1980 Oscars: Winners and Nominees

54 films were recognised at the 1980 Academy Awards, across 23 categories. 14 of them took home at least one award.

The biggest winner of the year was Kramer vs. Kramer, with 5 awards, ahead of All That Jazz with 4. The categories below run from Actor in a Leading Role, Actor in a Supporting Role and Actress in a Leading 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

Actor in a Leading Role

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Dustin Hoffman
Winner
...And Justice for All(1979)
Al Pacino
All That Jazz(1979)
Roy Scheider
Being There(1979)
Peter Sellers
The China Syndrome(1979)
Jack Lemmon

Actor in a Supporting Role

Being There(1979)
Melvyn Douglas
Winner
Apocalypse Now(1979)
Robert Duvall
Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Justin Henry
The Black Stallion(1979)
Mickey Rooney
The Rose(1979)
Frederic Forrest

Actress in a Leading Role

Norma Rae(1979)
Sally Field
Winner
Chapter Two(1979)
Marsha Mason
Starting Over(1979)
Jill Clayburgh
The China Syndrome(1979)
Jane Fonda
The Rose(1979)
Bette Midler

Actress in a Supporting Role

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Meryl Streep
Winner
Breaking Away(1979)
Barbara Barrie
Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Jane Alexander
Manhattan(1979)
Mariel Hemingway
Starting Over(1979)
Candice Bergen

Art Direction

All That Jazz(1979)
Art Direction: Philip Rosenberg, Tony Walton; Set Decoration: Edward Stewart, Gary Brink
Winner
Alien(1979)
Art Direction: Michael Seymour, Les Dilley, Roger Christian; Set Decoration: Ian Whittaker
Apocalypse Now(1979)
Art Direction: Dean Tavoularis, Angelo Graham; Set Decoration: George R. Nelson
Star Trek: The Motion Picture(1979)
Art Direction: Harold Michelson, Joe Jennings, Leon Harris, John Vallone; Set Decoration: Linda DeScenna
The China Syndrome(1979)
Art Direction: George Jenkins; Set Decoration: Arthur Jeph Parker

Best Picture

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Stanley R. Jaffe, Producer
Winner
All That Jazz(1979)
Robert Alan Aurthur, Producer
Apocalypse Now(1979)
Francis Coppola, Producer; Fred Roos, Gray Frederickson and Tom Sternberg, Co-Producers
Breaking Away(1979)
Peter Yates, Producer
Norma Rae(1979)
Tamara Asseyev and Alex Rose, Producers

Cinematography

Apocalypse Now(1979)
Vittorio Storaro
Winner
1941(1979)
William A. Fraker
All That Jazz(1979)
Giuseppe Rotunno
Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Nestor Almendros
The Black Hole(1979)
Frank Phillips

Costume Design

All That Jazz(1979)
Albert Wolsky
Winner
Agatha(1979)
Shirley Russell
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days(1979)
William Ware Theiss
La Cage aux Folles(1978)
Piero Tosi, Ambra Danon
The Europeans(1979)
Judy Moorcroft

Directing

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Robert Benton
Winner
All That Jazz(1979)
Bob Fosse
Apocalypse Now(1979)
Francis Coppola
Breaking Away(1979)
Peter Yates
La Cage aux Folles(1978)
Edouard Molinaro

Documentary (Feature)

Best Boy(1979)
Ira Wohl, Producer
Winner
Generation on the Wind(1979)
David A. Vassar, Producer
Going the Distance(1979)
Paul Cowan and Jacques Bobet, Producers
The Killing Ground(1979)
Steve Singer and Tom Priestley, Producers
The War at Home(1979)
Glenn Silber and Barry Alexander Brown, Producers

Documentary (Short Subject)

Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist(1979)
Saul J. Turell, Producer
Winner
Dae(1979)
Risto Teofilovski, Producer
Koryo Celadon(1979)
Donald A. Connolly and James R. Messenger, Producers
Nails(1979)
Phillip Borsos, Producer
Remember Me(1979)
Dick Young, Producer

Film Editing

All That Jazz(1979)
Alan Heim
Winner
Apocalypse Now(1979)
Richard Marks, Walter Murch, Gerald B. Greenberg, Lisa Fruchtman
Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Jerry Greenberg
The Black Stallion(1979)
Robert Dalva
The Rose(1979)
Robert L. Wolfe, C. Timothy O'Meara

