48th Academy Awards — Award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1975
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest became only the second film to sweep all five major Oscar categories, and ABC regained broadcast rights to the ceremony.
Key Facts
- Host venue
- Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
- Best Picture winner
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Major sweep count
- 5 of 5 top categories won by one film
- Oldest acting winner
- George Burns, age 80, Best Supporting Actor
- Youngest Best Actress nominee
- Isabelle Adjani, age 20
- Network broadcast
- ABC (returning after NBC held rights 1971–1975)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The 1975 film year produced several strong contenders, with Miloš Forman's adaptation of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest earning widespread critical acclaim across acting, directing, and writing, positioning it as a dominant awards-season favourite heading into the ceremony.
The 48th Academy Awards were held on March 29, 1976, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest swept Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay — only the second film to achieve this, after It Happened One Night in 1934. George Burns, at 80, became the oldest acting winner to that point.
The clean sweep cemented One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest as a landmark of 1970s American cinema. ABC reclaimed Oscar broadcast rights it would retain indefinitely. Records set that night for youngest Best Actress nominee and oldest acting winner both stood for years before being subsequently broken.