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Academy Awards

32nd edition

  • April 4, 1960
  • United States

The 32nd Academy Awards ceremony was held on April 4, 1960, at the RKO Pantages Theatre, to honor the films of 1959.

Awards

Movie People Status
Best Picture
Ben-Hur Sam Zimbalist - as producer(s) Winner
Anatomy of a Murder Otto Preminger - as producer(s)
The Diary of Anne Frank George Stevens - as producer(s)
The Nun's Story Henry Blanke - as producer(s)
Room at the Top John Woolf, James Woolf - as producer(s)
Best Director
Ben-Hur William Wyler Winner
The Diary of Anne Frank George Stevens
The Nun's Story Fred Zinnemann
Room at the Top Jack Clayton
Some Like It Hot Billy Wilder
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Ben-Hur Charlton Heston Winner
Room at the Top Laurence Harvey
Some Like It Hot Jack Lemmon
The Last Angry Man Paul Muni
Anatomy of a Murder James Stewart
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Room at the Top Simone Signoret Winner
Pillow Talk Doris Day
The Nun's Story Audrey Hepburn
Suddenly, Last Summer Katharine Hepburn
Suddenly, Last Summer Elizabeth Taylor
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Ben-Hur Hugh Griffith Winner
Anatomy of a Murder Arthur O'Connell
Anatomy of a Murder George C. Scott
The Young Philadelphians Robert Vaughn
The Diary of Anne Frank Ed Wynn
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
The Diary of Anne Frank Shelley Winters Winner
Room at the Top Hermione Baddeley
Imitation of Life Susan Kohner
Imitation of Life Juanita Moore
Pillow Talk Thelma Ritter
Best Original Screenplay
Pillow Talk Russell Rouse, Clarence Greene, Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin Winner
The 400 Blows François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy
North by Northwest Ernest Lehman
Operation Petticoat Paul King, Joseph J. Stone, Stanley Shapiro, Maurice Richlin
Wild Strawberries Ingmar Bergman - he refused the nomination.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Room at the Top Neil Paterson Winner
Anatomy of a Murder Wendell Mayes
Ben-Hur Karl Tunberg
The Nun's Story Robert Anderson
Some Like It Hot Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond
Best International Feature Film
Black Orpheus Winner
The Bridge
The Great War
Boy of Two Worlds
Village by the River
Best Documentary Feature Film
Serengeti Shall Not Die Bernhard Grzimek Winner
The Race for Space David L. Wolper
Best Original Score
Ben-Hur Miklós Rózsa Winner
The Diary of Anne Frank Alfred Newman
The Nun's Story Franz Waxman
On the Beach Ernest Gold
Pillow Talk Frank De Vol
Best Cinematography (Black and White)
The Diary of Anne Frank William C. Mellor Winner
Anatomy of a Murder Sam Leavitt
Career Joseph LaShelle
Some Like It Hot Charles Lang
The Young Philadelphians Harry Stradling Sr.
Best Cinematography (Color)
Ben-Hur Robert Surtees Winner
The Big Fisherman Lee Garmes
The Five Pennies Daniel L. Fapp
The Nun's Story Franz Planer
Porgy and Bess Leon Shamroy
Scoring of a Musical Picture - Original or Adaptation
Porgy and Bess André Previn, Ken Darby Winner
The Five Pennies Leith Stevens
Li'l Abner Nelson Riddle, Joseph J. Lilley
Say One for Me Lionel Newman
Sleeping Beauty George Bruns
Best Film Editing
Ben-Hur Ralph E. Winters, John D. Dunning Winner
Anatomy of a Murder Louis R. Loeffler
North by Northwest George Tomasini
The Nun's Story Walter Thompson
On the Beach Frederic Knudtson
Best Sound
Ben-Hur Franklin Milton Winner
Journey to the Center of the Earth Carlton W. Faulkner
Libel A. W. Watkins
The Nun's Story George Groves
Porgy and Bess Gordon E. Sawyer, Fred Hynes
Best Original Song
A Hole in the Head Jimmy Van Heusen, Sammy Cahn - "High Hopes" Winner
The Best of Everything Alfred Newman, Sammy Cahn - "The Best of Everything"
The Five Pennies Sylvia Fine - "The Five Pennies"
The Hanging Tree Jerry Livingston, Mack David - "The Hanging Tree"
The Young Land Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington - "Strange Are The Ways of Love"
Best Production Design (Black and White)
The Diary of Anne Frank Lyle R. Wheeler, George W. Davis, Walter M. Scott, Stuart A. Reiss Winner
Career Hal Pereira, Walter Tyler, Samuel M. Comer, Arthur Krams
The Last Angry Man Carl Anderson, William Kiernan
Some Like It Hot Ted Haworth, Edward G. Boyle
Suddenly, Last Summer Oliver Messel, William Kellner, Scott Slimon
Best Production Design (Color)
Ben-Hur William A. Horning, Edward Carfagno, Hugh Hunt‡ Winner
The Big Fisherman John DeCuir, Julia Heron
Journey to the Center of the Earth Lyle R. Wheeler, Franz Bachelin, Herman A. Blumenthal, Walter M. Scott, Joseph Kish
North by Northwest William A. Horning, Robert F. Boyle, Merrill Pye, Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy
Pillow Talk Richard H. Riedel, Russell A. Gausman, Ruby R. Levitt
Best Costume Design (Black and White)
Some Like It Hot Orry-Kelly Winner
Career Edith Head
The Diary of Anne Frank Charles LeMaire, Mary Wills
The Gazebo Helen Rose
The Young Philadelphians Howard Shoup
Best Costume Design (Color)
Ben-Hur Elizabeth Haffenden Winner
The Best of Everything Adele Palmer
The Big Fisherman Renié
The Five Pennies Edith Head
Porgy and Bess Irene Sharaff
Best Special Effects
Ben-Hur A. Arnold Gillespie, Robert MacDonald, Milo B. Lory Winner
Journey to the Center of the Earth L. B. Abbott, James B. Gordon, Carl Faulkner
Best Short Film (Live Action)
The Golden Fish Jacques Cousteau Winner
Between the Tides Ian Ferguson
Mysteries of the Deep Walt Disney
The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film Peter Sellers
Skyscraper Shirley Clarke, Willard Van Dyke
Best Documentary Short Film
Glass Bert Haanstra Winner
Donald in Mathmagic Land Walt Disney
From Generation to Generation Edward F. Cullen
Best Animated Short Film
Moonbird John Hubley Winner
Mexicali Shmoes John W. Burton
Noah's Ark Walt Disney
The Violinist Ernest Pintoff
Honorary Award
Lee De Forest - for his pioneering inventions which brought sound to the motion picture. Winner
Buster Keaton - for his unique talents which brought immortal comedies to the screen. Winner
Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
Bob Hope Winner
Statistics

