1991 Oscars Nominations Overview
The 63rd Academy Awards ceremony honored films released in 1990 and took place on March 25, 1991 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. The nominations were announced on February 13, 1991 by actor Karl Malden and actress Kathleen Quinlan. The ceremony was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis, with Billy Crystal hosting for the second consecutive year. The event was broadcast by ABC in the United States and drew approximately 42 million viewers according to network estimates.
Dances with Wolves led the nominations with 12 total nods, followed by The Godfather Part III with 7 nominations and Goodfellas with 6 nominations. The Best Picture category featured Dances with Wolves, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas, Ghost, and The Silence of the Lambs. The film Dances with Wolves won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Kevin Costner, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The ceremony was held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, and the event was produced by Gil Cates.
Major Winners and Categories
Kevin Costner won Best Director for Dances with Wolves, while Jeremy Irons won Best Actor for Reversal of Fortune and Kathy Bates won Best Actress for Misery. Best Supporting Actor went to Joe Pesci for Goodfellas, and Best Supporting Actress was awarded to Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost. Best Original Screenplay was awarded to Bruce Joel Rubin for Ghost, and Best Original Score was won by John Barry for Dances with Wolves. The film Ghost also won Best Original Song for "I'm Not Giving Up on Love" by Bruce Springsteen and the Best Sound Mixing award.
Best Cinematography was awarded to Dean Semler for Dances with Wolves, and Best Film Editing was won for Dances with Wolves. The film The Silence of the Lambs won 5 Academy Awards including Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins, Best Actress for Jodie Foster, Best Director for Jonathan Demme, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. The film Dances with Wolves also won Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. The film Ghost won Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Editing. The film Dances with Wolves also won Best Makeup and Best Original Score.
1991 Oscars Nominations by Studio and Film
Orion Pictures distributed Dances with Wolves, which received 12 nominations and won 7 Academy Awards. Paramount Pictures distributed The Godfather Part III and Ghost, with the latter earning 5 Oscars from 7 nominations. Warner Bros distributed Goodfellas, which earned 6 nominations and won 1 Academy Award for Joe Pesci's supporting role. The film The Silence of the Lambs was distributed by Orion Pictures and won 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor.
The film Ghost was produced by Paramount Pictures and won 2 Oscars including Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Song. The film Misery was distributed by Columbia Pictures and earned Kathy Bates the Best Actress award. The film Reversal of Fortune was distributed by Warner Bros and earned Jeremy Irons the Best Actor award. The film Dances with Wolves was produced by Tig Productions and distributed by Orion Pictures, and it won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Notable Records and Milestones
Dances with Wolves became the first film in over 50 years to win Best Picture and Best Director for the same person since the 1930s. The film also marked a significant milestone for indigenous representation in Hollywood, with Kevin Costner hiring Native American actors for major roles. The film Ghost made history as the first romantic fantasy film to win Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. The film The Silence of