60th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1987
The Last Emperor swept all nine of its nominations at the 60th Academy Awards, while Cher, Michael Douglas, and Sean Connery claimed acting honors.
Key Facts
- Date
- April 11, 1988
- Venue
- Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles
- Categories awarded
- 22
- The Last Emperor wins
- 9 of 9 nominations (sweep)
- US viewership
- 42.2 million viewers
- Host
- Chevy Chase (second consecutive year)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Each year the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences convenes to honor outstanding achievement in filmmaking from the preceding calendar year. Films released in 1987 competed across 22 categories, with The Last Emperor, Moonstruck, Wall Street, and The Untouchables among the leading contenders heading into the ceremony.
The 60th Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 11, 1988, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, hosted by Chevy Chase and broadcast on ABC to 42.2 million viewers. Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor won all nine awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture and Best Director. Acting honors went to Cher, Michael Douglas, Olympia Dukakis, and Sean Connery.
The Last Emperor's clean sweep cemented its place among the most decorated films in Oscar history. Sean Connery's Best Supporting Actor win for The Untouchables made him the first Scottish recipient of an acting Oscar. The ceremony drew one of the larger television audiences of the era, affirming the awards' broad cultural reach.