1981 (54th Annual Awards)
Nominations and Winners

Listed below are the Academy Award nominations and winners for the year 1981. The symbol appears next to the winner in each category. Click on the name of a film, person or song in the list to display more information about that film, person or song. Or, click on a year in the column on the right to display the nominations and winners from that year.

Best Picture

Atlantic City, International Cinema Corporation Production; Paramount. (France, Canada, USA) Denis Heroux and John Kemeny, Producers.

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) David Puttnam, Producer.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Bruce Gilbert, Producer.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Frank Marshall, Producer.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Warren Beatty, Producer.

Actor in a Leading Role

Warren Beatty in Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount.

Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA)

Burt Lancaster in Atlantic City, International Cinema Corporation Production; Paramount. (France, Canada, USA)

Dudley Moore in Arthur, Rollins, Joffe, Morra and Brezner Production; Orion.

Paul Newman in Absence of Malice, Mirage Enterprises Production; Columbia.

Actress in a Leading Role

Katharine Hepburn in On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA)

Diane Keaton in Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount.

Marsha Mason in Only When I Laugh, Columbia Pictures Production; Columbia.

Susan Sarandon in Atlantic City, International Cinema Corporation Production; Paramount. (France, Canada, USA)

Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Parlon Production; United Artists. (UK)

Actor in a Supporting Role

James Coco in Only When I Laugh, Columbia Pictures Production; Columbia.

John Gielgud in Arthur, Rollins, Joffe, Morra and Brezner Production; Orion.

Ian Holm in Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK)

Jack Nicholson in Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount.

Howard E. Rollins, Jr. in Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Melinda Dillon in Absence of Malice, Mirage Enterprises Production; Columbia.

Jane Fonda in On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA)

Joan Hackett in Only When I Laugh, Columbia Pictures Production; Columbia.

Elizabeth McGovern in Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount.

Maureen Stapleton in Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount.

Directing

Atlantic City, International Cinema Corporation Production; Paramount. (France, Canada, USA) Louis Malle.

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) Hugh Hudson.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Mark Rydell.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Steven Spielberg.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Warren Beatty.

Art Direction-Set Decoration

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Parlon Production; United Artists. (UK) Art direction by Assheton Gorton; set decoration by Ann Mollo.

Heaven’s Gate, Partisan Productions, Ltd.; United Artists. Art direction by Tambi Larsen; set decoration by Jim Berkey.

Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Art direction by John Graysmark, Patrizia Von Brandenstein and Anthony Reading; set decoration by George de Titta, Sr., George de Titta, Jr. and Peter Howitt.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Art direction by Norman Reynolds and Leslie Dilley; set decoration by Michael Ford.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Art direction by Richard Sylbert; set decoration by Michael Seirton.

Cinematography

Excalibur, Orion Pictures Production; Orion. Alex Thomson.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Billy Williams.

Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Miroslav Ondricek.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Douglas Slocombe.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Vittorio Storaro.

Costume Design

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) Milena Canonero.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Parlon Production; United Artists. (UK) Tom Rand.

Pennies from Heaven, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Herbert Ross/Hera Production; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Bob Mackie.

Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Anna Hill Johnstone.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Shirley Russell.

Documentary

(Feature)

Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey, Seven League Productions, Inc. Suzanne Bauman, Paul Neshamkin and Jim Burroughs, Producers.

Brooklyn Bridge, Florentine Films Production. Ken Burns, Producer.

Eight Minutes to Midnight: A Portrait of Dr. Helen Caldicott, The Caldicott Project. Mary Benjamin, Susanne Simpson and Boyd Estus, Producers.

El Salvador: Another Vietnam, Catalyst Media Productions. Glenn Silber and Tete Vasconcellos, Producers.

Genocide, Arnold Schwartzman Productions, Inc. Arnold Schwartzman and Rabbi Marvin Hier, Producers.

(Short Subject)

Americas in Transition, Americans in Transition, Inc. Obie Benz, Producer.

Close Harmony, Noble Enterprise. Nigel Noble, Producer.

Journey for Survival, Dick Young Productions, Ltd. Dick Young, Producer.

See What I Say, Michigan Women Filmmakers Productions. Linda Chapman, Pam LeBlanc and Freddi Stevens, Producers.

Urge to Build, Roland Hallé Productions, Inc. Roland Hallé and John Hoover, Producers.

Film Editing

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) Terry Rawlings.

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Parlon Production; United Artists. (UK) John Bloom.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Robert L. Wolfe.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Michael Kahn.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Dede Allen and Craig McKay.

Foreign Language Film

The Boat Is Full, Limbo Film AG Production. (Switzerland, West Germany, Austria)

Man of Iron, Polish Corporation for Film, Unit “X” Production. (Poland)

Mephisto, Mafilm-Objektiv Studio and Manfred Durniok Production. (West Germany, Hungary, Austria)

Muddy River, Kimura Production. (Japan)

Three Brothers, Iter Film (Rome)/Gaumont (Paris) Production. (Italy, France)

Makeup

An American Werewolf in London, Lycanthrope/PolyGram/Universal Pictures Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Rick Baker.

Heartbeeps, Michael Phillips/Universal Pictures Production; Universal. Stan Winston.

Music

(Original Score)

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) Vangelis.

Dragonslayer, Barwood/Robbins Production; Paramount. Alex North.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Dave Grusin.

Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Randy Newman.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. John Williams.

(Original Song)

Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do) from Arthur, Rollins, Joffe, Morra and Brezner Production; Orion. Music and lyric by Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Christopher Cross and Peter Allen.

Endless Love from Endless Love, Polygram/Universal Pictures/Keith Barish/Dyson Lovell Production; Universal. Music and lyric by Lionel Richie.

The First Time It Happens from The Great Muppet Caper, Jim Henson/ITC Film Entertainment Limited Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Music and lyric by Joe Raposo.

For Your Eyes Only from For Your Eyes Only, Eon Productions, Ltd.; United Artists. (UK) Music by Bill Conti; lyric by Mick Leeson.

One More Hour from Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Music and lyric by Randy Newman.

Short Films

(Animated)

Crac, Société Radio Canada. (Canada) Frédéric Back, Producer.

The Creation, Will Vinton Productions. Will Vinton, Producer.

The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin, National Film Board of Canada. (Canada) Janet Perlman, Producer.

(Live Action)

Couples and Robbers, Flamingo Pictures Ltd. (UK) Christine Oestreicher, Producer.

First Winter, National Film Board of Canada. (Canada) John N. Smith, Producer.

Violet, The American Film Institute. (Canada, USA) Paul Kemp and Shelley Levinson, Producers.

Sound

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Richard Portman and David Ronne.

Outland, Ladd Company Production; The Ladd Company. (UK) John K. Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass, Jr., Robert M. Thirlwell and Robin Gregory.

Pennies from Heaven, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Herbert Ross/Hera Production; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Michael J. Kohut, Jay M. Harding, Richard Tyler and Al Overton.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Bill Varney, Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Roy Charman.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Dick Vorisek, Tom Fleischman and Simon Kaye.

Special Achievement Award

(Sound Effects Editing)

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Ben Burtt and Richard L. Anderson.

Visual Effects

Dragonslayer, Barwood/Robbins Production; Paramount. Dennis Muren, Phil Tippett, Ken Ralston and Brian Johnson.

Raiders of the Lost Ark, Lucasfilm, Ltd. Production; Paramount. Richard Edlund, Kit West, Bruce Nicholson and Joe Johnston.

Writing

(Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium)

The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Parlon Production; United Artists. (UK) Harold Pinter.

On Golden Pond, ITC Films/IPC Films Production; Universal. (UK, USA) Ernest Thompson.

Pennies from Heaven, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/Herbert Ross/Hera Production; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Dennis Potter.

Prince of the City, Orion Pictures/Warner Bros. Production; Orion/Warner Bros. Jay Presson Allen and Sidney Lumet.

Ragtime, Ragtime Production; Paramount. Michael Weller.

(Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

Absence of Malice, Mirage Enterprises Production; Columbia. Kurt Luedtke.

Arthur, Rollins, Joffe, Morra and Brezner Production; Orion. Steve Gordon.

Atlantic City, International Cinema Corporation Production; Paramount. (France, Canada, USA) John Guare.

Chariots of Fire, Enigma Productions Limited; The Ladd Company/Warner Bros. (UK) Colin Welland.

Reds, J.R.S. Production; Paramount. Warren Beatty and Trevor Griffiths.

Honorary Award

To Barbara Stanwyck, for superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting. [ [Statuette]]

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

Danny Kaye

Gordon E. Sawyer Award

Joseph B. Walker

Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

Albert R. Broccoli

Scientific or Technical Award

(Academy Award of Merit)

To the Fuji Photo Film Company, Ltd. for the research, development and introduction of a new Ultra-high-speed color negative film for motion pictures.

(Scientific and Engineering Award)

To Nelson Tyler for the progressive development and improvement of the Tyler Helicopter motion picture camera platform.

To Leonard Sokolow for the concept and design and to Howard T. LaZare for the development of the Consolidated Film Industries’ Stroboscan motion picture film viewer.

To Richard Edlund and Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated for the concept and engineering of a beam-splitter optical composite motion picture printer.

To Richard Edlund and Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated for the engineering of the Empire Motion Picture Camera System.

To Edward J. Blasko and Dr. Roderick T. Ryan of the Eastman Kodak Company for the application of the Prostar Microfilm Processor for motion picture title and special optical effects production.

(Technical Achievement Award)

To Hal Landaker for the concept and to Alan D. Landaker for the engineering of the Burbank Studios’ Production Sound Department 24-frame color video system.

To Bill Hogan of Ruxton, Ltd. and Richard J. Stumpf and Daniel R. Brewer of Universal City Studios’ Production Sound Department for the engineering of a 24-frame color video system.

To John DeMuth for the engineering of a 24-frame color video system.

To ERNST F. NUTTMANN of Continental Camera Systems, Inc. for the development of a pitching lens for motion picture photography.

To Bill Taylor of Universal City Studios for the concept and specifications for a Two Format, Rotating Head, Aerial Image Optical Printer.

To Peter D. Parks of Oxford Scientific Films for the development of the OSF microcosmic zoom device for microscopic photography.

To Dr. Louis Stankiewicz and H. L. Blachford for the development of Baryfol sound barrier materials.

To Dennis Muren and Stuart Ziff of Industrial Light and Magic, Incorporated for the development of a Motion Picture Figure Mover for animation photography.