53rd Academy Awards

Infobox Academy Awards
name = 53rd
caption = "Ordinary People"
date = Tuesday, March 31, 1981
site = Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
host = Johnny Carson
producer = Norman Jewison
director = Marty Pasetta
duration = 3 hours, 13 minutes
network = ABC
last = 52nd
next = 54thThe 53rd Academy Awards were presented March 31, 1981, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies, which were presided over by Johnny Carson, was originally scheduled the previous day but postponed due to the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

Winners & Nominees

Best Picture

"Ordinary People"
*"Coal Miner's Daughter"
*"The Elephant Man"
*"Raging Bull"
*"Tess"

Best Director

"Ordinary People - Robert Redford"
*"The Elephant Man - David Lynch"
*"Raging Bull - Martin Scorsese"
*"The Stunt Man - Richard Rush"
*"Tess - Roman Polanski"

Best Actor in a Leading Role

"Raging Bull - Robert De Niro"
*"The Elephant Man - John Hurt"
*"The Great Santini - Robert Duvall"
*"The Stunt Man - Peter O'Toole"
*"Tribute - Jack Lemmon"

Best Actress in a Leading Role

"Coal Miner's Daughter - Sissy Spacek"
*"Gloria - Gena Rowlands"
*"Ordinary People - Mary Tyler Moore"
*"Private Benjamin - Goldie Hawn"
*"Resurrection - Ellen Burstyn"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

"Ordinary People - Timothy Hutton"
*"The Great Santini - Michael O'Keefe"
*"Melvin and Howard - Jason Robards"
*"Ordinary People - Judd Hirsch"
*"Raging Bull - Joe Pesci"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

"Melvin and Howard - Mary Steenburgen"
*"Inside Moves - Diana Scarwid"
*"Private Benjamin - Eileen Brennan"
*"Raging Bull - Cathy Moriarty"
*"Resurrection - Eva Le Gallienne"

Best Original Screenplay

"Melvin and Howard - Bo Goldman"
*"Brubaker - W. D. Richter and Arthur A. Ross"
*"Fame - Christoper Gore"
*"My American Uncle - Jean Gruault"
*"Private Benjamin - Nancy Meyers , Charles Shyer and Harvey Miller"

Best Adapted Screenplay

"Ordinary People - Alvin Sargent"
*"Breaker Morant - Jonathan Hardy , David Stevens and Bruce Beresford"
*"Coal Miner's Daughter - Thomas Rickman"
*"The Elephant Man - Christopher De Vore , David Lynch and Eric Bergren"
*"The Stunt Man - Lawrence B. Marcus and Richard Rush"

Best Cinematography

"Tess - Geoffrey Unsworth and Ghislain Cloquet"

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

"Tess - Pierre Guffroy and Jack Stephens"

Best Costume Design

"Tess - Anthony Powell"

Best Sound

" - Bill Varney , Steve Maslow , Gregg Landaker and Peter Sutton"

Best Film Editing

"Raging Bull - Thelma Schoonmaker"

Best Music, Original Song

"Fame - Michael Gore and Dean Pitchford for the song Fame"

Best Music, Original Score

"Fame - Michael Gore"

Best Short Film, Animated

"The Fly"

Best Short Film, Live Action

"The Dollar Bottom"

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

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Best Documentary, Features

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Best Foreign Language Film

"Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears - Soviet Union"