O'Donovan, George Gaines Winner
The Brink's Job Dean Tavoularis, Angelo P. Graham, George R. Nelson, Bruce Kay —
California Suite Albert Brenner, Marvin March —
Interiors Mel Bourne, Daniel Robert —
The Wiz Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg, Edward Stewart, Robert Drumheller —
Best Costume Design
Death on the Nile Anthony Powell Winner
Caravans Renié —
Days of Heaven Patricia Norris —
The Swarm Paul Zastupnevich —
The Wiz Tony Walton —
Best Short Film (Live Action)
Teenage Father Taylor Hackford Winner
A Different Approach Jim Belcher, Fern Field —
Mandy's Grandmother Andrew Sugerman —
Strange Fruit Seth Pinsker —
Best Documentary Short Film
The Flight of the Gossamer Condor Jacqueline Phillips Shedd, Ben Shedd Winner
The Divided Trail: A Native American Odyssey Jerry Aronson —
An Encounter with Faces K. K. Kapil —
Goodnight Miss Ann August Cinquegrana —
Squires of San Quentin J. Gary Mitchell —
Best Animated Short Film
Special Delivery Eunice Macaulay, John Weldon Winner
Oh My Darling Nico Crama —
Rip Van Winkle Will Vinton —
Honorary Award
— Walter Lantz - for bringing joy and laughter to every part of the world through his unique animated motion pictures. Winner
— The Museum of Modern Art Department of Film - for the contribution it has made to the public's perception of movies as an art form. Winner
— Laurence Olivier - for the full body of his work, for the unique achievements of his entire career and his lifetime of contribution to the art of film. Winner
— King Vidor - for his incomparable achievements as a cinematic creator and innovator. Winner
Special Achievement Award
Superman Les Bowie, Colin Chilvers, Denys Coop, Roy Field, Derek Meddings, Zoran Perisic - for Visual Effects. Winner
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
— Leo Jaffe Winner

The Deer Hunter
Statistics

Most Awarded

2 or more wins
  • The Deer Hunter 5
  • Coming Home 3
  • Midnight Express 2

Most Nominated

3 or more nominations
  • The Deer Hunter 9
  • Heaven Can Wait 9
  • Coming Home 8
  • Midnight Express 6
  • Interiors 5
  • Days of Heaven 4
  • Same Time, Next Year 4
  • Superman 4
  • The Wiz 4
  • An Unmarried Woman 3
  • The Boys from Brazil 3
  • The Buddy Holly Story 3
  • California Suite 3

Most Unluckiest

wins / nominations
  • Heaven Can Wait 1 / 9
  • Coming Home 3 / 8
  • Interiors 0 / 5
  • The Deer Hunter 5 / 9
  • Midnight Express 2 / 6
  • Same Time, Next Year 0 / 4
  • The Wiz 0 / 4
  • Days of Heaven 1 / 4
  • Superman 1 / 4
  • An Unmarried Woman 0 / 3
  • The Boys from Brazil 0 / 3
  • The Buddy Holly Story 1 / 3
  • California Suite 1 / 3

Only one nomination

34 movies:
  • An Encounter with Faces
  • Bloodbrothers
  • The Brink's Job
  • Caravans
  • Comes a Horseman
  • Death on the Nile
  • A Different Approach
  • The Divided Trail: A Native American Odyssey
  • The Flight of the Gossamer Condor
  • Foul Play
  • Get Out Your Handkerchiefs
  • The Glass Cell
  • Goodnight Miss Ann
  • Grease
  • Hooper
  • Hungarians
  • The Lovers' Wind
  • The Magic of Lassie
  • Mandy's Grandmother
  • Mysterious Castles of Clay
  • Oh My Darling
  • Pretty Baby
  • Raoni
  • Rip Van Winkle
  • Scared Straight!
  • Special Delivery
  • Squires of San Quentin
  • Strange Fruit
  • The Swarm
  • Teenage Father
  • Thank God It's Friday
  • Viva Italia!
  • White Bim Black Ear
  • With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade

Updated at