20th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1947
The 20th Academy Awards honored 1947 films and set a record for oldest Oscar winner when Edmund Gwenn won Best Supporting Actor at age 71.
Key Facts
- Ceremony Date
- March 20, 1948
- Films Honored
- Films released in 1947
- Best Picture
- Gentleman's Agreement
- Best Actress
- Loretta Young — The Farmer's Daughter
- Oldest Oscar Winner
- Edmund Gwenn, age 71, Best Supporting Actor
- Honorary Award
- James Baskett, first African-American man to win for acting
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences convenes to recognize outstanding achievement in filmmaking from the prior calendar year. The 1947 film slate produced several strong contenders, with Gentleman's Agreement, Loretta Young's performance in The Farmer's Daughter, and Edmund Gwenn's role in Miracle on 34th Street emerging as leading works.
The 20th Academy Awards were held on March 20, 1948, with no host presiding over the ceremony. Loretta Young won Best Actress despite Rosalind Russell being widely favored. Edmund Gwenn, at 71, became the oldest Oscar winner to that point. James Baskett received an Honorary Award for his portrayal of Uncle Remus in Song of the South, making him the first African-American man to receive an Academy Award for acting.
Gwenn's win established a new record for the oldest acting Oscar recipient, surpassing Charles Coburn's 1943 record. Baskett's Honorary Award marked a notable milestone in Academy history for African-American representation. Producer Darryl F. Zanuck publicly acknowledged that Gentleman's Agreement's Best Picture win compensated for the earlier failure of his 1944 film Wilson to take the prize.