45th Academy Awards — Award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1972
The 45th Academy Awards featured Marlon Brando's boycott, Cabaret's record eight wins without Best Picture, and the first dual African American Best Actress nominations.
Key Facts
- Ceremony Date
- March 27, 1973
- Venue
- Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
- Most Wins (single film)
- Cabaret — 8 Oscars (no Best Picture)
- Best Picture Winner
- The Godfather (3 wins total)
- Television Audience
- 85 million viewers
- Hosts
- Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Charlton Heston, Rock Hudson
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The films of 1972, including The Godfather and Cabaret, generated widespread acclaim and set the stage for a competitive awards season. Marlon Brando's growing opposition to Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans led him to plan a public protest if he won Best Actor for The Godfather.
The 45th Academy Awards took place on March 27, 1973, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Brando sent Apache activist Sacheen Littlefeather to decline his Best Actor award in protest. Cabaret won eight Oscars without winning Best Picture, a record. Charlie Chaplin won his only competitive Oscar for Limelight, and two Black women, Cicely Tyson and Diana Ross, received Best Actress nominations for the first time.
Brando's protest brought national attention to Native American rights and remains one of the most discussed moments in Oscar history. Cabaret's record underscored that commercial and artistic dominance did not always translate to Best Picture. Edward G. Robinson received a posthumous honorary Oscar, and the ceremony's TV audience of 85 million reflected the event's broad cultural reach.