66th Academy Awards


The 66th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, honored films released in 1993 and took place on March 21, 1994, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards in 23 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gil Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis. Actress Whoopi Goldberg hosted the show for the first time. Nearly a month earlier in a ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California on February 26, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Laura Dern.
Schindler's List won seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Steven Spielberg. Other winners included Jurassic Park and The Piano with three awards each, Philadelphia with two awards, and The Age of Innocence, Belle Époque, Defending Our Lives, The Fugitive, , Mrs. Doubtfire, Schwarzfahrer and The Wrong Trousers with one. The telecast was watched by more than 46 million viewers in the United States.

Winners and nominees

The nominees for the 66th Academy Awards were announced on February 9, 1994, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Academy president Arthur Hiller, and actress Christine Lahti. Schindler's List led all nominees with twelve nominations; The Piano and The Remains of the Day tied for second with eight.
The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 21, 1994. Best Director nominee Jane Campion was the second woman to be nominated in that category. Holly Hunter and Emma Thompson's nominations in both lead and supporting acting categories marked the first and so far only occurrence that two performers earned double acting nominations in the same year. Best Supporting Actress winner Anna Paquin, at age 11, became the second youngest winner of a competitive acting Oscar, behind Tatum O'Neal, who won at age 10 for Paper Moon.

Awards

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

  • Steven Spielberg – Schindler's List
  • * Jim Sheridan – In the Name of the Father
  • * Jane Campion – The Piano
  • * James Ivory – The Remains of the Day
  • * Robert Altman – Short Cuts
  • Tom Hanks – Philadelphia as Andrew Beckett
  • * Daniel Day-Lewis – In the Name of the Father as Gerry Conlon
  • * Laurence Fishburne – What's Love Got to Do with It as Ike Turner
  • * Anthony Hopkins – The Remains of the Day as James Stevens
  • * Liam Neeson – Schindler's List as Oskar Schindler
  • Holly Hunter – The Piano as Ada McGrath
  • * Angela Bassett – What's Love Got to Do with It as Tina Turner
  • * Stockard Channing – Six Degrees of Separation as Ouisa Kittredge
  • * Emma Thompson – The Remains of the Day as Sarah "Sally" Kenton
  • * Debra Winger – Shadowlands as Joy Davidman
  • Tommy Lee Jones – The Fugitive as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard
  • * Leonardo DiCaprio – What's Eating Gilbert Grape as Arnie Grape
  • * Ralph Fiennes – Schindler's List as Amon Goeth
  • * John Malkovich – In the Line of Fire as Mitch Leary
  • * Pete Postlethwaite – In the Name of the Father as Giuseppe Conlon
  • Anna Paquin – The Piano as Flora McGrath
  • * Holly Hunter – The Firm as Tamara "Tammy" Hemphill
  • * Rosie Perez – Fearless as Carla Rodrigo
  • * Winona Ryder – The Age of Innocence as May Welland
  • * Emma Thompson – In the Name of the Father as Gareth Peirce
  • The Piano – Jane Campion
  • * Dave – Gary Ross
  • * In the Line of Fire – Jeff Maguire
  • * Philadelphia – Ron Nyswaner
  • * Sleepless in Seattle – Nora Ephron, David S. Ward, and Jeff Arch
  • Schindler's List – Steven Zaillian based on the non-fiction book by Thomas Keneally
  • * The Age of Innocence – Martin Scorsese and Jay Cocks based on the novel by Edith Wharton
  • * In the Name of the Father – Jim Sheridan and Terry George based on the autobiographical book Proved Innocent by Gerry Conlon
  • * The Remains of the Day – Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
  • * Shadowlands – William Nicholson based on his play
  • Belle Époque in Spanish – Fernando Trueba, director
  • * Farewell My Concubine in Mandarin Chinese – Chen Kaige, director