International Feature Film

The Tin Drum(1979)
Federal Republic of Germany
Winner
A Simple Story(1978)
France
Mama Turns 100 (Mama Turns a Hundred)(1979)
Spain
The Maids of Wilko(1979)
Poland
To Forget Venice(1979)
Italy

Music (Original Score)

A Little Romance(1979)
Georges Delerue
Winner
10(1979)
Henry Mancini
Star Trek: The Motion Picture(1979)
Jerry Goldsmith
The Amityville Horror(1979)
Lalo Schifrin
The Champ(1979)
Dave Grusin

Music (Original Song)

Norma Rae(1979)
It Goes Like It Goes in "Norma Rae" Music by David Shire; Lyric by Norman Gimbel
Winner
10(1979)
It's Easy To Say in "10" Music by Henry Mancini; Lyric by Robert Wells
Ice Castles(1978)
Through The Eyes Of Love in "Ice Castles" Music by Marvin Hamlisch; Lyric by Carole Bayer Sager
The Muppet Movie(1979)
The Rainbow Connection in "The Muppet Movie" Music and Lyric by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher
The Promise(1979)
I'll Never Say 'Goodbye' in "The Promise" Music by David Shire; Lyric by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman

Short Film (Live Action)

Board and Care(1980)
Sarah Pillsbury and Ron Ellis, Producers
Winner
Bravery in the Field(1979)
Roman Kroitor and Stefan Wodoslawsky, Producers
Oh Brother, My Brother(1979)
Carol Lowell and Ross Lowell, Producers
Solly’s Diner(1980)
Harry Mathias, Jay Zukerman and Larry Hankin, Producers
The Solar Film(1980)
Saul Bass and Michael Britton, Producers

Sound

Apocalypse Now(1979)
Walter Murch, Mark Berger, Richard Beggs, Nat Boxer
Winner
1941(1979)
Robert Knudson, Robert J. Glass, Don MacDougall, Gene S. Cantamessa
Meteor(1979)
William McCaughey, Aaron Rochin, Michael J. Kohut, Jack Solomon
The Electric Horseman(1979)
Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Michael Minkler, Al Overton
The Rose(1979)
Theodore Soderberg, Douglas Williams, Paul Wells, Jim Webb

Visual Effects

Alien(1979)
H.R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, Denys Ayling
Winner
1941(1979)
William A. Fraker, A. D. Flowers, Gregory Jein
Moonraker(1979)
Derek Meddings, Paul Wilson, John Evans
Star Trek: The Motion Picture(1979)
Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Richard Yuricich, Robert Swarthe, Dave Stewart, Grant McCune
The Black Hole(1979)
Peter Ellenshaw, Art Cruickshank, Eustace Lycett, Danny Lee, Harrison Ellenshaw, Joe Hale

Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen)

Breaking Away(1979)
Steve Tesich
Winner
...And Justice for All(1979)
Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson
All That Jazz(1979)
Robert Alan Aurthur, Bob Fosse
Manhattan(1979)
Woody Allen, Marshall Brickman
The China Syndrome(1979)
Mike Gray, T.S. Cook, James Bridges

Writing (Screenplay--based on material from another medium)

Kramer vs. Kramer(1979)
Robert Benton
Winner
A Little Romance(1979)
Allan Burns
Apocalypse Now(1979)
John Milius, Francis Coppola
La Cage aux Folles(1978)
Francis Veber, Edouard Molinaro, Marcello Danon, Jean Poiret
Norma Rae(1979)
Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank, Jr.

Music (Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Adaptation Score)

All That Jazz(1979)
Adaptation Score by Ralph Burns
Winner
Breaking Away(1979)
Adaptation Score by Patrick Williams
The Muppet Movie(1979)
Song Score by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher; Adaptation Score by Paul Williams

Short Film (Animated)

Every Child(1979)
Derek Lamb, Producer
Winner
Dream Doll(1979)
Bob Godfrey and Zlatko Grgic, Producers
It's So Nice to Have a Wolf Around the House(1979)
Paul Fierlinger, Producer

Special Achievement Award (Sound Editing)

The Black Stallion(1979)
Alan Splet
Winner