Most Awarded

2 or more wins
  • Ben-Hur 11
  • The Diary of Anne Frank 3
  • Room at the Top 2

Most Nominated

3 or more nominations
  • Ben-Hur 12
  • The Diary of Anne Frank 8
  • The Nun's Story 8
  • Anatomy of a Murder 7
  • Room at the Top 6
  • Some Like It Hot 6
  • Pillow Talk 5
  • The Five Pennies 4
  • Porgy and Bess 4
  • The Big Fisherman 3
  • Career 3
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth 3
  • North by Northwest 3
  • Suddenly, Last Summer 3
  • The Young Philadelphians 3

Most Unluckiest

wins / nominations
  • The Nun's Story 0 / 8
  • Anatomy of a Murder 0 / 7
  • The Diary of Anne Frank 3 / 8
  • Some Like It Hot 1 / 6
  • Room at the Top 2 / 6
  • Pillow Talk 1 / 5
  • The Five Pennies 0 / 4
  • Porgy and Bess 1 / 4
  • The Big Fisherman 0 / 3
  • Career 0 / 3
  • Journey to the Center of the Earth 0 / 3
  • North by Northwest 0 / 3
  • Suddenly, Last Summer 0 / 3
  • The Young Philadelphians 0 / 3

Only one nomination

30 movies:
  • The 400 Blows
  • Between the Tides
  • Black Orpheus
  • Boy of Two Worlds
  • The Bridge
  • Donald in Mathmagic Land
  • From Generation to Generation
  • The Gazebo
  • Glass
  • The Golden Fish
  • The Great War
  • The Hanging Tree
  • A Hole in the Head
  • Li'l Abner
  • Libel
  • Mexicali Shmoes
  • Moonbird
  • Mysteries of the Deep
  • Noah's Ark
  • Operation Petticoat
  • The Race for Space
  • The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
  • Say One for Me
  • Serengeti Shall Not Die
  • Skyscraper
  • Sleeping Beauty
  • Village by the River
  • The Violinist
  • Wild Strawberries
  • The Young Land

Updated at