55th Academy Awards

55th Academy Awards
Date	April 11, 1983
Site	Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles
Hosted by	Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, Walter Matthau
Produced by	Howard W. Koch
Directed by	Marty Pasetta
Highlights
Best Picture	Gandhi
Most awards	Gandhi (8)
Most nominations	Gandhi (11)
TV in the United States
Network	ABC
Duration	3 hours, 15 minutes

The 55th Academy Awards were presented April 11, 1983 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Liza Minnelli, Dudley Moore, Richard Pryor, and Walter Matthau. The awards were dominated by the Best Picture winner Gandhi, which won eight awards out of its eleven nominations.

Louis Gossett Jr. became the first African-American actor to win Best Supporting Actor for his performance as the tough and principled drill sergeant Emil Foley in An Officer and a Gentleman.

Meryl Streep won her first Best Actress award. She had been nominated the year before for The French Lieutenant's Woman and would be nominated another thirteen times in the next thirty years. Streep had previously won the Best Supporting Actress award in 1979 for Kramer vs Kramer.

This marked the first of 28 consecutive years where a Barbara Walters interview special aired before the ceremony. Walters had previously aired an interview special in 1981 and in subsequent years, her special aired prior to the Academy's formal broadcast of celebrities walking the red carpet.

Awards

Richard Attenborough, Best Director winner

Ben Kingsley, Best Actor winner

Meryl Streep, Best Actress winner

Louis Gossett Jr., Best Supporting Actor winner

Jessica Lange, Best Supporting Actress winner

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger ().

Best Picture	Best Director
Gandhi E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Missing Tootsie The Verdict	Richard Attenborough – Gandhi Wolfgang Petersen – Das Boot Steven Spielberg – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Sydney Pollack – Tootsie Sidney Lumet – The Verdict
Best Actor	Best Actress
Ben Kingsley – Gandhi Dustin Hoffman – Tootsie Jack Lemmon – Missing Paul Newman – The Verdict Peter O'Toole – My Favorite Year	Meryl Streep – Sophie's Choice Julie Andrews – Victor/Victoria Jessica Lange – Frances Sissy Spacek – Missing Debra Winger – An Officer and a Gentleman
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Louis Gossett Jr. – An Officer and a Gentleman Charles Durning – The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas John Lithgow – The World According to Garp James Mason – The Verdict Robert Preston – Victor/Victoria	Jessica Lange – Tootsie Glenn Close – The World According to Garp Teri Garr – Tootsie Kim Stanley – Frances Lesley Ann Warren – Victor/Victoria
Best Original Screenplay	Best Adapted Screenplay
Gandhi – John Briley Diner – Barry Levinson E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Melissa Mathison An Officer and a Gentleman – Douglas Day Stewart Tootsie – Larry Gelbart, Murray Schisgal and Don McGuire	Missing – Costa-Gavras and Donald E. Stewart Das Boot – Wolfgang Petersen Sophie's Choice – Alan J. Pakula The Verdict – David Mamet Victor/Victoria – Blake Edwards
Best Foreign Language Film	Best Original Song
Begin the Beguine (Spain) Alsino and the Condor (Nicaragua) Clean Slate (France) The Flight of the Eagle (Sweden) Private Life (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics)	"Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman – Music by Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie; Lyric by Will Jennings "Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III – Music and Lyric by Jim Peterik and Frankie Sullivan "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" from Best Friends – Music by Michel Legrand; Lyric by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman "If We Were In Love" from Yes, Giorgio – Music by John Williams; Lyric by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman "It Might Be You" from Tootsie – Music by Dave Grusin; Lyric by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Best Documentary Feature	Best Documentary Short
Just Another Missing Kid – John Zaritsky After the Axe – Sturla Gunnarsson and Steve Lucas Ben's Mill – John Karol and Michel Chalufour In Our Water – Meg Switzgable A Portrait of Giselle – Joseph Wishy	If You Love This Planet – Edward Le Lorrain and Terri Nash Gods of Metal – Robert Richter The Klan: A Legacy of Hate in America – Charles Guggenheim and Werner Schumann To Live or Let Die – Freida Lee Mock Traveling Hopefully – John G. Avildsen
Best Live Action Short	Best Animated Short
A Shocking Accident – Christine Oestreicher Ballet Robotique – Bob Rogers The Silence – Michael Toshiyuki Uno and Joseph Benson Split Cherry Tree – Jan Saunders Sredni Vashtar – Andrew Birkin	Tango – Zbigniew Rybczyński The Great Cognito – Will Vinton The Snowman – John Coates
Best Original Score	Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – John Williams Gandhi – Ravi Shankar and George Fenton An Officer and a Gentleman – Jack Nitzsche Poltergeist – Jerry Goldsmith Sophie's Choice – Marvin Hamlisch	Victor/Victoria – Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse Annie – Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns One from the Heart – Song Score by Tom Waits
Best Sound	Best Sound Effects Editing
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Robert Knudson, Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo and Gene Cantamessa Das Boot – Milan Bor, Trevor Pyke, and Mike Le Mare Gandhi – Gerry Humphreys, Robin O'Donoghue, Jonathan Bates and Simon Kaye Tootsie – Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Dick Alexander and Les Lazarowitz Tron – Michael Minkler, Bob Minkler, Lee Minkler and James LaRue	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Charles L. Campbell and Ben Burtt Das Boot – Mike Le-Mare Poltergeist – Stephen Hunter Flick and Richard Anderson
Best Art Direction	Best Cinematography
Gandhi – Art Direction: Stuart Craig and Robert W. Laing; Set Decoration: Michael Seirton Annie – Art Direction: Dale Hennesy; Set Decoration: Marvin March Blade Runner – Art Direction: Lawrence G. Paull and David L. Snyder; Set Decoration: Linda DeScenna La Traviata – Art Direction: Franco Zeffirelli; Set Decoration: Gianni Quaranta Victor/Victoria – Art Direction: Rodger Maus, Tim Hutchinson and William Craig Smith; Set Decoration: Harry Cordwell	Gandhi – Billy Williams and Ronnie Taylor Das Boot – Jost Vacano E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Allen Daviau Sophie's Choice – Néstor Almendros Tootsie – Owen Roizman
Best Makeup	Best Costume Design
Quest for Fire – Sarah Monzani and Michele Burke Gandhi – Tom Smith	Gandhi – John Mollo and Bhanu Athaiya La Traviata – Piero Tosi Sophie's Choice – Albert Wolsky Tron – Elois Jenssen and Rosanna Norton Victor Victoria – Patricia Norris
Best Film Editing	Best Visual Effects
Gandhi – John Bloom Das Boot – Hannes Nikel E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Carol Littleton An Officer and a Gentleman – Peter Zinner Tootsie – Fredric Steinkamp and William Steinkamp	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial – Carlo Rambaldi, Dennis Muren and Kenneth Smith Blade Runner – Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer Poltergeist – Richard Edlund, Michael Wood and Bruce Nicholson

