1956 Oscars: Winners and Nominees

56 films were recognised at the 1956 Academy Awards, across 27 categories. 18 of them took home at least one award.

The biggest winner of the year was Marty, with 4 awards, ahead of The Rose Tattoo with 3. The categories below run from Costume Design (Black-and-White), Writing (Story and Screenplay) and Actor to the smaller prizes, and in every one the winner is listed first, followed by the other nominees.

Each title links to the film's full award history at all four awards, and the links at the bottom step to the previous and next ceremony.

Last updated August 12, 2026

Costume Design (Black-and-White)

I'll Cry Tomorrow(1955)
Helen Rose
Winner
Queen Bee(1955)
Jean Louis
The Pickwick Papers(1952)
Beatrice Dawson
The Pickwick Papers(1952)
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Edith Head
Ugetsu(1953)
Tadaoto Kainoscho

Writing (Story and Screenplay)

Interrupted Melody(1955)
William Ludwig, Sonya Levien
Winner
It's Always Fair Weather(1955)
Betty Comden, Adolph Green
Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday)(1953)
Jacques Tati, Henri Marquet
Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (Mr. Hulot's Holiday)(1953)
Mr. Hulot's Holiday
The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell(1955)
Milton Sperling, Emmet Lavery
The Seven Little Foys(1955)
Melville Shavelson, Jack Rose

Actor

Marty(1955)
Ernest Borgnine
Winner
Bad Day at Black Rock(1955)
Spencer Tracy
East of Eden(1955)
James Dean
Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
James Cagney
The Man with the Golden Arm(1955)
Frank Sinatra

Actor in a Supporting Role

Mister Roberts(1955)
Jack Lemmon
Winner
Marty(1955)
Joe Mantell
Picnic(1955)
Arthur O'Connell
Rebel Without a Cause(1955)
Sal Mineo
Trial(1955)
Arthur Kennedy

Actress

The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Anna Magnani
Winner
I'll Cry Tomorrow(1955)
Susan Hayward
Interrupted Melody(1955)
Eleanor Parker
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Jennifer Jones
Summertime(1955)
Katharine Hepburn

Actress in a Supporting Role

East of Eden(1955)
Jo Van Fleet
Winner
Marty(1955)
Betsy Blair
Pete Kelly's Blues(1955)
Peggy Lee
Rebel Without a Cause(1955)
Natalie Wood
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Marisa Pavan

Art Direction (Black-and-White)

The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Art Direction: Hal Pereira, Tambi Larsen; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Arthur Krams
Winner
Blackboard Jungle(1955)
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Randall Duell; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, Henry Grace
I'll Cry Tomorrow(1955)
Art Direction: Cedric Gibbons, Malcolm Brown; Set Decoration: Edwin B. Willis, Hugh B. Hunt
Marty(1955)
Art Direction: Edward S. Haworth, Walter Simonds; Set Decoration: Robert Priestley
The Man with the Golden Arm(1955)
Art Direction: Joseph C. Wright; Set Decoration: Darrell Silvera

Art Direction (Color)

Picnic(1955)
Art Direction: William Flannery, Jo Mielziner; Set Decoration: Robert Priestley
Winner
Daddy Long Legs(1955)
Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, John DeCuir; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Paul S. Fox
Guys and Dolls(1955)
Art Direction: Oliver Smith, Joseph C. Wright; Set Decoration: Howard Bristol
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Art Direction: Lyle Wheeler, George W. Davis; Set Decoration: Walter M. Scott, Jack Stubbs
To Catch a Thief(1955)
Art Direction: Hal Pereira, Joseph McMillan Johnson; Set Decoration: Sam Comer, Arthur Krams

Best Picture

Marty(1955)
Harold Hecht, Producer
Winner
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Buddy Adler, Producer
Mister Roberts(1955)
Leland Hayward, Producer
Picnic(1955)
Fred Kohlmar, Producer
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Hal B. Wallis, Producer

Cinematography (Black-and-White)

The Rose Tattoo(1955)
James Wong Howe
Winner
Blackboard Jungle(1955)
Russell Harlan
I'll Cry Tomorrow(1955)
Arthur E. Arling
Marty(1955)
Joseph LaShelle
Queen Bee(1955)
Charles Lang

Cinematography (Color)

To Catch a Thief(1955)
Robert Burks
Winner
A Man Called Peter(1955)
Harold Lipstein
Guys and Dolls(1955)
Harry Stradling
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Leon Shamroy
Oklahoma!(1955)
Robert Surtees

Costume Design (Color)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Charles LeMaire
Winner
Guys and Dolls(1955)
Irene Sharaff
Interrupted Melody(1955)
Helen Rose
The Virgin Queen(1955)
Charles LeMaire, Mary Wills
To Catch a Thief(1955)
Edith Head

Directing

Marty(1955)
Delbert Mann
Winner
Bad Day at Black Rock(1955)
John Sturges
East of Eden(1955)
Elia Kazan
Picnic(1955)
Joshua Logan
Summertime(1955)
David Lean

Film Editing

Picnic(1955)
Charles Nelson, William A. Lyon
Winner
Blackboard Jungle(1955)
Ferris Webster
Oklahoma!(1955)
Gene Ruggiero, George Boemler
The Bridges at Toko-Ri(1954)
Alma Macrorie
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Warren Low

Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Alfred Newman
Winner
Battle Cry(1955)
Max Steiner
Picnic(1955)
George Duning
The Man with the Golden Arm(1955)
Elmer Bernstein
The Rose Tattoo(1955)
Alex North

Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)

Oklahoma!(1955)
Robert Russell Bennett, Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch
Winner
Daddy Long Legs(1955)
Alfred Newman
Guys and Dolls(1955)
Jay Blackton, Cyril J. Mockridge
It's Always Fair Weather(1955)
Andre Previn
Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
Percy Faith, George Stoll

Music (Song)

Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing in "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" Music by Sammy Fain; Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Winner
Daddy Long Legs(1955)
Something's Gotta Give in "Daddy Long Legs" Music and Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
I'll Never Stop Loving You in "Love Me or Leave Me" Music by Nicholas Brodszky; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
The Tender Trap(1955)
(Love Is) The Tender Trap in "The Tender Trap" Music by James Van Heusen; Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Unchained(1955)
Unchained Melody in "Unchained" Music by Alex North; Lyrics by Hy Zaret

Short Subject (Two-reel)

The Face of Lincoln(1956)
Wilbur T. Blume, Producer
Winner
24 Hour Alert(1955)
Cedric Francis, Producer
On the Twelfth Day...(1955)
George K. Arthur, Producer
Switzerland(1955)
Walt Disney, Producer
The Battle of Gettysburg(1955)
Dore Schary, Producer

Sound Recording

Oklahoma!(1955)
Todd-AO Sound Department, Fred Hynes, Sound Director
Winner
Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing(1955)
20th Century-Fox Studio Sound Department, Carl W. Faulkner, Sound Director
Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio Sound Department, Wesley C. Miller, Sound Director
Mister Roberts(1955)
Warner Bros. Studio Sound Department, William A. Mueller, Sound Director
Not as a Stranger(1955)
Radio Corporation of America Sound Department, Watson Jones, Sound Director

Writing (Motion Picture Story)

Love Me or Leave Me(1955)
Daniel Fuchs
Winner
Rebel Without a Cause(1955)
Nicholas Ray
Strategic Air Command(1955)
Beirne Lay, Jr.
The Private War of Major Benson(1955)
Joe Connelly, Bob Mosher
The Sheep Has Five Legs(1954)
Jean Marsan, Henry Troyat, Jacques Perret, Henri Verneuil, Raoul Ploquin