  • * Hedd Wyn in Welsh – Paul Turner, director
  • * The Scent of Green Papaya in Vietnamese – Anh Hung Tran, director
  • * The Wedding Banquet in Mandarin Chinese – Ang Lee, director
  • – Susan Raymond and Alan Raymond
  • * The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter – David Paperny and Arthur Ginsberg
  • * ' – Susan Todd and Andrew Young
  • * For Better or for Worse – David Collier and Betsy Thompson
  • * The War Room – D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus
  • Defending Our Lives – Margaret Lazarus and Renner Wunderlich
  • * ' – Steven Cantor and Peter Spirer
  • * Chicks in White Satin – Elaine Holliman and Jason Schneider
  • Schwarzfahrer – Pepe Danquart
  • *Down on the Waterfront – Stacy Title and Jonathan Penner
  • * The Dutch Master – Susan Seidelman and Jonathan Brett
  • * Partners – Peter Weller and Jana Sue Memel
  • * The Screw – Didier Flamand
  • The Wrong Trousers – Nick Park
  • * Blindscape – Stephen Palmer
  • * The Mighty River – Frédéric Back and Hubert Tison
  • * Small Talk – Bob Godfrey and Kevin Baldwin
  • * The Village – Mark Baker
  • Schindler's List – John Williams
  • * The Age of Innocence – Elmer Bernstein
  • * The Firm – Dave Grusin
  • * The Fugitive – James Newton Howard
  • * The Remains of the Day – Richard Robbins
  • "Streets of Philadelphia" from Philadelphia – Music and Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen
  • * "Again" from Poetic Justice – Music and Lyrics by Janet Jackson and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
  • * "The Day I Fall in Love" from Beethoven's 2nd – Music and Lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, James Ingram, and Clif Magness
  • * "Philadelphia" from Philadelphia – Music and Lyrics by Neil Young
  • * "A Wink and a Smile" from Sleepless in Seattle – Music by Marc Shaiman; Lyrics by Ramsey McLean
  • Jurassic Park – Gary Rydstrom, Gary Summers, Ron Judkins, and Shawn Murphy
  • * Cliffhanger – Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, and Tim Cooney
  • * The Fugitive – Donald O. Mitchell, Michael Herbick, Frank A. Montaño, and Scott D. Smith
  • * ' – Chris Carpenter, Doug Hemphill, Bill W. Benton, and Lee Orloff
  • * Schindler's List – Andy Nelson, Steve Pederson, Scott Millan, and Ron Judkins
  • Jurassic Park – Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns
  • * Cliffhanger – Wylie Stateman and Gregg Baxter
  • * The Fugitive – John Leveque and Bruce Stambler
  • Schindler's List – Art Direction: Allan Starski; Set Decoration: Ewa Braun
  • * Addams Family Values – Art Direction: Ken Adam; Set Decoration: Marvin March
  • * The Age of Innocence – Art Direction: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Robert J. Franco
  • * Orlando – Art Direction: Ben Van Os and Jan Roelfs
  • * The Remains of the Day – Art Direction: Luciana Arrighi; Set Decoration: Ian Whittaker
  • Mrs. Doubtfire – Greg Cannom, Ve Neill, and Yolanda Toussieng
  • * Philadelphia – Carl Fullerton and Alan D'Angerio
  • * Schindler's List – Christina Smith, Matthew W. Mungle, and Judith A. Cory
  • The Age of Innocence – Gabriella Pescucci
  • * Orlando – Sandy Powell
  • * The Piano – Janet Patterson
  • * The Remains of the Day – Jenny Beavan and John Bright
  • * Schindler's List – Anna B. Sheppard
  • Schindler's List – Janusz Kamiński
  • * Farewell My Concubine – Gu Changwei
  • * The Fugitive – Michael Chapman
  • * The Piano – Stuart Dryburgh
  • * Searching for Bobby Fischer – Conrad Hall
  • Schindler's List – Michael Kahn
  • * The Fugitive – Dennis Virkler, David Finfer, Dean Goodhill, Don Brochu, Richard Nord, and Dov Hoenig
  • * In the Name of the Father – Gerry Hambling
  • * In the Line of Fire – Anne V. Coates
  • * The Piano – Veronika Jenet
  • Jurassic Park – Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, and Michael Lantieri'
  • * Cliffhanger – Neil Krepela, John Richardson, John Bruno, and Pamela Easley
  • * The Nightmare Before Christmas'' – Pete Kozachik, Eric Leighton, Ariel Velasco Shaw, and Gordon Baker
    		• -

