9th Academy Awards — award ceremony presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for achievement in filmmaking in 1936
The 9th Academy Awards introduced the Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress categories for the first time in Oscar history.
Key Facts
- Date
- March 4, 1937
- Venue
- Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles
- Host
- George Jessel
- Best Picture
- The Great Ziegfeld
- Best Actress
- Luise Rainer (The Great Ziegfeld)
- New categories introduced
- Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences organized its annual ceremony to recognize outstanding achievements in filmmaking during the 1936 calendar year, and expanded the award structure by adding two new supporting-performance categories for the first time.
The ceremony took place on March 4, 1937, at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, hosted by George Jessel with music by the Victor Young Orchestra. The Great Ziegfeld won Best Picture, Luise Rainer won Best Actress, and the newly created Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards were presented for the first time, though Jessel mistakenly assigned the wrong awards to the winners.
The introduction of the supporting-performance categories permanently expanded Oscar recognition for actors in non-leading roles. My Man Godfrey made history as the first film nominated in all four acting categories without winning any, and without receiving a Best Picture nomination, a distinction that would not be repeated until Sunset Boulevard at the 23rd Academy Awards.