The Oscars for the year 1986


Winners are shown in red


Best Picture

* Color Purple, The (1985) - Steven Spielberg; Kathleen Kennedy (I); Frank Marshall (I); Quincy Jones
* Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) - David Weisman (I)
* Out of Africa (1985) - Sydney Pollack
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - John Foreman
* Witness (1985) - Edward S. Feldman

Best Actor in a Leading Role

* Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) - William Hurt (I)
* Murphy's Romance (1985) - James Garner
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Jack Nicholson
* Runaway Train (1986) - Jon Voight
* Witness (1985) - Harrison Ford (I)

Best Actress in a Leading Role

* Agnes of God (1985) - Anne Bancroft (I)
* Color Purple, The (1985) - Whoopi Goldberg
* Out of Africa (1985) - Meryl Streep
* Sweet Dreams (1985) - Jessica Lange
* Trip to Bountiful, The (1985) - Geraldine Page

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

* Cocoon (1985) - Don Ameche
* Jagged Edge (1985) - Robert Loggia
* Out of Africa (1985) - Klaus Maria Brandauer
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - William Hickey (I)
* Runaway Train (1986) - Eric Roberts (I)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

* Agnes of God (1985) - Meg Tilly
* Color Purple, The (1985) - Margaret Avery (I)
* Color Purple, The (1985) - Oprah Winfrey
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Anjelica Huston
* Twice in a Lifetime (1985) - Amy Madigan

Best Director

* Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) - Hector Babenco
* Out of Africa (1985) - Sydney Pollack
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - John Huston (I)
* Ran (1985) - Akira Kurosawa
* Witness (1985) - Peter Weir

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

* Back to the Future (1985) - Robert Zemeckis; Bob Gale
* Brazil (1985) - Terry Gilliam; Tom Stoppard; Charles McKeown
* Historia oficial, La (1985) - Luis Puenzo; A’da Bortnik
* Purple Rose of Cairo, The (1985) - Woody Allen
* Witness (1985) - William Kelley (III); Pamela Wallace (I); Earl W. Wallace

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium

* Color Purple, The (1985) - Menno Meyjes
* Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) - Leonard Schrader
* Out of Africa (1985) - Kurt Luedtke
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Richard Condon (I); Janet Roach
* Trip to Bountiful, The (1985) - Horton Foote

Best Cinematography

* Color Purple, The (1985) - Allen Daviau
* Murphy's Romance (1985) - William A. Fraker
* Out of Africa (1985) - David Watkin
* Ran (1985) - Takao Saito (I); Masaharu Ueda; Asakazu Nakai
* Witness (1985) - John Seale (I)

Best Art Direction-Set Decoration

* Brazil (1985) - Norman Garwood; Maggie Gray
* Color Purple, The (1985) - J. Michael Riva; Linda DeScenna
* Out of Africa (1985) - Stephen B. Grimes; Josie MacAvin
* Ran (1985) - Yoshiro Muraki; Shinobu Muraki
* Witness (1985) - Stan Jolley; John H. Anderson

Best Costume Design

* Color Purple, The (1985) - Aggie Guerard Rodgers
* Journey of Natty Gann, The (1985) - Albert Wolsky
* Out of Africa (1985) - Milena Canonero
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Donfeld
* Ran (1985) - Emi Wada (I)

Best Sound

* Back to the Future (1985) - Bill Varney; B. Tennyson Sebastian II; Robert Thirlwell; William B. Kaplan
* Chorus Line, A (1985) - Donald O. Mitchell; Michael Minkler; Gerry Humphreys (I); Christopher Newman (I)
* Ladyhawke (1985) - Les Fresholtz; Rick Alexander (II) (as Dick Alexander); Vern Poore; Bud Alper
* Out of Africa (1985) - Chris Jenkins (I); Gary Alexander (II); Larry Stensvold; Peter Handford
* Silverado (1985) - Donald O. Mitchell; Rick Kline; Kevin O'Connell (II); David M. Ronne

