Home / The 53rd Annual Academy Awards

The 53rd Annual Academy Awards

Year:

1981

Genres:

Family

IMDB rate:

6.5

Director:

Marty Pasetta

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1981-03-31

Filming Locations: California, USA

Cast

Actor

Character

Johnny Carson

Himself - Host

Alan Arkin

Himself - Presenter: Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film

Lucie Arnaz

Herself - Performer

Eileen Brennan

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Ellen Burstyn

Herself - Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Irene Cara

Herself - Performer

Richard Chamberlain

Himself - Audience Member

Ghislain Cloquet

Himself - Winner: Best Cinematography

George Cukor

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Director

Blythe Danner

Herself - Presenter: Best Cinematography

Robert De Niro

Himself - Winner: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Angie Dickinson

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Song

Jimmy Durante

Himself (archive footage)

Robert Duvall

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Richard Edlund

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Sally Field

Herself - Presenter: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Henry Fonda

Himself - Honorary Award Recipient

Lillian Gish

Herself - Presenter: Best Picture

Bo Goldman

Himself - Winner: Best Original Screenplay

Michael Gore

Himself - Winner: Best Original Score & Best Original Song

Goldie Hawn

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Judd Hirsch

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Alfred Hitchcock

Himself (archive footage)

Dustin Hoffman

Himself - Presenter: Best Actress in a Leading Role

John Hurt

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role

Timothy Hutton

Himself - Winner: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Brian Johnson

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Fay Kanin

Herself - Academy President

Margot Kidder

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Live Action Short Film and Best Animated Short Film

Nastassja Kinski

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Costume Design

Jake LaMotta

Himself - Audience Member (as Jake La Motta)

Gregg Landaker

Himself - Winner: Best Sound Mixing

Jack Lemmon

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role and Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Loretta Lynn

Herself - Audience Member

Steve Martin

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Cinematography

Steve Maslow

Himself - Winner: Best Sound Mixing

Steve McQueen

Himself (archive footage)

Mary Tyler Moore

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role & Co-Presenter: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Cathy Moriarty

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Dennis Muren

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Willie Nelson

Himself - Performer

Fayard Nicholas

Himself - Presenter: Best Original Score

Harold Nicholas

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Original Score

Bruce Nicholson

Himself - Winner: Best Visual Effects

Michael O'Keefe

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Peter O'Toole

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Leading Role & Co-Presenter: Best Art Direction

Dolly Parton

Herself - Performer

Luciano Pavarotti

Himself - Presenter: Best Original Song

Joe Pesci

Himself - Nominee: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Bernadette Peters

Herself - Presenter: Best Sound Mixing

Dean Pitchford

Himself - Winner: Best Original Song

Richard Pryor

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Film Editing

Ronald Reagan

Himself (pre-taped message)

Robert Redford

Himself - Winner: Best Director and Presenter: Honorary Award to Henry Fonda

Diana Ross

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Gena Rowlands

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Leading Role

Alvin Sargent

Himself - Winner: Best Adapted Screenplay

Diana Scarwid

Herself - Nominee: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Thelma Schoonmaker

Herself - Winner: Best Film Editing

Ronald L. Schwary

Himself - Winner: Best Picture

Martin Scorsese

Himself - Nominee: Best Director

Peter Sellers

Himself (archive footage)

Jane Seymour

Herself - Presenter: Best Film Editing

Brooke Shields

Herself - Co-Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film

Sissy Spacek

Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Leading Role and Presenter: Best Art Direction

Mary Steenburgen

Herself - Winner: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Donald Sutherland

Himself - Presenter: Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Peter Sutton

Himself - Winner: Best Sound Mixing

Lily Tomlin

Herself - Presenter: Medal of Commendation

Peter Ustinov

Himself - Presenter: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay

Jack Valenti

Himself - Presenter: Best Visual Effects

Bill Varney

Himself - Winner: Best Sound Mixing

King Vidor

Himself - Presenter: Best Director

Dionne Warwick

Herself - Performer

Sigourney Weaver

Herself - Presenter: Best Costume Design

Mae West

Herself (archive footage)

Billy Dee Williams

Himself - Co-Presenter: Best Sound Mixing

Franco Zeffirelli

Himself - Presenter: Best Foreign Language Film

Diane Day

Dancer (uncredited)

Diane Lane

Herself - Audience Member (uncredited)

Isabella Rossellini

Herself - Audience Member (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Both Robert De Niro and Sissy Spacek won Oscars for playing real life characters, and when they won, both Jake LaMotta and Loretta Lynn were in the audience.

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The show was postponed one day due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on 30 March; Reagan, a former actor, addressed the audience in a message taped at the White House nearly two weeks earlier - becoming the first President in 40 years to participate in the program.

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Robert De Niro started with the "awards show ribbon" trend by wearing a green ribbon on his lapel during this ceremony. The ribbon was in rememberance of several African-American children who were victims of a serial killer in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980-1981. A fan gave him the ribbon when he arrived; the victims' families had been wearing them for months.

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Quotes

Himself - Host: [Johnny Carson introducing accounting firm of Price-Waterhouse] Price-Waterhouse also guards the secret of what Jack Valenti does for a living.

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Mary Steenburgen: Well, I'm gonna have to figure out something new to dream about, that's for sure!

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Himself - Host: Welcome to Hollywood's version of 'Ordinary People.'

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