1996 Oscars 68th Academy Awards

1996 Oscars 68th Academy Awards

  • Winners Announced: March 25, 1996
  • Held at: Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles, California
  • Host: Whoopi Goldberg
  • Eligibility Year: 1995

Trivia

  • Braveheart’s Roar: Mel Gibson’s Braveheart was the evening’s big winner, capturing Best Picture and Best Director.
  • Nicholas’ Nick of Time: Nicholas Cage won Best Actor for his role in Leaving Las Vegas, marking a high point in his eclectic career.
  • A Sense and Sensibility: Emma Thompson, already an Oscar winner, scored another nomination for her adapted screenplay for Sense and Sensibility.
  • A Toy’s Tale: Toy Story was acknowledged with a Special Achievement Award, highlighting the growing impact of computer animation in cinema.
  • Supporting Surprises: Mira Sorvino won Best Supporting Actress for Mighty Aphrodite, while Kevin Spacey took Best Supporting Actor for The Usual Suspects.
  • Comedy to Oscars: Whoopi Goldberg, known for her comedic roles and stand-up, was one of the few African American women to have hosted the Oscars, a feather in her already impressive cap.
  • Se7en and the Snub: Despite its commercial and critical success, Se7en failed to secure a Best Picture nomination.

1996 Oscar Nominees and Winners

Best Picture:
Braveheart – Mel Gibson, Bruce Davey and Alan Ladd Jr., producers (WINNER)
Apollo 13 – Brian Grazer, producer
Babe – George Miller, Doug Mitchell and Bill Miller, producers
Il Postino: The Postman – Mario Cecchi Gori (posthumous nomination), Vittorio Cecchi Gori and Gaetano Daniele, producers
Sense and Sensibility – Lindsay Doran, producer
Best Director:
Mel Gibson – Braveheart (WINNER)
Chris Noonan – Babe
Tim Robbins – Dead Man Walking
Mike Figgis – Leaving Las Vegas
Michael Radford – Il Postino: The Postman
Best Actor:
Nicolas Cage – Leaving Las Vegas as Ben Sanderson (WINNER)
Richard Dreyfuss – Mr. Holland’s Opus as Glenn Holland
Anthony Hopkins – Nixon as Richard Nixon
Sean Penn – Dead Man Walking as Matthew Poncelet
Massimo Troisi – Il Postino: The Postman as Mario Ruoppolo (posthumous nomination)
Best Actress:
Susan Sarandon – Dead Man Walking as Helen Prejean (WINNER)
Elisabeth Shue – Leaving Las Vegas as Sera
Sharon Stone – Casino as Ginger McKenna
Meryl Streep – The Bridges of Madison County as Francesca Johnson
Emma Thompson – Sense and Sensibility as Elinor Dashwood
Best Supporting Actor:
Kevin Spacey – The Usual Suspects as Roger “Verbal” Kint (WINNER)
James Cromwell – Babe as Farmer Arthur Hoggett
Ed Harris – Apollo 13 as Gene Kranz
Brad Pitt – 12 Monkeys as Jeffrey Goines
Tim Roth – Rob Roy as Archibald Cunningham
Best Supporting Actress:
Mira Sorvino – Mighty Aphrodite as Linda Ash (WINNER)
Joan Allen – Nixon as Pat Nixon
Kathleen Quinlan – Apollo 13 as Marilyn Gerlach Lovell
Mare Winningham – Georgia as Georgia Flood
Kate Winslet – Sense and Sensibility as Marianne Dashwood
Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:
The Usual Suspects – Christopher McQuarrie (WINNER)
Braveheart – Randall Wallace
Mighty Aphrodite – Woody Allen
Nixon – Oliver Stone, Christopher Wilkinson and Stephen J. Rivele
Toy Story – Joss Whedon, Andrew Stanton, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, John Lasseter, Pete Docter and Joe Ranft
Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:
Sense and Sensibility – Emma Thompson adapted from the novel by Jane Austen (WINNER)
Apollo 13 – Al Reinert and William Broyles Jr. based on the book Lost Moon by Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger
Babe – George Miller and Chris Noonan based on the book The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith
Leaving Las Vegas – Mike Figgis based on the novel by John O’Brien
Il Postino: The Postman – Michael Radford, Anna Pavignano, Furio Scarpelli, Giacomo Scarpelli and Massimo Troisi (posthumous nomination) based on the novel Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skármeta
Best Foreign Language Film:
Antonia’s Line (The Netherlands) in Dutch – Marleen Gorris, director (WINNER)
All Things Fair (Sweden) in Swedish – Bo Widerberg, director
Dust of Life (Algeria) in French – Rachid Bouchareb, director
O Quatrilho (Brazil) in Portuguese and Italian – Fábio Barreto, director
The Star Maker (Italy) in Italian – Giuseppe Tornatore, director