    Academy Honorary Award

  • Deborah Kerr

    Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

  • Paul Newman

    Films with multiple nominations and awards

    • The following 16 films had multiple nominations:
    NominationsFilm
    12Schindler's List
    8The Piano
    8The Remains of the Day
    7The Fugitive
    7In the Name of the Father
    5The Age of Innocence
    5Philadelphia
    3Cliffhanger
    3In the Line of Fire
    3Jurassic Park
    2Farewell My Concubine
    2The Firm
    2Orlando
    2Shadowlands
    2Sleepless in Seattle
    2What's Love Got to Do with It

    The following four films received multiple awards:
    AwardsFilm
    7Schindler's List
    3Jurassic Park
    3The Piano
    2Philadelphia

    Presenters and performers

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

    Presenters

    Performers

    Ceremony information

    Due the negative reception received from the preceding year's ceremony, actor Billy Crystal announced that after overseeing four consecutive Oscar ceremonies, he would not be hosting the 1994 telecast. In a statement released by his publicist, he stated, "After three Grammys, four Oscars and six Comic Reliefs, I'm going to take a break from my hosting duties. I always felt honored to host the show and did my best to carry on the tradition of Bob Hope and Johnny Carson. I hope the new host has as good a time as I did." With Crystal absent to host the Oscars, many media outlets wondered whom producer Gil Cates would hire to emcee the program. Film columnist Jack Matthews suggested that actor Tom Hanks, who would eventually win Best Actor for Philadelphia, should host the show writing that he "has charm, dignity, wit, intelligence and, it's worth mentioning, he's a movie star!" Cates also offered the role to performers Steve Martin, Bette Midler, and Johnny Carson, but they all turned down the opportunity.
    After several days of speculation, Cates announced that he hired Oscar-winning actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg to host the festivities for the first time. By virtue of her selection, Goldberg became both the first African American to host as well as the first woman to host the telecast solo. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Cates explained the decision to hire her saying, "She is a highly recognizable star who has millions of fans." He also addressed the media's concerns regarding Goldberg's raunchy and outspoken humor stating, "Some people may think she's potentially dangerous, and she says things that come to her mind. It's going to be exciting for me. The main thing is she wants to do it and she's smart. Whatever she says will be appropriate." Goldberg expressed that she was thrilled to be selected to emcee the 1994 ceremony commenting, "To go from watching to winning to hosting in one lifetime is major."
    As with previous ceremonies he produced, Cates centered the show around a theme. This year, he christened the show with the theme "People Behind the Camera" commenting that "It will be a salute to those unseen men and women who make what we see on the screen, the artist and craftspeople responsible for the magic of the movies." In tandem with the theme, the ceremony's opening number featured a montage produced by Chuck Workman saluting the many individuals such as directors, editors, and composers who are involved in moviemaking. During that segment, singer Bernadette Peters performing a modified version of Stephen Sondheim's song "Putting It Together" from his musical Sunday in the Park with George. Filmmaker and editor Carol A. Streit assembled another montage featuring a salute to the work of cinematographers and their contributions to film.
    Several other people and elements were also involved with the production of the ceremony. Production designer Roy Christopher designed a new stage for the ceremony which prominently featured five giant Oscar statues each flanked inside metal cones that were illuminated recurrently throughout the show. Film composer and musician Bill Conti served as musical director of the ceremony. Dancer Debbie Allen choreographed a dancer number showcasing the Best Original Score nominees featuring eight prestigious ballet and dance troupes from around the world.

    Box office performance of nominees

    At the time of the nominations announcement on February 9, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $261 million, with an average of $52.2 million per film. The Fugitive was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $179 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Schindler's List, The Piano, The Remains of the Day, and finally In the Name of the Father.
    Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 36 nominations went to 14 films on the list. Only The Fugitive, The Firm, Sleepless in Seattle, In the Line of Fire, Dave, Philadelphia, What's Love Got to Do With It, and The Age of Innocence were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, or Best Picture. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were Jurassic Park, Mrs. Doubtfire, Cliffhanger, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Addams Family Values, and Beethoven's 2nd.

    Critical reviews

    The show received a positive reception from most media publications. The New York Times film critic Janet Maslin raved that the telecast had "less silliness and less small talk, with more emphasis on cleverly chosen film clips and the bona fide Hollywood magic being celebrated." She also praised host Goldberg saying that she "sustained a tone of levity, which became particularly important as the sweep by Schindler's List threatened to bring out great ponderousness in some quarters." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette television critic Robert Bianco commended Goldberg's performance writing that "She never acted like she was too smart or to hip for the show she was hosting; she never smirked like there was a joke she alone was cool enough to get." He also extolled producer Cates by commenting, "In place of the extraneous jokes and terrible production numbers, he gave us a theme that worked and a generous selection of clips to back it up." Anne Thompson of Entertainment Weekly lauded Goldberg by stating, "Her elegant appearance, her uncharacteristic restraint, and her ability to make it funny made the ho-hum telecast worth watching."
    Some media outlets were more critical of the show. Television critic Howard Rosenberg of the Los Angeles Times lamented that Goldberg's humor "wilted in a blessedly brief 3-hour-and-18-minute telecast." He also wrote that compared with Billy Crystal, her hosting skills were "balmy". Orlando Sentinel film critic Jay Boyar bemoaned that "this year's Oscarcast was only a little more exciting than a wine snob droning on about his favorite vintages." Harold Schindler of The Salt Lake City Tribune remarked that Whoopi's preference for "insider" jokes "left the audience murmuring and most viewers probably scratching their heads." He also added the biggest letdown of the telecast was "Goldberg's seeming ineptness at understanding the moment"

    Ratings and reception

    The American telecast on ABC drew in an average of 46.26 million people over its length, which was a 1% increase from the previous year's ceremony. However, the show drew lower Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 31.86% of households watching over a 49.28 share. It also drew a lower 18–49 demographic rating with a 19.73 rating over a 40.53 share among viewers in that demographic.
    In July 1994, the ceremony presentation received seven nominations at the 46th Primetime Emmys. Two months later, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Outstanding Technical Direction/Camera/Video for a Miniseries or Special.

    ''In Memoriam''

    The annual In Memoriam tribute was presented by actress Glenn Close. The montage featured an excerpt of the main title of Terms of Endearment composed by Michael Gore.