21st Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1948
The 21st Academy Awards marked the first time a non-Hollywood film, Laurence Olivier's Hamlet, won Best Picture.
Key Facts
- Ceremony Date
- March 24, 1949
- Best Picture Winner
- Hamlet (Laurence Olivier)
- Huston Family Oscars
- 3 Oscars won in one evening
- Johnny Belinda nominations lost
- 11 out of 12 nominations
- New Award Introduced
- Best Costume Design (Color & B&W)
- Venue
- Academy's own theater (not Shrine Auditorium)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Major Hollywood studios withdrew financial support from the ceremony amid rumors that they had been attempting to influence Academy voters, prompting the Academy to relocate the event from the Shrine Auditorium to its own theater to demonstrate independence.
Held on March 24, 1949, the 21st Academy Awards honored films of 1948. Laurence Olivier's Hamlet won Best Picture, the first non-Hollywood production to do so, while John Huston won Best Director and Best Screenplay for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and his father Walter won Best Supporting Actor for the same film.
The ceremony established several notable firsts and records: Olivier became the first person to direct himself to an Oscar-winning performance; Jane Wyman became the first performer since the silent era to win acting honors with no dialogue; and Johnny Belinda set a record for the most nominations lost in a single night, a mark since tied by several other films.