HistoryData
general1985

57th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1984

March 25, 1985

The 57th Academy Awards recognized 1984 films, with Amadeus dominating by winning eight Oscars including Best Picture, watched by 38.9 million viewers.

Quick Facts

Year
1985
Category
general

Key Facts

Date
March 25, 1985
Venue
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
Categories awarded
23
Top winner
Amadeus (8 awards, including Best Picture)
TV audience
38.9 million viewers
Host
Jack Lemmon (4th time hosting)

By the Numbers

251,985
Date
23
Categories awarded
8
Top winner
38.9viewers
TV audience

Location

Map of Los Angeles, United StatesMap of Los Angeles, United StatesLos Angeles, United States

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

Each year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences evaluates films released in the prior calendar year and organizes a ceremony to recognize outstanding achievement across multiple filmmaking categories. Films released in 1984, including Amadeus, The Killing Fields, and A Passage to India, were eligible for consideration.

Event

On March 25, 1985, the 57th Academy Awards ceremony took place at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, hosted by Jack Lemmon and produced by Gregory Peck, Robert Wise, Larry Gelbart, and Gene Allen. Awards were presented in 23 categories, with Amadeus winning eight, including Best Picture.

Consequence

Amadeus emerged as the dominant film of the 1984 awards season with eight wins. The ceremony reached an audience of 38.9 million U.S. viewers on ABC, reinforcing the cultural prominence of the Oscars as a major annual broadcast event and elevating the profiles of the winning films and their creators.

Timeline Context

Timeline around 19851985198219831984198619871988World Chess Championship 1985 — competition for the world title in chess1985 FIFA World Youth Championship — Sports season1985 IAAF World Indoor Games — 1985 edition of the IAAF World Indoor Games1985–86 UEFA Cup — 15th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFANakba — expulsion and flight of 750,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Palestine war1985 Formula One World Championship — sports season1985 CONCACAF Championship — 1985 edition of the CONCACAF Championship association football competitionEuroBasket 1985 — edition of the basketball tournament of 198557th-academy-awards-award-ceremony-presented-by-the-academ-1985