Best Film Editing

* Chorus Line, A (1985) - John Bloom (II)
* Out of Africa (1985) - Fredric Steinkamp; William Steinkamp (I); Pembroke J. Herring; Sheldon Kahn
* Prizzi's Honor (1985) - Rudi Fehr (I); Kaja Fehr
* Runaway Train (1986) - Henry Richardson
* Witness (1985) - Thom Noble

Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

* Back to the Future (1985) - Charles L. Campbell; Robert R. Rutledge
* Ladyhawke (1985) - Robert G. Henderson; Alan Robert Murray
* Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) - Fred J. Brown (I)

Best Effects, Visual Effects

* Cocoon (1985) - Ken Ralston; Ralph McQuarrie; Scott Farrar; David Berry (I)
* Return to Oz (1985) - Will Vinton; Ian Wingrove; Zoran Perisic; Michael Lloyd (II)
* Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) - Dennis Muren; Kit West; John Ellis (III); Dave Allen (II)

Best Makeup

* Color Purple, The (1985) - Ken Chase
* Mask (1985) - Michael Westmore (I); Zoltan Elek
* Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) - Carl Fullerton

Best Music, Song

* Back to the Future (1985) - Chris Hayes (I) (music); Johnny Colla (music); Huey Lewis (lyrics)
- For the song "The Power of Love".
* Chorus Line, A (1985) - Marvin Hamlisch (music); Ed Kleban (lyrics)
- For the song "Surprise, Surprise".
* Color Purple, The (1985) - Quincy Jones (music); Rod Temperton (music); Quincy Jones (lyrics); Rod Temperton (lyrics); Lionel Richie (lyrics)
- For the song "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)".
* White Nights (1985) - Stephen Bishop (I)
- For the song "Separate Lives (Love Theme from White Nights)".
* White Nights (1985) - Lionel Richie
- For the song "Say You, Say Me".


Best Music, Original Score

* Agnes of God (1985) - Georges Delerue
* Color Purple, The (1985) - Quincy Jones; Jeremy Lubbock; Rod Temperton; Caiphus Semenya; Andrae Crouch; Chris Boardman; Jorge Calandrelli; Joel Rosenbaum; Fred Steiner; Jack Hayes (I); Jerry Hey; Randy Kerber
* Out of Africa (1985) - John Barry (I)
* Silverado (1985) - Bruce Broughton
* Witness (1985) - Maurice Jarre (I)

Best Short Film, Animated Films

* Anna & Bella (1984) - Cilia Van Dijk
* Big Snit, The (1985) - Richard Condie; Michael J.F. Scott
* Second Class Mail (1985) - Alison Snowden

Best Short Film, Live Action

* Graffiti (1985) - Dianna Costello
* Molly's Pilgrim (1985) - Jeffrey D. Brown
* Rainbow War (1985) - Bob Rogers (I)

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

* Courage to Care, The (1985) - Robert A. Gardner
* Keats and His Nightingale: A Blind Date (1985) - Michael Crowley (IV); Jim Wolpaw (as James Wolpaw)
* Making Overtures: The Story of a Community Orchestra (1985) - Barbara Willis Sweete
* Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements (1985) - David Goodman (I)
* Wizard of the Strings, The (1985) - Alan Edelstein

Best Documentary, Features

* Broken Rainbow (1985) - Maria Florio; Victoria Mudd
* Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, Las (1985) - Susana Blaustein Mu–oz; Lourdes Portillo
* Soldiers in Hiding (1985) - Japhet Asher
* Statue of Liberty, The (1985) - Ken Burns (I); Buddy Squires
* Unfinished Business (1986) - Steven Okazaki

Best Foreign Language Film

* 3 hommes et un couffin (1985) - France
* Bittere Ernte (1985) - West Germany
* Historia oficial, La (1985) - Argentina
* Oberst Redl (1985) - Hungary
* Otac na sluzbenom putu (1985) - Yugoslavia

Honorary Award

* Paul Newman (I)
- In recognition of his many and memorable and compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft.
* Alex North
- In recognition of his brilliant artistry in the creation of memorable music for a host of distinguished motion pictures.

Medal of Commendation

* John H. Whitney Sr.
- For cinematic pioneering.

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

* Charles 'Buddy' Rogers



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