Best Documentary Feature:
Anne Frank Remembered – Jon Blair (WINNER)
The Battle Over Citizen Kane – Thomas Lennon and Michael Epstein
Fiddlefest—Roberta Tzavaras and Her East Harlem Violin Program – Allan Miller and Walter Scheuer
Hank Aaron: Chasing the Dream – Mike Tollin and Fredric Golding
Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern – Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher
Best Documentary Short Subject:
One Survivor Remembers – Kary Antholis (WINNER)
Jim Dine: A Self-Portrait on the Walls – Nancy Dine and Richard Stilwell
The Living Sea – Greg MacGillivray and Alec Lorimore
Never Give Up: The 20th Century Odyssey of Herbert Zipper – Terry Sanders and Freida Lee Mock
The Shadow of Hate – Charles Guggenheim
Best Live Action Short Film:
Lieberman in Love – Christine Lahti and Jana Sue Memel (WINNER)
Brooms – Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas
Duke of Groove – Griffin Dunne and Thom Colwell
Little Surprises – Jeff Goldblum and Tikki Goldberg
Tuesday Morning Ride – Dianne Houston and Joy Ryan
Best Animated Short Film:
A Close Shave – Nick Park (WINNER)
The Chicken from Outer Space – John R. Dilworth
The End – Chris Landreth and Robin Barger
Gagarin – Alexiy Kharitidi
Runaway Brain – Chris Bailey
Best Original Dramatic Score:
Il Postino: The Postman – Luis Bacalov (WINNER)
Apollo 13 – James Horner
Braveheart – James Horner
Nixon – John Williams
Sense and Sensibility – Patrick Doyle
Best Original Musical or Comedy Score:
Pocahontas – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz; Orchestral score by Alan Menken (WINNER)
The American President – Marc Shaiman
Sabrina – John Williams
Toy Story – Randy Newman
Unstrung Heroes – Thomas Newman
Best Original Song:
“Colors of the Wind” from Pocahontas – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (WINNER)
“Dead Man Walkin'” from Dead Man Walking – Music and Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen
“Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” from Don Juan DeMarco – Music and Lyrics by Michael Kamen, Bryan Adams and Robert John Lange
“Moonlight” from Sabrina – Music by John Williams; Lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
“You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman
Best Sound Effects Editing:
Braveheart – Lon Bender and Per Hallberg (WINNER)
Batman Forever – John Leveque and Bruce Stambler
Crimson Tide – George Watters II
Best Sound:
Apollo 13 – Rick Dior, Steve Pederson, Scott Millan and David MacMillan (WINNER)
Batman Forever – Donald O. Mitchell, Frank A. Montaño, Michael Herbick and Petur Hliddal
Braveheart – Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer and Brian Simmons
Crimson Tide – Kevin O’Connell, Rick Kline, Gregory H. Watkins and William B. Kaplan
Waterworld – Steve Maslow, Gregg Landaker and Keith A. Wester
Best Art Direction:
Restoration – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Eugenio Zanetti (WINNER)
Apollo 13 – Art Direction: Michael Corenblith; Set Decoration: Merideth Boswell
Babe – Art Direction: Roger Ford; Set Decoration: Kerrie Brown
A Little Princess – Art Direction: Bo Welch; Set Decoration: Cheryl Carasik
Richard III – Art Direction and Set Decoration: Tony Burrough
Best Cinematography:
Braveheart – John Toll (WINNER)
Batman Forever – Stephen Goldblatt
A Little Princess – Emmanuel Lubezki
Sense and Sensibility – Michael Coulter
Shanghai Triad – Lü Yue
Best Makeup:
Braveheart – Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison and Lois Burwell (WINNER)
My Family, Mi Familia – Ken Diaz and Mark Sanchez
Roommates – Greg Cannom, Bob Laden and Colleen Callaghan
Best Costume Design:
Restoration – James Acheson (WINNER)
12 Monkeys – Julie Weiss
Braveheart – Charles Knode
Richard III – Shuna Harwood
Sense and Sensibility – Jenny Beavan and John Bright
Best Film Editing:
Apollo 13 – Mike Hill and Daniel P. Hanley (WINNER)
Babe – Marcus D’Arcy and Jay Friedkin
Braveheart – Steven Rosenblum
Crimson Tide – Chris Lebenzon
Seven – Richard Francis-Bruce
Best Visual Effects:
Babe – Scott E. Anderson, Charles Gibson, Neal Scanlan and John Cox (WINNER)
Apollo 13 – Robert Legato, Michael Kanfer, Leslie Ekker and Matt Sweeney
Academy Honorary Awards:
Chuck Jones
Kirk Douglas
Special Achievement Award:
John Lasseter for Toy Story