The 27th Academy Awards were held on March 30, 1955 to honor the best films of

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

, hosted by

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

at the RKO Pantages Theatre in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

. ''

On the Waterfront ''On the Waterfront'' is a 1954 American crime drama film, directed by Elia Kazan and written by Budd Schulberg. It stars Marlon Brando and features Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Pat Henning, and Eva Marie Saint in her film debut. ...

'' led the ceremony with twelve nominations and eight wins, including Best Picture. Its total wins tied the record of '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and '' From Here to Eternity'' (1953), though those each had thirteen nominations. It was the third film to receive five acting nominations, and the first to receive three in the Best Supporting Actor category. A "rematch" occurred in the category of

Best Actor Best Actor is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actors in a film, television series, television film or play. The term most often refers to the ...

between Marlon Brando and

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

following Bogart's upset victory three years earlier. In an upset (

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

was the favored nominee), Brando won, now seen as one of the greatest Best Actor wins in Oscar history. This was Brando's fourth consecutive nomination for Best Actor (starting with ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of per ...

'' in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

), a record that remains unmatched to this day. In an even bigger upset,

Grace Kelly Grace Patricia Kelly (November 12, 1929 – September 14, 1982) was an American actress who, after starring in several significant films in the early to mid-1950s, became Princess of Monaco by marrying Prince Rainier III in April 1956. Kelly ...

won Best Actress for '' The Country Girl'' over

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

, who was heavily favored to win for '' A Star Is Born''. Garland could not attend the ceremony, having recently given birth to her third child; cameramen were present in her home so she could give an acceptance speech, only to awkwardly leave when Kelly was announced as the winner.

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

later sent her a telegram expressing that her loss was "the biggest robbery since Brink's". Dorothy Dandridge became the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress.

Awards

Nominees were announced on February 12, 1955. Winners are listed first and highlighted in boldface.

Academy Honorary Awards

* Bausch and Lomb Optical "for their contributions to the advancement of the motion picture industry". *Kemp R. Niver "for the development of the Renovare Process which has made possible the restoration of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

Paper Film Collection". *

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

"for her unforgettable screen performances". *

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

"for his unique talents, his service to the Academy, the motion picture industry, and the American people". *

Jon Whiteley Jon James Lamont Whiteley (19 February 1945 – 16 May 2020) was a Scottish child film actor and in adult life a distinguished art historian. Life and career The Monymusk-born Whiteley appeared in five films during his brief acting career, a ...

"for his outstanding juvenile performance in '' The Little Kidnappers''". *

Vincent Winter Vincent Winter (29 December 1947 – 2 November 1998) was a Scottish child film actor who, as an adult, continued to work in the film industry as a production manager and in other capacities. Career Winter was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and ...

"for his outstanding juvenile performance in '' The Little Kidnappers''".

Best Foreign Language Film

*'' Jigokumon'' (Gate of Hell) (

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

)

Presenters and performers

Presenters

(Presenter: Documentary Awards) * Donna Reed (Presenter: Best Supporting Actor) * Lee J. Cobb (Presenter: Best Special Effects) * Dorothy Dandridge (Presenter: Best Film Editing) * Nina Foch and Jane Wyman (Presenters: Costume Design Awards) *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portraya ...

and Jan Sterling (Presenters: Art Direction Awards) *

(Presenter: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White) * Katy Jurado (Presenter: Best Cinematography, Color) *Jean Marie Ingels (Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film) *

Charles Brackett Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Life and career Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...

(Presenter: Honorary Awards) * Merle Oberon (Presenter: Honorary Awards — Juvenile Performances) *

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary ...

(Presenter: Scientific and Technical Awards) *

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

(Presenter: Best Director) *

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American actor. He was primarily a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun aut ...

, and

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nomina ...

(Presenters: Writing Awards) *

(Presenter: Music Awards) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

(Presenter: Best Supporting Actress) * William Holden (Presenter: Best Actress) *

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

(Presenter: Best Actor) * Edmond O'Brien, Eva Marie Saint, and

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

(Presenters: Short Subjects Awards) * Tom Tully (Presenter: Best Sound Recording) * Buddy Adler (Presenter: Best Picture)

Performers

David Rose David Rose may refer to: Business * David Rose (real estate developer) (1892–1986), American real estate developer and philanthropist * David L. Rose (born 1967), American business executive and scientist at MIT Media Lab * David S. Rose (bor ...

(musical director) *

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

The Man That Got Away "The Man that Got Away" is a torch song, published in 1953 and written for the 1954 version of the film '' A Star Is Born.'' The music was written by Harold Arlen, and the lyrics by Ira Gershwin. In 1954, it was nominated for the Academy Award ...

" from '' A Star Is Born'') * Johnny Desmond and Muzzy Marcellino (" The High and the Mighty" from '' The High and the Mighty'') * Peggy King ("

Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep "Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin and used in the 1954 film '' White Christmas''. It is commonly performed as a Christmas song, although the lyrics make no reference to the December holiday. Hist ...

" from '' White Christmas'') *

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

(" Three Coins in the Fountain" from '' Three Coins in the Fountain'') * Tony Martin (" Hold My Hand" from ''

Susan Slept Here ''Susan Slept Here'' is a 1954 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Dick Powell (in his last film role) and Debbie Reynolds. Shot in Technicolor, the film is based on the play of the same name by Steve Fisher a ...

'')

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations: *''12 nominations:'' ''

'' *''7 nominations:'' '' The Caine Mutiny'' and '' The Country Girl'' *''6 nominations:'' '' The High and the Mighty'', '' Sabrina'' and '' A Star Is Born'' *''5 nominations:'' '' Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' *''4 nominations:'' '' Executive Suite'' and ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...

'' *''3 nominations:'' '' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', ''

Brigadoon ''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song "Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a m ...

'', '' The Glenn Miller Story'', '' There's No Business Like Show Business'' and '' Three Coins in the Fountain'' *''2 nominations:'' '' The Barefoot Contessa'', '' Broken Lance'', '' Carmen Jones'', '' Désirée'', '' Genevieve'', '' Jet Carrier'', '' The Silver Chalice'' and ''

'' The following films received multiple awards. *''8 wins:'' ''

'' *''2 wins:'' '' 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'', '' The Country Girl'' and '' Three Coins in the Fountain''

References

External links

1954 Academy Awards Winners and History

1954 Academy Awards
at the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Awards, 27 Academy Awards ceremonies 1954 film awards 1955 in Los Angeles 1955 in New York City 1955 in American cinema March 1955 events in the United States Events in New York City 1950s in Manhattan