Honorary Academy Award

• Mickey Rooney

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

• Walter Mirisch

Presenters and performers

The following individuals, listed in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.

Presenters

Name(s)	Role
Simms, HankHank Simms	Announcer for the 55th Academy Awards
Kanin, FayFay Kanin (AMPAS President)	Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Rainer, LuiseLuise Rainer Jack Valenti	Presenters of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Reeve, ChristopherChristopher Reeve Susan Sarandon	Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Russell, JaneJane Russell Cornel Wilde	Presenters of the award for Best Makeup
Dillon, MattMatt Dillon Kristy McNichol	Presenters of the Short Subjects awards
Heston, CharltonCharlton Heston	Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Walter Mirisch
Cher, Cher Plácido Domingo	Presenters of the Music Awards
Guttenberg, SteveSteve Guttenberg Ann Reinking	Presenters of the award for Best Costume Design
McGovern, ElizabethElizabeth McGovern Eddie Murphy	Presenters of the award for Best Visual Effects
Curtis, Jamie LeeJamie Lee Curtis Carl Weathers	Presenters of the award for Best Sound Effects Editing
Williams, JoBethJoBeth Williams David L. Wolper	Presenters of the Documentary Awards
Kidder, MargotMargot Kidder William Shatner	Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Keaton, MichaelMichael Keaton Nastassja Kinski	Presenters of the award for Best Cinematography
Hope, BobBob Hope	Presenter of the Honorary Award to Mickey Rooney
Eilbacher, LisaLisa Eilbacher David Keith	Presenters of the award for Best Sound
Selleck, TomTom Selleck Raquel Welch	Presenters of the award for Best Film Editing
Newton-John, OliviaOlivia Newton-John	Presenter of the award for Best Original Song
Mitchum, RobertRobert Mitchum Sigourney Weaver	Presenters of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Dunne, PhilipPhilip Dunne	Presenter of the awards for Best Original and Adapted Screenplay
Wilder, BillyBilly Wilder	Presenter of the award for Best Director
Stallone, SylvesterSylvester Stallone	Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Travolta, JohnJohn Travolta	Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Burnett, CarolCarol Burnett	Presenter of the award for Best Picture

Performers

Person	Role	Performed
Conti, BillBill Conti	Musical arranger Conductor	Orchestral
Matthau, WalterWalter Matthau Liza Minnelli Dudley Moore Richard Pryor	Performers	"It All Comes Down to This"
The Temptations Sandahl Bergman	Performers	"Eye of the Tiger" from Rocky III
Austin, PattiPatti Austin James Ingram	Performers	"How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" from Best Friends
Cocker, JoeJoe Cocker Jennifer Warnes	Performers	"Up Where We Belong" from An Officer and a Gentleman
Bishop, StephenStephen Bishop	Performer	"It Might Be You" from Tootsie
Allen, PeterPeter Allen Bernadette Peters Academy Awards Chorus	Performers	"Alexander's Ragtime Band" "I Love a Piano" "Play a Simple Melody" "It's a Lovely Day Today" "Blue Skies" "I Got the Sun in the Mornin' (and the Moon at Night)" "Let's Face the Music and Dance" "Let Yourself Go" "Puttin' on the Ritz" "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" "Steppin' Out with My Baby" "Shakin' the Blues Away" "What'll I Do" "A Pretty Girl Is like a Melody" "There's No Business like Show Business"
Manchester, MelissaMelissa Manchester	Performer	"If We Were in Love" from Yes, Giorgio
Academy Awards Chorus, Academy Awards Chorus	Performers	"That's Entertainment"

Multiple nominations and awards

These films had multiple nominations:

• 11 nominations: Gandhi
• 10 nominations: Tootsie
• 9 nominations: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• 7 nominations: Victor/Victoria
• 6 nominations: Das Boot, An Officer and a Gentleman
• 5 nominations: Sophie's Choice, The Verdict
• 4 nominations: Missing
• 3 nominations: Poltergeist
• 2 nominations: Annie, Blade Runner, Frances, La Traviata, Tron, The World According to Garp

The following films received multiple awards.

• 8 wins: Gandhi
• 4 wins: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
• 2 wins: An Officer and a Gentleman

See also

• 40th Golden Globe Awards
• 3rd Golden Raspberry Awards
• 1982 in film
• Submissions for the 55th Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
• 25th Grammy Awards
• 34th Primetime Emmy Awards
• 35th Primetime Emmy Awards
• 36th British Academy Film Awards
• 37th Tony Awards

References

• "The Official Academy Awards Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved September 9, 2009.