1979 Oscars: Winners and Nominees

48 films were recognised at the 1979 Academy Awards, across 22 categories. 15 of them took home at least one award.

The biggest winner of the year was The Deer Hunter, with 5 awards, ahead of Coming Home with 3. The categories below run from International Feature Film, Actor in a Leading Role and Actor in a Supporting Role 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

International Feature Film

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs(1978)
France
Winner
Hungarians(1978)
Hungary
I nuovi mostri (Viva Italia!)(1977)
Italy
I nuovi mostri (Viva Italia!)(1977)
Viva Italia!
The Glass Cell(1978)
German Federal Republic
White Bim Black Ear(1977)
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Actor in a Leading Role

Coming Home(1978)
Jon Voight
Winner
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Warren Beatty
The Boys from Brazil(1978)
Laurence Olivier
The Buddy Holly Story(1978)
Gary Busey
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Robert De Niro

Actor in a Supporting Role

The Deer Hunter(1978)
Christopher Walken
Winner
Comes a Horseman(1978)
Richard Farnsworth
Coming Home(1978)
Bruce Dern
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Jack Warden
Midnight Express(1978)
John Hurt

Actress in a Leading Role

Coming Home(1978)
Jane Fonda
Winner
An Unmarried Woman(1978)
Jill Clayburgh
Autumn Sonata(1978)
Ingrid Bergman
Interiors(1978)
Geraldine Page
Same Time, Next Year(1978)
Ellen Burstyn

Actress in a Supporting Role

California Suite(1978)
Maggie Smith
Winner
Coming Home(1978)
Penelope Milford
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Dyan Cannon
Interiors(1978)
Maureen Stapleton
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Meryl Streep

Art Direction

Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Art Direction: Paul Sylbert, Edwin O'Donovan; Set Decoration: George Gaines
Winner
California Suite(1978)
Art Direction: Albert Brenner; Set Decoration: Marvin March
Interiors(1978)
Art Direction: Mel Bourne; Set Decoration: Daniel Robert
The Brink's Job(1978)
Art Direction: Dean Tavoularis, Angelo Graham; Set Decoration: George R. Nelson, Bruce Kay
The Wiz(1978)
Art Direction: Tony Walton, Philip Rosenberg; Set Decoration: Edward Stewart, Robert Drumheller

Best Picture

The Deer Hunter(1978)
Barry Spikings, Michael Deeley, Michael Cimino and John Peverall, Producers
Winner
An Unmarried Woman(1978)
Paul Mazursky and Tony Ray, Producers
Coming Home(1978)
Jerome Hellman, Producer
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Warren Beatty, Producer
Midnight Express(1978)
Alan Marshall and David Puttnam, Producers

Cinematography

Days of Heaven(1978)
Nestor Almendros
Winner
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
William A. Fraker
Same Time, Next Year(1978)
Robert Surtees
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Vilmos Zsigmond
The Wiz(1978)
Oswald Morris

Costume Design

Death on the Nile(1978)
Anthony Powell
Winner
Caravans(1978)
Renie Conley
Days of Heaven(1978)
Patricia Norris
The Swarm(1978)
Paul Zastupnevich
The Wiz(1978)
Tony Walton

Directing

The Deer Hunter(1978)
Michael Cimino
Winner
Coming Home(1978)
Hal Ashby
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Warren Beatty, Buck Henry
Interiors(1978)
Woody Allen
Midnight Express(1978)
Alan Parker

Documentary (Feature)

Scared Straight!(1978)
Arnold Shapiro, Producer
Winner
Mysterious Castles of Clay(1978)
Alan Root, Producer
Raoni(1978)
Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, Barry Williams and Michel Gast, Producers
The Lovers' Wind(1978)
Albert Lamorisse, Producer
With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women's Emergency Brigade(1978)
Anne Bohlen, Lyn Goldfarb and Lorraine Gray, Producers

Documentary (Short Subject)

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor(1978)
Jacqueline Phillips Shedd and Ben Shedd, Producers
Winner
An Encounter with Faces(1978)
K.K. Kapil, Producer
Goodnight Miss Ann(1978)
August Cinquegrana, Producer
Squires of San Quentin(1978)
J. Gary Mitchell, Producer
The Divided Trail: A Native American Odyssey(1977)
Jerry Aronson, Producer

Film Editing

The Deer Hunter(1978)
Peter Zinner
Winner
Coming Home(1978)
Don Zimmerman
Midnight Express(1978)
Gerry Hambling
Superman(1978)
Stuart Baird
The Boys from Brazil(1978)
Robert E. Swink

Music (Original Score)

Midnight Express(1978)
Giorgio Moroder
Winner
Days of Heaven(1978)
Ennio Morricone
Heaven Can Wait(1978)
Dave Grusin
Superman(1978)
John Williams
The Boys from Brazil(1978)
Jerry Goldsmith

Music (Original Song)

Thank God It's Friday(1978)
Last Dance in "Thank God It's Friday" Music and Lyrics by Paul Jabara
Winner
Foul Play(1978)
Ready To Take A Chance Again in "Foul Play" Music by Charles Fox; Lyrics by Norman Gimbel
Grease(1978)
Hopelessly Devoted To You in "Grease" Music and Lyrics by John Farrar
Same Time, Next Year(1978)
The Last Time I Felt Like This in "Same Time, Next Year" Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
The Magic of Lassie(1978)
When You're Loved in "The Magic of Lassie" Music and Lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman

Sound

The Deer Hunter(1978)
Richard Portman, William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, Darin Knight
Winner
Days of Heaven(1978)
John K. Wilkinson, Robert W. Glass, Jr., John T. Reitz, Barry Thomas
Hooper(1978)
Robert Knudson, Robert J. Glass, Don MacDougall, Jack Solomon
Superman(1978)
Gordon K. McCallum, Graham Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, Roy Charman
The Buddy Holly Story(1978)
Tex Rudloff, Joel Fein, Curly Thirlwell, Willie Burton

Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

Coming Home(1978)
Story by Nancy Dowd; Screenplay by Waldo Salt, Robert C. Jones
Winner
An Unmarried Woman(1978)
Paul Mazursky
Autumn Sonata(1978)
Ingmar Bergman
Interiors(1978)
Woody Allen
The Deer Hunter(1978)
Story by Michael Cimino, Deric Washburn, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker; Screenplay by Deric Washburn